Unit 4 Vocabulary APCSP

index:  Identifies a value's unique position on a list. In SNAP and on the AP CSP exam the first item on the list is stored at index 1. 

element: a data point that is stored in a list. It is a single part of a larger group.

list: a data structure that stores one or more similar types of values in a single value. A collection of individual values that are related. 

traversing: performing the same operation on each item of the list, sequentially 

append: add an element to the end of a list

remove: delete an element from a list

insert: add an element to a list at a certain index

replace: update the contents of an element 

iteration: repetition of a process

for each loop: control structure designed to iterate over each element of a list and repeat the same operation on each element

loop: the action of doing something over and over again

linear search: an algorithm that iterates through each item in a list until it finds the target value.

sequential search: a synonym for linear search

return statement:  terminates the execution of a procedure and returns to the calling procedure.  It may or may not return a value. Execution resumes in the calling procedure at the point immediately following the call.

temporary variable: has a  short lifetime, usually to hold data that will soon be discarded, or before it can be placed at a more permanent memory location.

binary search: An algorithm that searches a sorted list for a value by repeatedly splitting the list in half

algorithmic efficiency: a measure of execution time and memory usage while still yielding a correct answer.

array: A type of list or data structure that stores a collection of data 

heuristic:  a technique that guides an algorithm to find good choices. When an algorithm uses a heuristic, it no longer needs to exhaustively search every possible solution to find approximate solutions more quickly. 

undecidable problem: a problem that may have some instances that have an algorithmic solution, but there is no algorithmic solution that could solve all instances of the problem.

decidable problem: a decision problem for which an algorithm can be written to produce a correct output for all inputs 

library: A software library contains existing procedures that may be used in creating new programs

API: Application Program Interfaces (API) provide details or specifications on how the procedures behave and can be used