Computer Science Flashcards
singularity
when AI surpasses human intelligence and can improve itself without humans
is Moore’s Law true?
by it’s technical definition (chip densities are doubling every two years) this is no longer true, as improvements have begun to slow, but we are still making huge improvements
features
values that usually characterise things that are classified by a ML classifier e.g. if you were classifying a bike, features would be two wheels, a seat, etc.
ML classifier
an algorithm that classifies - e.g. deciding if something is a bike or not
difference between internet and world wide web (www)
internet = giant network that connects all devices
www = part of the internet where you use browsers to look at websites
how does watching a YT video on the internet work
- when you click on a video a request is sent to a local server
- if the server has it, it will give you the video in little chunks
- if you’re internet is good, and your screen is small, etc. it will give you high quality chunks, if your internet is shit it will give you small chunks so you can continue watching the video without buffering, just at a slightly lower quality
- if the server doesn’t have your video, it will make requests to other further away and larger servers, eventually requesting it from YT’s main server (popular videos are usually on local servers, the more obscure/new the video, the more likely it’s on a YT’s main server)
GUI
graphical user interface
a visual way for users to interact with computer programs using icons, buttons, windows, and menus (rather than code)
Moore’s Law
the number of transistors on a computer chip doubles approximately every two years (so capabilities increase rapidly) while the cost of the chip remains the same or decreases
alpha vs beta versions
alpha is the initial version, usually v buggy and just used internally
beta is the first version rolled out for testing with users
quality assurance (QA)
testing for bugs before the software is released to users
Types of Boolean gates
AND
NAND (not AND)
OR
NOR (not OR)
NOT
EXOR (exclusive OR)
EXNOR (exclusive not OR)
difference between software developer and software engineer
developer = code
engineer = code + design, plan, test, deploy and maintain software systems
Turing test
can a computer pass as a human
what is used these days instead of ascii codes
unicode - it has 16 bits, enough to encode every character from every language
ascii codes
code for turning binary code into letters
e.g. “A” = 65, and “a” = 65
GB giga bytes is how many bytes
1 billion
MB mega byte is how many bytes
1 million
what is the most common material used to created semiconductors
silicon (hence silicon valley)
what is a transistor
a switch that can be turned on or off via a control wire
they have two electrodes that are turned on or off via a semiconductor
the transistor was invented in which year
1947
where does the term ‘computer bug’ come from?
One of IBM’s first computers, the Harvard Mark II, had a moth inside it, causing a malfunction
abacus
oldest computer - an old counting tool with wooden tiles
SQL DELETE vs DROP
Drop lets you delete whole tables
SQL CRUD functions
CREATE, INSERT
SELECT
UPDATE
DELETE, DROP
CRUD for data
create
read
update
delete
SQL (pronounced “sequel”) stands for
structured query lanuage
GUI (pronounced gooey)
graphical user interface
VS Code
visual studio code
a commonly used source code editor
source code
all code, no matter what language
abstraction
simplifying a problem into smaller and smaller problems
e.g. adding loops in your code rather than repeating yout code
pseudocode
human-readable versions of code
e.g.
1 Pick up phone book
2 Open to middle of phone book
3 Look at page
4 If person is on page
5 Call person
RAM
random access memory - where your files are stored
what is a CPU connected to
the motherboard
core
inside a CPU that does all the work e.g. calculation, visualisations, etc.
the more cores, the more your machine can do simultaneously
CPU
Central processing unit
the brain of the computer
byte
8 bits
e.g. 00001111
bit
smllest unti of a binary digit e.g. 0 or 1
transistors
switches that are either on or off i.e. 1 or 0
John von Neumann
Polymath who contributed to modern computer design, game theory, early computer programming and the Manhattan Project
Charles Babbage dates
1791 - 1871
Who is considered the father of computing?
Charles Babbage
Who is considered the world’s first programmer?
Ada Lovelace
Charles Babbage
English polymath: mathmatician, philosopher, inventor and engineer
He originated the concept of a digital programmable computer
Name the 6 stages of the SDLC
- planning
- analysis
- design
- coding and implementation
- testing
- maintenance
stages aren’t concrete and may change depending where you work
SDLC
Software Development Life Cycle
Python key characteristics
- data analysis and visualisation
- ML and AI
- back-end web development
- game development
What does a ‘high-level’ programming language mean?
It’s easy to learn and read as it reads like English
C# key characteristics
- software and programs for Microsoft
- game development
- high-level language
C++ key characteristics
- desktop applications and software
- big projects where you want a lot of control
- low-level language (complex)
CSS key characteristics
- website design (make it look pretty)
- easy to learn
- markup, not programming language
HTML key characteristics
- structure content for websites e.g. menus, sidebars
- markup language
Java key characteristics
- mobile and desktop software across multiple platforms
- best programme for Android mobile development
- flexible
JavaScript key characteristics
- web development (almost every website uses it)
Objective-C key characteristics
- mobile development for Mac and iOS
- usually paired with Swift for app development
PHP key characteristics
- web development (back end)
- server side
Ruby key characteristics
- back-end web development
- fast
- popular for small tech companies
SQL key characteristics
- data management
- data analysis
RDBMS
relational database management systems
Swift key characteristics
- mobile app development for Mac and iOS
- may soon replace Objective-C
markup language
for structuring and formatting content, not creating algorithms and instructions
no programming logic e.g. can’t code conditional statements, functions or work with data or variables
