ap csp sem 1 vocab

Innovation

A novel or improved idea, device, product or the development thereof.

Bit

A contraction of 'Binary Digit'; the single unit of information in a computer, typically represented as a 0 or 1.

Byte

8 bits.

Binary number

A base 2 number with two possible different digits.

Decimal number

A base 10 number with ten possible different digits.

Hexadecimal Number

A base 16 number with sixteen possible different digits.

Overflow Error

Error from attempting to represent a number that is too large.

Round-off Error

Error from attempting to represent a number that is too precise. The value is rounded.

ASCII

American Standard Code Information Interchange. ASCII is the universally recognized raw text format that any computer can understand.

Image

A type of data used for graphics or pictures.

Pixel

Short for 'picture element', it is the fundamental unit of a digital image, typically a tiny square or dot which contains a single point of color for a larger image.

Metadata

Data that describes other data. For example, a digital image may include metadata that describes the size of the image, the number of colors, or resolution.

Analog Data

Data with values that change continuously, or smoothly, over time. Some examples of analog data include music, colors of a painting, or position of a sprinter during a race.

Digital Data

Data that changes discreetly through a finite set of possible values.

Sampling

A process for creating a digital representation of analog data by measuring the analog data at regular intervals called samples.

Abstraction

A feature used to hide background details or any unnecessary implementation about the data so that users only see the required information.

RGB

The color model that uses varying intensities of (R)ed, (G)reen and (B)lue light which are added together to produce a broad array of colors.

Lossless Compression

A process for reducing the number of bits needed to represent something without losing any information. This process is reversible.

Heuristic

A problem solving approach to find a satisfactory solution where finding an optimal or exact solution is impartial or impossible.

Lossy Compression

A process for reducing the number of bits needed to represent something in which some information is lost or thrown away. This process is not reversible.

Copyright

A type of intellectual property that protects the original works of authorship as soon as the author fixes the work in a tangible form of expression.

Creative Commons

(CC) is an internationally active non-profit organization that provides free licensing for creators to use when making their work available to the public.

Internet

A group of computers and servers that are connected to each other.

Computing Device

A machine that can run a program, including computers, tablets, servers, routers, and smart sensors.

Computing System

A group of computing devices and programs working together for a common purpose.

Computing Network

A group of interconnected computing devices capable of sending or receiving data.

Path

The series of connections between computing devices on a network starting with a sender and ending with a receiver.

Bandwidth

The maximum amount of data that can be sent in a fixed amount of time, usually measured in bits per second.

Latency

The time it takes a bit to travel from its sender to receiver.

Bit Rate

The number of bits that are conveyed or processed per unit of time (usually bits/second).

Protocol

An agreed-upon set of rules that specify the behavior of some system.

IP Address

The unique number assigned to each device on the Internet.

Internet Protocol (IP)

A protocol for sending data across the Internet that assigns unique numbers (IP addresses) to each connected device.

URL

(Uniform Resource Locators) The location of a webpage or file on the Internet (ex www.code.org).

Router

A type of computer that forwards data across a network.

Redundancy

The inclusion of extra components so that a system can continue to work even if individual components fail, for example by having more than one path between any two connected devices in a network.

Fault Tolerant

Can continue to function even in the event of individual component failures. This is important because elements of complex systems like a computer network fail at unexpected times, often in groups.

Datastream

Information passed through the internet in packets.

Packet

A chunk of data sent over a network. Larger messages are divided into packets that may arrive at the destination in order, out-of-order, or not at all.

Packet Metadata

Data added to packets to help route them through the network and reassemble the original message.

Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)

A protocol for sending packets that does error-checking to ensure all packets are received and properly ordered.

User Datagram Protocol (UDP)

A protocol for sending packets quickly with minimal error-checking and no resending of dropped packets.

IETF

Internet Engineering Task Force - develops and promotes internet standards and protocols, in particular the standards that comprise the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP).

Scalability

The capacity for the system to change in size and scale to meet new demands.

World Wide Web

A system of linked pages, programs, and files.

The Domain Name System (DNS)

The system responsible for translating domain names like example.com into IP addresses.

Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)

A protocol for computers to request and share the pages that make up the world wide web on the Internet.

Net Neutrality

The principle that all Internet traffic should be treated equally by Internet Service Providers (ISPS).

Digital Divide

Refers to the gap between those who have access to the Internet and those who do not, usually due to economic situation, social issues or location of Internet facilities.

Internet Censorship

The control or suppression of what can be accessed, published, or viewed on the Internet enacted by regulators.

User Interface

The inputs and outputs that allow a user to interact with a piece of software.

Input

Data that are sent to a computer for processing by a program.

Output

Any data that are sent from a program to a device.

Code

To write programming instructions for a computer.

Program Statement

A command or instruction. Sometimes also referred to as a code statement.

Program

A collection of program statements. Programs run (or 'execute') one command at a time.

Sequential Programming

Program statements run in order, from top to bottom.

Event Driven Programming

Some program statements run when triggered by an event, like a mouse click or a key press.

Debugging

The process of finding and fixing problems in code.

Documentation

A written description of how a command or piece of code works or was developed.

Comment

Form of program documentation written into the program to be read by people and which do not affect how a program runs.

Pair Programming

A collaborative programming style in which two programmers switch between the roles of writing code and tracking or planning high level progress.

Expression

A combination of operators and values that evaluates to a single value.

Variable

Holds one value at a time.

Assignment Operator

Allows a program to change the value represented by a variable.

Conditionals

Statements that run only under certain conditions.

Boolean Value

A data type that is either true or false.

Boolean Expression

An expression that evaluates to True or False.

Comparison Operators

<, >, <=, >=, ==, != indicate a Boolean expression.

Logical Operators

&&, ||, != (AND, OR, NOT) are often used in conditional for comparison.

String

Any sequence of characters between quotation marks (ex. 'hello', '42').

Concatenate

Link together or join strings or variables.

If-Statement

The common programming structure that implements 'conditional statements'.

Selection

A generic term for a type of programming statement (usually an if-statement) that uses a Boolean condition to determine, or select, whether or not to run a certain block of statements.

MOD

(modulo) is the remainder that is left after a number is divided by another number.

Function

A named group of programming instructions. Also referred to as a 'procedure'.

Function Call

A command that executes the code within a function.

Global Variable

Permanent - can be used anywhere in program.

Local Variable

Temporary - can only be used in the part of the code where it was created.

List

An ordered collection of elements.

Element

An individual value in a list that is assigned a unique index.

Index

A common method for referencing the elements of a list or strings using numbers.

While Loop

Uses a Boolean condition to repeatedly run a block of code.

For Loop

Condenses the parts of a while loop into a shorter statement.

Iteration

A repetitive portion of an algorithm which represents a specified number of times or until a given condition is met.

Infinite Loop

A loop that never stops running because a specified condition is never met.

Algorithm

A precise set of instructions for processes that can be executed by a computer.

Traversal

Traveling (or traversing) through every element of a list one element at a time.

Filter

Create a subset of elements from an original list.

Reduce

Reduce a list down to a single element, such as the smallest number in a list.