Definitions Flashcards
Absolute Error
The difference between the actual number and the nearest representable value.
Abstract data type (ADT)
A data type whose properties are specified independently of any particular programming language.
Abstraction
Representation that is arrived at by removing unnecessary details.
Aggregation
A type of association where the aggregated object has a weaker form of association with the objects that it is aggregating than is the case with composition. These objects have an existence independent of the aggregated object and can continue to exist even after the aggregated object is disposed of.
Ajax
Web technology that allows only the part of a web page that needs updating to be fetched from the web server.
Algorithm
A sequence of unambiguous instructions for solving a problem. It can be represented as a Turing machine program.
Application programming interface (API)
A layer of software that allows application programs to call on the services of the operating system.
Association
An association is a relationship between two classes. There are different types of association: composition and aggregation.
Asymptotic behaviour of f
Behaviour of the functionf(n) for very large values ofn.
Asynchronous serial data transmission
Transmission system in which the sender and receiver have separate clocks which are not kept synchronised. Instead, the clocks are synchronised temporarily at the start of a transmission. The arrival of data cannot be predicted by the receiver; s a start bit is used to signal the arrival of data and to synchronise the transmitter and receiver temporarily.
Attribute
A property or characteristic of an entity (databases) or an object (OOP).
Automation
Turning an abstraction into a form that can be processed by a computer.
Backus-Naur Form, (BNF)
Backus-Naur Form, (BNF)
Bandwidth
For a transmission medium, the range of signal frequencies it may transmit.
Base case
A value that has a solution which does not involve any reference to the general case solution.
Baseband system
A system that uses a single data channel system in which the whole bandwidth of the transmission medium is dedicated to one data channel at a time.
Basic operation
The operation which contributes most to the total running time.
Baud rate
The rate at which signals on a wire may change.
Behaviours
The functions of the object or what the object does.
Bit rate
The number of bits transmitted per second.
Broadband
A multiple data channel system in which the bandwidth of the transmission medium carries several data streams at the same time.
Bubble Sort
A sorting algorithm where during a pass, neighbouring values are compared and swapped. Passes are made until no further swaps are needed.
Cipher text
Message data after it has been encrypted.
Circular queue
When the array element with the largest possible index has been used, the next element to join the queue reuses the vacated location at the beginning of the array.