terms 1.2 Flashcards
Abstraction
Making something more general by losing some detail or making unnecessary to worry about the detail. For example, procedures make it unnecessary to worry about the details of how the procedure gets the job done.
Backlog
A prioritized list of features or user stories to add to a program
Call
When a procedure or function is called, the program executes the procedure or function next
Developer
Person who writes computer code to create technology tools
Function
A sequence of instructions that returns a value and can be called from other parts of a program
Groom the backlog
Prioritize a list of items that are on a task list so that the items intended to be accomplished next are in the top slots on the list
Internet
The network of computer networks which communicate through common protocols for accessing information contained inside the computers. The Internet contains the World Wide Web.
Local variable
A variable that can only be accessed from a specific portion of a program
Modular
Pieces that are well defined with no dependencies on other pieces
Parameter
The local variables created when a function or procedure is called. Parameters are initialized to the values of the arguments provided when the procedure or function was called.
Pass
We describe arguments as being “passed” to a procedure; the arguments’ values are assigned to the procedure’s parameters
Problem Decomposition
Breaking a problem apart into smaller pieces
Procedure
A sequence of instructions. The entire sequence is given a name to refer to the procedure from other parts of the program. Similar to a function in programming, but doesn’t have to return a value.
Return Value
Any value that a method or function gives back to the statement command from which the function or method is called
Reverse engineering
Taking a finished product and figuring out how it works
Scope
The portion of a program that knows about a variable. In App Inventor, variables are either global (known by the blocks in a screen) or local (known by the blocks in a procedure or for loop.
Sprint task list
A list of small steps to accomplish, breaking down a user story from the backlog
Subdomain
A domain name under the control of a higher-level domain name. For example, pltw.org is a subdomain of .org.
Test user
Person who participates in a usability study
Top-level domain
The portion of a domain name that follows the last period. Examples include .com or .org
URL
Abbreviation for Uniform Resource Locator. URL is one type of Uniform Resource Identifier (URI); the generic term for all types of names and addresses that refer to objects on the web. A URL that uses the HTTP / HTTPS protocol is usually referred to as a web address.
Usability study
Observation of users interacting with a program to determine the program’s strengths and weaknesses for the purposes of improving the ease of use and usefulness of the program
Value
A value is a particular piece of data such as a number or a string
Web
The World Wide Web, or just “the web,” is a subset of the Internet. The web consists of pages that can be accessed using a web browser.