ECS Vocabulary List Flashcards
Processor
The microprocessor chip on the motherboard that does calculations and comparisons. (also called Central Processing Unit)
operating system
Software that controls hardware and software resources. (Windows, Mac OS and Linux are examples)
RAM
Random Access Memory
ROM
Read Only Memory
Input devices
Keyboard, Mouse, Scanner, Camera, Microphone
Output devices
Display, Printer, Speakers
Hertz
The number of hertz (Hz) equals the number of cycles per second.
Gigahertz
The speed of microprocessors, called the clock speed, is measured in gigahertz or 1 billion cycles per second.
Bit
Binary digit, a 0 or a 1 in binary code.
Byte
A group of binary digits or bits (usually eight) operated on as a unit.
Kilobyte
About a thousand bytes
Megabyte
About a million bytes
Gigabyte
About a billion bytes
Terabyte
About a trillion bytes
Word processing software
Computer software application, that performs the task of composing, editing, formatting, and printing of documents. (Examples: Microsoft Word, Google Docs, etc.)
Presentation software
Computer software application used to organize information, text and graphics, usually in slides to accompany a speech or public presentation. (Examples: Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Slides, etc.)
Browsers
A program that searches for items in a database according to user provided keywords, particularly used for finding sites on the World Wide Web. (Examples: Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, etc.)
Search engines
A program that searches for items in a database according to user provided keywords, particularly used for finding sites on the World Wide Web. (Examples: Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, etc.)
Keywords
Keywords can be modified by adding Boolean operators, including connecting words (AND, OR, NOT), inclusion or exclusion operators (+keyword -keyword), quotation marks (“Hogle Zoo Liger”), and wildcards (? or *) to limit the number of matching hits that are returned by the search engine.
Website reliability
Is the web site “signed?” Is contact information provided?
Authority
Is the author of website material qualified to provide information on the topic?
Purpose
Consider the domain of the server sponsoring a web site: Will the web site profit from your visit (.com), or is its purpose to provide information or services (.edu; .gov; .net; .org)?
Coverage
Is the information primary or secondary in nature? Is the information presented comparable to information on the same topic presented by other sites?
Accuracy
Can the information be verified as correct when referring to other sites?
Objectivity
Is the material presented in a non-biased manner?
Currency
Has the web site been recently updated?
Functions of a computer o Receives input o Produces output o Processes information o Stores information
This refers to the Von Neumann Architecture which is centered on the following four principal components:
Tasks that cannot be accomplished by a computer (Examples)
Some tasks can be easily completed by a computer (sorting lists, searching for information quickly, large calculations) while other tasks cannot (manufacturing a car, making a sandwich, etc.)
Some tasks computers cannot do:
Empathy: It means discerning what another person is thinking and feeling, and responding appropriately. It’s key for organizations looking to create complete and meaningful experiences for customers.
Collaborating: The world is doing ever more of its work in teams. We form, exchange, improve, accept and reject ideas, and we improve our collective performance, through deeply human interpersonal processes that may happen even without our knowing it.
Storytelling: It may not be rational, but we humans find stories more compelling and persuasive than mere facts. Yet we aren’t moved by a story unless we can evaluate the teller, decide whether he or she is trustworthy, and gauge the true passion that he or she brings to it. We didn’t evolve to make that connection with a robot.
Creatively solving problems together: No matter how capable computers become, humans are still in charge of which problems need to get solved, and humans in organizations are constantly revising their ideas of what their problems and goals really are. Success requires group creativity and innovation
Social media
Websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking.
Permanence of online data
Nothing you do online is private and anything you put on social media (even if you delete it) could still exist forever and can never be completely erased.
Appropriate methods of communication
When communicating with others, consider the best way to deliver the message (texting, e-mail, social media, in person)
Online safety
Exercising caution and consciousness of personal data that is shared online
Computational practices
Analyze the effects of developments in computing
Design and implement creative solutions and artifacts
Apply abstractions and models
Analyze their computational work and the work of others
Communicate computational thought processes, procedures, and results to others
Collaborate with peers on computing activities
Computational thinking
is the thought processes involved in formulating a problem and expressing its solution(s) in such a way that a computer—human or machine—can effectively carry out.
Troubleshooting
Trace and correct errors in a software program
Problem solving techniques & steps
Understand the problem
Plan the solution
Carry out the plan
Review and Reflect on your solution
Algorithm
A set of steps to solve a problem.
Quick sort
One of the many ways of sorting data that is more efficient than most.
Selection sort
A way of sorting data that is not as efficient as others (such as quick sort).
Ways of visualizing Data (Diagrams, Charts, Graphs, Tables)
Create artifacts when carrying out the problem-solving process.
Minimal spanning tree
The shortest path between all the locations in a network
Real-World applications for minimal spanning trees.
Package Delivery Routes Computer Networks Computer Chip circuitry Airlines Pipes (water and sewer lines) Electrical Grids
Binary system
Base 2 counting system. Consisting of 1’s and 0’s. On and off pulses.
Binary pattern to count from 0-31
Write the binary version of: 3, 11, 23, 31 below:
00000011 = 3 00001011 = 11 00010111 = 23 00011111 = 31
Binary search
Divide the data in half, eliminate the half that does NOT contain what you’re looking for. Divide the data in half again, and eliminate the half that doesn’t contain the item. Repeat until you find what you’re looking for. Data must be sorted first!
Linear search
Look at each item one by one, in order, until you find what you’re looking for. Does not require sorting.
Storyboard
Before beginning a project in Scratch, make a plan that identifies program components and design elements.
Sprite
An object in the Scratch program that is manipulated by blocks.
Loops
Repeating a task for a specified amount of times Execute an algorithm (one or more scripts) a certain number of times.
Broadcast
Sends a message to all the sprites (and the background). This is useful if you want to tell other sprites when to do something.
X and Y coordinates for movement
Move the sprite to a specific x and y position on the stage.
Events
Something has to happen, such as the green flag being clicked, to start a strand of code.
Motion blocks
Tells the sprite to move a certain way. Move 10 steps just moves in the direction the sprite is facing. Go to X: Y: tells an exact coordinate for the sprite to go to. Glide 1 second to X: Y: tells the exact coordinates for the sprite to go to, but it glides to that point instead of appearing (teleporting). Turn 15 degrees will rotate the sprite a certain number of degrees left or right, depending on the block.
Looks
A category of blocks in Scratch that change the “look” of a sprite or make have it say or think something.
Conditionals
If condition is true, runs the blocks inside
Wait
Tells the sprite to wait X number of seconds to do the next block of code.
Variables
A named storage location in the computer’s memory. The value stored in a variable can change.
Randomness
Picks a random integer within the specified range
Ethical responsibility
A user’s duty to act in a legal manner
Software testing
A process of executing a program or application with the intent of finding the software bugs – debugging.
Execution of a program
starts program.
Iteration
Each repetition of a process is called an “iteration”, and the results of one iteration are used as the starting point for the next iteration.
Analyze how a program functions
Looking at the code of an existing software program to understand how it works so you can debug or add features
Ethics
Moral principles that govern a person’s behavior or the conducting of an activity.
Virus software
Potentially damaging computer program that affects a computer negatively by altering the way the computer works without the user’s knowledge or permission.
Liability for misuse
Software developers have an ethical responsibility to society to improve the world around them; Writing code that is unethical or illegal has consequences.
Security
The protection of computer systems from the theft or damage to their hardware, software or information.
