AP Computer Science Principles Cram Chart Notes

Creative Development (10–13%)

Big Idea #1
Computing innovations: An innovation that uses a program as a key part of its function.
- Examples:
  - Physical: Robots, Tablets, & Smart technology
  - Not Physical: Social Media, Applications, Editing Software, & Video Games
Collaboration:
- Integral to CS because it allows for diverse ideas and thoughts that cater towards different people.
- Pair programming: Two people share a computer and take turns coding.
Errors:
- Logic Errors: Unexpected behavior in program’s output
- Syntax Errors: The code does not work properly because it is typed or written incorrectly
- Run-Time Errors: Error occurs while code runs
- Overflow Errors: The numbers are too big for the computer
Development Processes:
- Iterative: Develop working prototypes of a program and go back through the cycle to redevelop the program
- Incremental: Break a problem into small parts and then reassemble the solution when each party is fixed
- Waterfall: A step-by-step process where each step flows into another.

Data (17–22%)

Big Idea #2
Data: A collection of numbers and facts from different sources
Bits (binary digits): What computers store data in
Computers read machine code which is usually in the binary system.
Number base conversions are important for MCQs.
$8 \; bits = 1 \; byte$
Hexadecimal: Used for RGB color codes & it uses numbers & letters to represent values
ASCII code: Converts text to binary format
Abstraction: Reduces complexity by focusing on the most important parts & hiding the irrelevant parts from the user.
Analog data: Measured continuously & change smoothly
Digital data: Measured digitally and leaves out extra data by simplifying the data collected (form of abstraction)
Data compression:
- Dependent on the method used and the amount of repeated info in the data
- Lossless compression: Less compression & better file quality
- Lossy compression: More compression & worse file quality
Metadata: Data about data
Data mining: Examining very large data sets to find information
Transforming data: Editing or modifying data

Algorithms & Programming (30–35%)

Big Idea #3
Pseudocode: Will be used a lot on the MCQ section of the AP Exam, make sure to review the AP CSP exam sheet and fully understand all of the pseudocode.
- AP pseudocode has an index that starts are 1
Loops: Traverse through lists/arrays/strings
Data types: integers, strings, lists and booleans
List (array): An ordered sequence of elements
Strings: An ordered list of characters
- Substrings: Part of a string
- String concatenation: Occurs when two strings or more are connected w/ a “+”
Algorithm: Has instructions that accomplish a task or solve a problem
- Created using sequencing, selection, and iteration
Sequencing: All of the code is executed in the order they are written in.
Expression: A statement that only returns one value. (Evaluated with PEMDAS)
Selection statements: Processed through if statements that all have conditions that need to be met for the selection to run
Else statements: Attached to if statements which specify what happens if a condition is not met
$MOD \; (%)$ gives you the remainder of 2 #’s
Nested conditional statements: Have conditional statements inside of conditional statements
Procedures: Programming instructions that are also called methods or functions
- Parameters: Input variables of a procedure
- Arguments: A call with defined values + attributes
Logical operators: NOT, AND and OR
An element is an individual value in a list & all elements have an index

Computer Systems & Networks (11–15%)

Big Idea #4
Sequential computing: Traditional programming where each program is processed at a time
Parallel computing: When program is broken into smaller operations and processed at the same time using multiple processors
Distributed computing: Multiple devices communicate together to run a program
Sequential solution: Takes as long as the # of all steps in a program
Parallel computing solution: Faster w less # of cores
Fault tolerant: Something can still function even w/ a partial malfunction
Redundancy: Duplication of things
Internet = interconnection and networks
Computer network: Is when multiple computing devices communicate with each other
Data on the internet is split into data packets
Routing: The process of finding the best path to deliver information.
Digital divide: Gaps between those who have access to the internet and those who do not
- The things that affect this are demographics, socioeconomic status, and geographic location

Impact of Computing (21–26%)

Big Idea #5
Intellectual property: The work that people consider “theirs”
Copyright: The person who created something determines who uses their creation
Creative Commons: Copyright license for creators to give others the ability to use their work
Open-sourcing: Work is freely shared, distributed, and modified
Open access: Research available to public w/ out restrictions
Malware: Malicious software that takes control of a system
Phishing: Tricks ppl into giving their personal information away
Encryption: Encoding data to prevent others from accessing it
Symmetric key encryption: One key for both encrypting & decrypting
Public key encryption: Public key to encrypt & private key to decrypt

MCQ Tips

120 minutes (2 hrs) | 70 multiple choice questions | 70% of AP Exam Score
Pace yourself! You have around 1.7 minutes for each question so make sure to keep track of the time.
If you are confused on a question, skip and come back later. If you cannot understand a question within 5-10 seconds of reading it, try to answer other questions first.
If necessary, guess. CollegeBoard does not have a guessing penalty (points are only rewarded if earned, not taken away if answered incorrectly.
Read the AP CSP reference sheet ahead of time for easy use on the AP Exam.
Find and use practice questions! Practice makes perfect!

Create Task Tips

12+ hours in class work time | 30% of AP Exam Score | DUE: May 20th, 2021 @ 11:59 PM EDT
Work ahead of time! Try to avoid submitting your Create Task late to avoid technical errors.
Before submitting, review the scoring guidelines on the CollegeBoard website to make sure you have fulfilled the requirements for each row on the rubric.
To make sure your Create Task is completed properly, view the sample responses on the College Board Website and cross reference and compare your work to the samples.
Any examples or samples you see, write down to make sure you do not accidentally plagiarize. A Create Task that is flagged for plagiarism will receive a score of 0.
Be confident in your work! You have gone through this class for an entire year & are prepared!

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