AP Computer Science Principles Review

Flashcards for reviewing key concepts in AP Computer Science Principles.

What is programming?

A collaborative and creative process that brings ideas to life through the development of software.

In what stages of development can collaboration occur?

Planning, designing, or testing (debugging).

What is a computing innovation?

Uses a computer program to take in data, transform data, and output data.

What does peer instruction involve?

Students working in pairs or small groups to discuss concepts to find solutions to problems.

What is a Syntax Error?

A mistake in which the rules of the programming language are not followed.

What is a Runtime Error?

A mistake that occurs during the execution of a program that ceases the execution.

What is a Logic Error?

A mistake in the algorithm or program that causes it to behave incorrectly or unexpectedly.

What is a Overflow Error?

A mistake that occurs when a computer attempts to handle a number that is outside of the defined range of values.

What is debugging?

The process of finding and fixing errors.

What is a bit?

The smallest unit of information stored or manipulated on a computer; it consists of either zero or one.

What is the key to binary to decimal conversion?

Different binary digits represent different powers of 2.

How do you perform Decimal to Binary Conversion?

Find the powers of 2 that add up to the given decimal number. Start by finding the largest power of 2 that is less than the number, subtract that number from the original and repeat until you are down to 0.

What are digital images?

A collection of pixels, where each pixel consists of binary numbers.

What is Metadata?

Data about data, used to know the size of an image.

What colors can be used to create any color?

Red, green, and blue.

Differentiate an analog signal from a digital signal.

An analog signal exists throughout a continuous interval of time and takes on a continuous range of values. A digital signal is a sequence of discrete symbols.

What is Sampling?

Recording an analog signal at regular discrete moments and converting them to a digital signal.

What is Compression?

A two-way process: a compression algorithm can be used to make a data package smaller, or to decompress the package into its original form.

What are Lossless algorithms?

Algorithms that can reconstruct the original message exactly from the compressed message.

What are Lossy algorithms?

Algorithms that can only reconstruct an approximation of the original message.

What is Data Extraction?

The process of obtaining data from a database or software so that it can transport it to another software designed to support online analytical processing.

What are the steps to extract and analyze data?

Analyze data sources, know what will be done with analysis, decide the tool needed, clean the data, and understand data patterns through visualization.

What is a graph?

A pictorial representation, a diagram used to represent data and depict a relationship.

What is an Algorithm?

A set of steps to do a task.

What are Computer Science Algorithms?

Are implemented with software to solve a problem or complete a task.

What is a popular way of defining abstraction?

Information Hiding

What is a List?

A data type that holds a collection of values.

What are Variables?

Placeholders for values a program needs to use.

What are Strings?

Text fields that are a series of characters, denoted with quotation marks.

What are Expressions?

Calculations to be evaluated to an answer or single value.

What does PEMDAS stand for?

Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction.

What is a Boolean value?

A value that can only be true or false.

What are the three types of program statements?

Sequential, Selection, Iterative.

What are Sequential Statements?

Statements that are executed as written in order in the program.

What are Selection Statements?

Statements that use the “if (condition)” structure, and the evaluation of the condition uses Boolean values.

What are Iterative Statements?

Statements that are also referred to as repetitive statements or loops.

What happens in the REPEAT UNTIL Loop?

A loop where the loop will continue to run while the condition evaluates to “false”.

What are Nested Conditionals?

An IF statement within another set of IF statements.

What is a List?

Lists, are a collection of items.

Describe List Indices

Individual items in a list are called elements and are accessed by position using an index.

What are Index Positions?

Integers and are enclosed within square brackets [index].

Name three list methods.

Adding an item to a specific position of a list moves element to the right, appending adds an item to the end, and removing an item removes the element.

What is Length?

The number of elements in the list.

What is a FOR EACH Loop?

A loop that will automatically repeat the code for each element in the list.

What is a Linear Search?

Check each individual record, starting at the beginning and going to the end, one after the other in order to either find the desired data or to determine it is not in the dataset.

What is Binary Search?

A search where data must be sorted to use a binary search. The binary search is considered a “divide and conquer” algorithm because it divides the dataset into two equal parts.

What are Procedures?

Sections of code that will be executed only when they are called by the main program or another procedure.

What do Parameters allow?

Allow the calling program to send values to the procedure.

What does a random number generator do?

Picks a number at random out of a range of values.

What optional feature do Return Procedures have?

A return statement.

What are Built-in Procedures?

Prewritten and tested code that is included with the programming language.

What does INPUT() do?

Accepts data from the user, usually from the keyboard.

What are APIs?

Prewritten programs to provide commonly needed functionality, stored in libraries.

What are Simulations used for?

Designed to represent and mirror the real world for testing.

What is an instance of a problem?

A specific example of a problem.

What answer does a decision problem have?

Has a yes or no answer.

What does the efficiency of algorithms deal with?

Efficiency deals with resources needed to run it in terms of how long it will take and how much memory will be needed.

What is an Heuristic approach?

An approach that may not be optimal or the best but is close enough to use as a solution.

What is a decidable problem?

One where an algorithm can be written that results in a correct “yes” or “no” answer for all inputs.

What is an undecidable problem?

Does not have an algorithm that can give a correct “yes” or “no” for all cases of the problem.

What is the Internet?

A network of networks.

What device sends information along to the next stop on the path?

Routing.

What is Bandwidth?

A measure of the maximum amount of data that can be transferred through a channel or network connection.

What is Internet Protocol (IP)?

Responsible for addressing and routing your online requests.

What is transmission control protocol (TCP)?

A protocol that defines how computers send packets of data to each other.

What is user datagram protocol (UDP)?

A protocol that allows computer applications to send messages without checking for missing packets to save on time needed to retransmit missing packets.

What is Scalability?

The ability for a system, network or process to handle a growing amount of work in an efficient manner.

What is Hardware Failure?

When a hardware device, such as a computer or printer, stops working properly due to an issue with the physical components.

What are Operational Failures?

Any issues or breakdowns in the operation of a business, machine, system, process, etc.

What are Cyberattacks?

Malicious attempts to damage or disrupt computer systems, networks, and data.

How long does parallel computing take?

Parallel Computing solution takes as long as the longest of the tasks done in parallel.

What does Distributed Computing allow?

Allows problems to be solved that could not be solved on a single computer because of either the processing time or storage needs involved.

Describe programs and apps

Can be quickly and easily shared with people worldwide.

What is Cloud Computing all about?

Allows people to communicate, making collaboration easier and more efficient.

What does the digital divide include?

The impact of the digital divide includes access to information, knowledge, markets, and different cultures.

What is Bias?

Which is intentional or unintentional prejudice for or against certain groups of people, shows up in computing innovations too.

What is crowdsourcing?

Allows people to share information and ask the 'crowd'

What does creative commons provide?

Provides a way for creators of software, images, music, videos, and any computational artifact to share their creations with stipulations for sharing and permission from the author clearly indicated.

Explain open source software

Software that is freely shared, updated, and supported by anyone who wants to do so.

Explain data mining

A field of study that analyzes large datasets

Explain machine learning

Uses algorithms to analyze data and predict behavior and is used in Artificial Intelligence (AI).

What is Personally Identifiable Information (PII)?

Any information that identifies you is considered Personally Identifiable Information (PII).

What are digital footprints and fingerprints?

Are the trail of little pieces of data we leave behind as a sign of our presence as we go through our daily lives.

What is the global impact of Cybersecurity?

Has a global impact because now anyone from anywhere can attempt to gain unauthorized entry to someone else’s computer, data, servers, or network.

What does Cybersecurity do?

Protects our electronic devices and networks from attacks and unauthorized use.

What is Cryptography?

The writing of secret codes.

What is Encryption?

Is converting a message to a coded format.

What is Deciphering?

Is the encrypted message called decryption.

What is Public Key Encryption?

Uses open standards, meaning the algorithms used are published and available to everyone and are discussed by experts and interested parties and known by all.

What do the certificates verify?

Verify to web browsers that the encryption keys belong to the business, thereby enabling online purchases and the sending and receiving of secure documents.