Master Vocabulary List Flashcards
Bit
A contraction of “Binary Digit”; the single unit of information in a computer, typically represented as a 0 or 1
Byte
8 bits
Overflow Error
Error from attempting to represent a number that is too large.
Round-off Error
Error from attempting to represent a number that is too precise. The value is rounded.
Analog Data
Data with values that change continuously, or smoothly, over time. Some examples of analog data include music, colors of a painting, or position of a sprinter during a race.
Digital Data
Data that changes discreetly through a finite set of possible values
Sampling
A process for creating a digital representation of analog data by measuring the analog data at regular intervals called samples.
Lossless Compression
A process for reducing the number of bits needed to represent something without losing any information. This process is reversible.
Lossy Compression
A process for reducing the number of bits needed to represent something in which some information is lost or thrown away. This process is not reversible.
Computing Device
a machine that can run a program, including computers, tablets, servers, routers, and smart sensors
Computing System
a group of computing devices and programs working together for a common purpose
Computing Network
a group of interconnected computing devices capable of sending or receiving data.
Path
the series of connections between computing devices on a network starting with a sender and ending with a receiver.
Bandwidth
the maximum amount of data that can be sent in a fixed amount of time, usually measured in bits per second.
Protocol
An agreed-upon set of rules that specify the behavior of some system
IP Address
The unique number assigned to each device on the Internet.
Internet Protocol (IP)
a protocol for sending data across the Internet that assigns unique numbers (IP addresses) to each connected device
Router
A type of computer that forwards data across a network
Redundancy
the inclusion of extra components so that a system can continue to work even if individual components fail, for example by having more than one path between any two connected devices in a network.
Fault Tolerant
Can continue to function even in the event of individual component failures. This is important because elements of complex systems like a computer network fail at unexpected times, often in groups.
User Interface
the inputs and outputs that allow a user to interact with a piece of software. User interfaces can include a variety of forms such as buttons, menus, images, text, and graphics.
Input
data that are sent to a computer for processing by a program. Can come in a variety of forms, such as tactile interaction, audio, visuals, or text.
Output
any data that are sent from a program to a device. Can come in a variety of forms, such as tactile interaction, audio, visuals, or text.
Program Statement
a command or instruction. Sometimes also referred to as a code statement.
Program
a collection of program statements. Programs run (or “execute”) one command at a time.
Sequential Programming
program statements run in order, from top to bottom.
Event Driven Programming
some program statements run when triggered by an event, like a mouse click or a key press
Documentation
a written description of how a command or piece of code works or was developed.
Comment
form of program documentation written into the program to be read by people and which do not affect how a program runs.
Pair Programming
a collaborative programming style in which two programmers switch between the roles of writing code and tracking or planning high level progress
Expression
a combination of operators and values that evaluates to a single value
Assignment Operator
allows a program to change the value represented by a variable
Variable
a named reference to a value that can be used repeatedly throughout a program
Boolean Value
a data type that is either true or false
Comparison Operators
, <=, >=, ==, != indicate a Boolean expression
Function
a named group of programming instructions. Also referred to as a “procedure”.
Function Call
a command that executes the code within a function
List
an ordered collection of elements
Element
an individual value in a list that is assigned a unique index
Index
a common method for referencing the elements in a list or string using numbers
Iteration
a repetitive portion of an algorithm which repeats a specified number of times or until a given condition is met.
Infinite loop
occurs when the ending condition will never evaluate to true.
Traversal
the process of accessing each item in a list one at a time
Binary
A way of representing information using only two options.
Creative Commons
A collection of public copyright licenses that enable the free distribution of an otherwise copyrighted work, used when an author wants to give people the right to share, use, and build upon a work that they have created
Data Compression
A process for reducing the number of bits needed to represent a piece of information
Decimal
a system for representing numbers using combinations of the digits 0 - 9
Intellectual Property
A work or invention that is the result of creativity, such as a piece of writing or a design, to which one has rights and for which one may apply for a patent, copyright, trademark, etc.
Open Access
online research output free of any and all restrictions on access and free of many restrictions on use, such as copyright or license restrictions
Open Source
programs that are made freely available and may be redistributed and modified
HTTP
HyperText Transfer Protocol - the protocol used for transmitting web pages over the Internet
Internet
a computer network consisting of interconnected networks that use standardized, open (nonproprietary) communication protocols.
Packet
A chunk of data sent over a network. Larger messages are divided into packets that may arrive at the destination in order, out-of-order, or not at all.
Packet Metadata
Data added to packets to help route them through the network and reassemble the original message.
Routing
the process of finding a path from sender to receiver.
UDP
A protocol used on the internet for fast transmission of information but with minimal error checking
World Wide Web
a system of linked pages, programs, and files.
Router
A type of computer that forwards data across a network
Certificate authority
issue digital certificates that validate the ownership of encryption keys used in secure communications and are based on a trust model
Digital Divide
differing access to computing devices and the Internet, based on socioeconomic, geographic, or demographic characteristics
Debugging
Finding and fixing problems in an algorithm or program.
Development process
the steps or phases used to create a piece of software. Typical phases include investigating, designing, prototyping, and testing
Event
associated with an action and supplies input data to a program. Can be generated when a key is pressed, a mouse is clicked, a program is started, or by any other defined action that affects the flow of execution
Incremental Development Process
a design approach that breaks the problem into smaller pieces and makes sure each piece works before adding it to the whole.
Iterative Development Process
a design approach requires refinement and revision based on feedback, testing, or reflection throughout the process. This may require revisiting earlier phases of the process.
Plagiarism
The use of material created by someone else without permission and presented as one’s own
Program Requirements
descriptions how a program functions and may include a description of user interactions that a program must provide
Program specification
a description of all the requirements for the program.
Syntax Error
a mistake in the program where the rules of the programming language are not followed
Software
A program or a collection of programs
Arithmetic operator
part of most programming languages and include addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and modulus operators
Boolean Expression
evaluates to either true or false
Concatenation
joins together two or more strings end-to-end to make a new string.
Conditional Statement
affect the sequential flow of control by executing different statements based on the value of a Boolean expression.
Evaluate
Expressions are evaluated to produce a single value
Expression
a programming statement that can consist of a value, a variable, an operator, or a procedure call that returns a value
Logical operator
NOT, AND, and OR, which evaluate to a Boolean value
Procedure
a named group of programming instructions that may have parameters and return values
Relational operator
used to test the relationship between two variables, expressions, or values. A comparison using a relational operator evaluates to a Boolean value. For example: =, ≠, >,
Selection
determines which parts of an algorithm are executed based on a condition being true or false
String
an ordered sequence of characters
Append
add elements to the end of a list
Data abstraction
manage complexity in programs by giving a collection of data a name without referencing the specific details of the representation.
Loops (iteration statements)
change the sequential flow of control by repeating a set of statements zero or more times, until a stopping condition is met
Logic Error
a mistake in the algorithm or program that causes it to behave incorrectly or unexpectedly
Simulation
abstractions of more complex objects or phenomena for a specific purpose.
Substring
part of an existing string
