Comp. Sci.
| Bit | a contraction of "Binary Digit"; the single unit of information in a computer, typically represented as a 0 or 1 |
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| Byte | 8 bits |
| Binary | a way of representing information using only two options |
| Binary Number System | a system for representing numbers using combinations of the digits 0 and 1 |
| Decimal Number System | a system for representing numbers using combinations of the digits 0 - 9 |
| Overflow Error | an incorrect value from attempting to represent a number that is too large |
| Round-off Error | an incorrect value from attempting to represent a number that is too precise |
| Digital Data | data that changes discreetly through a finite set of possible values |
| Analog Data | data with values that change continuously, or smoothly, over time, for example, music and colors of a painting |
| Sampling | a process for creating a digital representation of analog data by measuring the analog data at regular intervals |
| Pixel | the fundamental unit of a digital image, typically a tiny square or dot which contains a single point of color of a larger image |
| Resolution | the dimensions by which you can measure how many pixels are on a screen |
| RGB | the RGB color model that uses varying intensities of (R)ed, (G)reen, and (B)lue light added together to reproduce a broad array of colors |
| Data Compression | a process for reducing the number of bits needed to represent a piece of information |
| Lossless Compression | a process for reducing the number of bits needed to represent something without losing information |
| Lossy Compression | a process for reducing the number of bits needed to represent something in which some information is lost |
| Intellectual Property | a work or invention that is the result of creativity, such as a piece of writing or a design, to which one has rights |
| Creative Commons | a collection of public copyright licenses that enable the free distribution of an otherwise copyrighted work |
| Open Access | content free of any and all restrictions on access and free of many restrictions on use |
| Open Source | programs that are made freely available and may be redistributed and modified |
| Internet | a computer network consisting of interconnected networks that use standardized, open communication protocols |
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| World Wide Web (WWW or web) | a network of web pages and media connected by links and accessible by URLs |
| Web browser | the application used to view web pages |
| 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 |
| Protocol | an agreed-upon set of rules that specify the behavior of a system |
| IP Address | the unique number assigned to each device on the Internet |
| Internet Protocol (IP) | a set of rules for sending data across the Internet that assigns unique numbers (IP addresses) to each connected device |
| 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 |
| Fault Tolerant | describes a system that can continue to function even in the event of individual component failures |
| Datastream | information passed through the internet in packets |
| Packet | a chunk of data sent over a network |
| Metadata | data that describes other data, for example, a packet includes metadata such as the source IP address, target IP address |
| Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) | a protocol for sending packets that does error-checking to ensure all packets are received and in the proper order |
| User Datagram Protocol(UDP) | a protocol used on the internet for fast transmission of information with minimal error checking and no resending of dropped packets |
| Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) | the language used to create web pages within a web browser |
| Scalability | the capacity for the system to change in size and scale to meet new demands |
| Domain Name System (DNS) | the system responsible for translating domain names like example.com into IP addresses |
| Uniform Resource Locator (URL) | the unique name for a domain or document on the internet |
| Domain | a text identifier for a server on the internet containing a descriptive name, a period, and a TLD, for example: google.com |
| HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) | the set of rules used for transmitting web pages over the internet |
| HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) | a secure version of HTTP |
| Internet Service Provider (ISP) | a company that provides access to the internet for a fee |
| Certificate Authority | issues digital certificates that validate the ownership of encryption keys used in secure communications |
| Digital Divide | differing access to computing devices and the internet, based on socioeconomic, geographic, or demographic characteristics |
| User Interface | the inputs and outputs that allow a user to interact with a piece of software |
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| 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 |
| Algorithm | a finite set of instructions that accomplish a task |
| Program Statement | a command or instruction |
| Program | a collection of program statements |
| Sequential Programming | program statements run in order, from top to bottom |
| Event Driven Programming | program statements run when triggered by an event, like a mouse click or a key press |
| Documentation | a written description of how a command or piece of code works or was developed. |
| Comment | form of program documentation to be read by people, which does not affect how a program runs |
| Debugging | finding and fixing problems in an algorithm or program |
| 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 |
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| Assignment Operator | allows a program to change the value represented by a variable |
| Variable | a named reference to a value that can be used repeatedly throughout a program |
| Arithmetic Operator | part of most programming languages and include addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and modulus operators |
| String | an ordered sequence of characters |
| Concatenation | joins together two or more strings end-to-end to make a new string |
| Global Variable | stores a value that can be used anywhere in the program |
| Local Variable | stores a value that can be used only within the function in which it is created |
| Boolean Value | a data type that is either true or false |
| Boolean Expression | evaluates to either true or false |
| Comparison Operators | |
| Truth Table | a table in which each row represents one set of values that lead to a result for a given expression |
| Logical Operators | NOT (!), AND (&&), and OR (||), which evaluate to a Boolean value |
| Conditional Statement | affect the sequential flow of control by executing different statements based on the value of a Boolean expression |
| Function | a named group of programming instructions |
| Function Call | a command that executes the code within a function |
| Procedure | a named group of programming instructions that may have parameters and return values |
| List | an ordered collection of elements |
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| Element | an individual value in a list that is assigned a unique index |
| Index | a common method for referencing the elements in a list or string using numbers |
| Data abstraction | manage complexity in programs by giving a collection of data a name without referencing specific details |
| Substring | part of an existing string |
| Iteration | a repetitive portion of an algorithm which repeats a specified number of times or until a given condition is met |
| infinite loop | occurs when the ending condition will never evaluate to true |
| Loop | change the sequential flow of control by repeating a set of statements zero or more times, until a stopping condition is met |
| While Loop | program statements that repeat a set of commands as long as a boolean condition is true |
| For Loop | program statements that repeat a set of program statements a fixed number of times |
| Simulation | abstractions of more complex objects or phenomena for a specific purpose |
| Traversal | the process of accessing each item in a list one at a time |
| Append | add elements to the end of a list |
| Computing Innovation | effort involving a computer to change current practices in a creative way |
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| Personally Identifiable Information (PII) | information about an individual that identifies, links, relates, or describes them |
| Privacy Policy | an agreement from the user about how the software or technology will use their data |
| Phishing | a technique that attempts to trick a user into providing personal information |
| Keylogging | the use of a program to record every keystroke made by a computer user in order to gain fraudulent access to confidential information |
| Malware | software intended to damage a computing system or to take partial control over its operation |
| Rogue Access Point | a wireless access point that gives unauthorized access to secure networks |
| Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) | when a hacker uses multiple computers to send many requests to a target server, so that the server is unavailable for normal traffic |
| Virus | a malicious program that can copy itself and gain access to a computer in an unauthorized way |
| Encryption | a process of encoding messages to keep them secret, so only "authorized" parties can read it |
| Decryption | a process that reverses encryption, taking a secret message and reproducing the original plain text |
| Cipher | the generic term for a technique or algorithm that performs encryption |
| Caesar Cipher | a technique for encryption that shifts the alphabet by some number of characters |
| Substitution Cipher | a technique of encryption in which each character is replaced with another character |
| Symmetric Key Encryption | involves one key for both encryption and decryption |
| Public Key Encryption | pairs a public key for encryption and a private key for decryption |
| Multi-factor Authentication | a system that requires at least two steps to unlock protected information; each step adds a new layer of security that must be broken to gain unauthorized access |
| Strong password | something that is easy for a user to remember but would be difficult for someone else to guess based on knowledge of that user |