Definitions Flashcards

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1
Q

abstraction

A

picking out the important bits of information

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2
Q

algorithm

A

a step by step set of rules or instructions

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3
Q

argument

A

a value that a parameter of a sub program actually takes

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4
Q

arithmetic logic unit (ALU)

A

the part of the CPU that carries out arithmetic and Boolean operations

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5
Q

array

A

a data structure where all the data is stored and defined under one variable name

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6
Q

ASCII

A

a 7 bit character set consisting of 128 characters

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7
Q

assembler

A

a program that turns assembly language into machine code

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8
Q

Boolean

A

Boolean data can take one of two values, either true or false

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9
Q

byte

A

8 bits

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10
Q

cache

A

quick access memory inside the CPU

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11
Q

casting

A

a way of changing from one data type to another

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12
Q

character

A

a single alphanumeric symbol

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13
Q

character set

A

a group of characters that a computer recognises from their binary representation

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14
Q

clock speed

A

the number of instructions a processor can carry out each second

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15
Q

cloud computing

A

the use of the internet to store files and provide software

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16
Q

code editor

A

part of an IDE where you write and edit your source code

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17
Q

colour depth

A

the number of bits used for each pixel in an image file

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18
Q

comment

A

a note added to source code to say what part of a program does

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19
Q

compiler

A

a programming tool to translate source code into machine code

20
Q

constant

A

a named value which cannot be altered as the program is running

21
Q

control unit (CU)

A

the part of the CPU that provides control and timing signals

22
Q

decomposition

A

breaking a problem down into smaller problems

23
Q

domain name server (DNS)

A

a server which stores website domain names and their IP addresses

24
Q

dynamic IP address

A

an IP address which is automatically assigned to a device before it accesses a network

25
Q

erroneous data

A

test data that a program isn’t designed to accept

26
Q

e-waste

A

discarded computer material

27
Q

extended ASCII

A

an 8 bit character set consisting of 256 characters

28
Q

extreme data

A

test data on the boundary of what the program will accept

29
Q

final testing

A

when the testing stage of the software development cycle is only done once to check the software meets all the initial requirements

30
Q

function

A

a sub program that takes parameters and returns a value

31
Q

gigabyte

A

1000 megabytes

32
Q

high-level language

A

a programming language like C++ and Java that is easy for humans to understand

33
Q

IDE

A

a piece of software to help a programmer develop programs

34
Q

interger

A

a numerical data type for whole numbers

35
Q

interpreter

A

a translator that turns the source code into machine code and runs it one instruction at a time

36
Q

IP address

A

a unique identifier given to a device when it accesses an IP network

37
Q

iterative testing

A

repeated testing done during the development of a program

38
Q

kilobyte

A

1000 bytes

39
Q

logic error

A

when a program does something that was not intended

40
Q

loop

A

a set of instructions that the program repeats until a condition is met or count is reached

41
Q

lossless compression

A

temporarily removing data from a file to decrease the file size

42
Q

lossy compression

A

permanently removing data from the file to decrease the file size

43
Q

low-level language

A

a programming language that is close to what a CPU would actually do and is written for specific hardware

44
Q

MAC address

A

a unique identifier assigned to a device that cannot be changed

45
Q

megabytes

A

1000 kilobytes