Definitions Flashcards
abstraction
picking out the important bits of information
algorithm
a step by step set of rules or instructions
argument
a value that a parameter of a sub program actually takes
arithmetic logic unit (ALU)
the part of the CPU that carries out arithmetic and Boolean operations
array
a data structure where all the data is stored and defined under one variable name
ASCII
a 7 bit character set consisting of 128 characters
assembler
a program that turns assembly language into machine code
Boolean
Boolean data can take one of two values, either true or false
byte
8 bits
cache
quick access memory inside the CPU
casting
a way of changing from one data type to another
character
a single alphanumeric symbol
character set
a group of characters that a computer recognises from their binary representation
clock speed
the number of instructions a processor can carry out each second
cloud computing
the use of the internet to store files and provide software
code editor
part of an IDE where you write and edit your source code
colour depth
the number of bits used for each pixel in an image file
comment
a note added to source code to say what part of a program does
compiler
a programming tool to translate source code into machine code
constant
a named value which cannot be altered as the program is running
control unit (CU)
the part of the CPU that provides control and timing signals
decomposition
breaking a problem down into smaller problems
domain name server (DNS)
a server which stores website domain names and their IP addresses
dynamic IP address
an IP address which is automatically assigned to a device before it accesses a network
erroneous data
test data that a program isn’t designed to accept
e-waste
discarded computer material
extended ASCII
an 8 bit character set consisting of 256 characters
extreme data
test data on the boundary of what the program will accept
final testing
when the testing stage of the software development cycle is only done once to check the software meets all the initial requirements
function
a sub program that takes parameters and returns a value
gigabyte
1000 megabytes
high-level language
a programming language like C++ and Java that is easy for humans to understand
IDE
a piece of software to help a programmer develop programs
interger
a numerical data type for whole numbers
interpreter
a translator that turns the source code into machine code and runs it one instruction at a time
IP address
a unique identifier given to a device when it accesses an IP network
iterative testing
repeated testing done during the development of a program
kilobyte
1000 bytes
logic error
when a program does something that was not intended
loop
a set of instructions that the program repeats until a condition is met or count is reached
lossless compression
temporarily removing data from a file to decrease the file size
lossy compression
permanently removing data from the file to decrease the file size
low-level language
a programming language that is close to what a CPU would actually do and is written for specific hardware
MAC address
a unique identifier assigned to a device that cannot be changed
megabytes
1000 kilobytes
