AP CSP Important Vocab

A

Abstraction – reducing information and detail to facilitate focus on relevant concepts

AND – basic logic gate where every part of a statement must be true for the entire statement to be true

Application – almost everything on the computer except saved files and the operating system, including word processors, photo editing software, web browsers, games, and music programs

ARPANET – the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network, first agency to use TCP/IP

ASCII – American Standard Code for Information Interchange

Asymmetric Key Encryption – a different key is used to encrypt and decrypt a message

B

Bandwidth – the amount of resources available to transmit the data

Big Data – sets of data that are larger than a consumer software application can handle

Binary – base 2, number system that uses 0, 1

Binary Search – a searching algorithm, used on sorted lists, that divides the number of elements to search in half until it is down to one element

Bit – each number in the binary system, 0 or 1

Boolean Logic – a branch of algebra where variables can only have two values: true or false

Byte – 8 bits

C

Caesar Cipher – a shift cipher where each letter is shifted the same amount

Central Processing Unit (CPU) –carries out every command or process on the computer and can be thought of as the brain of the computer

Certificate Authority (CA) – the entity that stores, signs, and issues digital certificates

Cipher – is a pair of algorithms that give details on how to encrypt and decrypt the data

Citizen Science – a type of scientific research that is conducted, in whole or in part, by distributed individuals who contribute relevant data to research using their own computing devices

Client –any computer that requests a service

Cloud Computing – a type of distributed computing that involves using a network of remote servers to store, manage, and process data

Computationally hard – a problem that takes too long even for a computer to find the exact solution

Computer – an electronic device that processes data according to a set of instructions or commands, known as a program

Constant – used in coding to store a value that cannot be changed

Copyright – a form of intellectual property, which protects original forms of expression

Crowdsourcing – tapping into the collective intelligence of a large group of people to achieve a specific goal or solve a problem

D

Data abstraction – the process of managing complexity by using a list or array to store related data without focusing on the individual elements’ implementation

Datagrams – Similar to packets, used in unreliable protocols such as UDP

DDoS – distributed denial-of-service attack, hackers flood a site with fake request making all the site’s recourses unavailable for legitimate users

Debugging – finding errors in code

Decimal – base 10, number system that used 0-9

Decryption – the reverse process of encryption

Design – Implement – Test – the three steps of the iterative development process

Digit – each number in the decimal system, 0-9

Digital Certificate – a trusted third-party file that verifies a site as legitimate

Digital Divide – the gap between those who have access to technology and those who do not

Digital signature – an electronic signature that, by using public key, can be verified authentic

Distributed Computing – a model that involves using multiple devices to run a program

DNS – Domain Name System, one of the smaller networks that make up the Internet. It contains many servers that act like phone books

Domain Name – a name given or linked to an IP address

E

Encryption – taking text and converting it so it is illegible

Ethical computing – demands that users and developers hold themselves to a higher standard. Refers to the principles, values, standards, and practices that guide individuals and groups in doing what is right

EULA – end-user license agreement

F

Fault-Tolerant – a property of IP. If there is an error, it still works properly

G

Graphical User Interface (GUI) – an interface that uses images to represent a system’s folders and files

H

Hacker – anyone who uses their technological skills to solve problems. A malicious security hacker exploits weaknesses on a computer or network and can steal or disrupt data

Hardware – the physical parts of the computer, including devices such as the monitor, keyboard, speakers, wires, chips, cables, plugs, disks, printers, and mice

Heuristic approach – an approach that gives results that are “good enough” when an exact answer is not necessary

Hexadecimal – base 16, number system that uses 0-9 and a-f

HTML – Hyper Text Markup Language, the standard for creating web pages

HTTP – Hyper Text Transfer Protocol, used for websites

HTTPS – a secure version of HTTP that uses SSL/TLS

I

Incremental – done in small chunks

Input and output (I/O) devices – how the user interacts with the computer

Internet – a network of smaller networks connected using a specific set of rules that computers use to communicate with each other

IP –Internet protocol, a unique address for every device connected to the Internet

IP Address – a unique identifier for every device on the Internet

IPv4 – the version of IP that uses 32-bit addresses

IPv6 – the version of IP that uses 128-bit addresses

ISP – Internet Service Provider

Iterative – continuously repeating steps, achieved in programming by using loops

K

Key – in cryptography, a shared secret to make encryption harder to crack

L

Linear Search – a searching algorithm that starts at the first index and checks each element of the list one by one until it finds the item it is searching for

Logical Error – The program runs but produces incorrect or unexpected results (Using + instead of -, placing a condition in the wrong spot, calculating an average without dividing by the number of values)

Lossless – data compression that does not lose data during compression

Lossy – data compression that loses data during compression

M

Main memory – memory that temporarily stores information while it is being sent to the CPU, also called RAM

Malware – malicious software intended to cause damage to a computer or network

Metadata –additional data about the main data, usually at the beginning of a file

Modular arithmetic – using the remainder when dividing, also known as clock arithmetic

Moore’s Law – the trend of exponentially increasing transistor density, doubling approximately every two years 

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) – using two or more methods for verifying a user

N

Name Server – a server that contains many IP addresses and their matching domain names

Network – a group of computers that are connected so they can share resources using a data link

O

One-way Function – a problem that is easy in one direction and difficult in the other

Operating System – software that serves as an intermediate between the hardware and the applications and is in charge of keeping the entire system running smoothly

OR – basic logic gate where any part of a statement can be true for the entire statement to be true

Overflow Error – a specific type of run-time error that occurs when a computer attempts to handle a number that is outside of the defined range of values

P

Packets – small chunks of data used in TCP/IP

Parallel Computing – breaks a program into multiple smaller sequential computing operations, some of which are performed simultaneously

Peripherals – the input and output (I/O) devices and the secondary memory

Phishing – using “bait” to trick the user into entering sensitive information like usernames, passwords, or credit card numbers

Pixel – short for picture element. The basic unit of color on a computer display

Privacy – deals with your personal information, how it is stored, and how it is shared

Private Key – a shared secret needed to decrypt a message

Procedural abstraction – the process of using a function or method to hide the details of a specific task

Protocol – a specific set of rules

Public Key – a system that allows a key to be publicly published

R

Random Access Memory (RAM) –memory that can be retrieved or written to anywhere without having to go through all the previous memory

Redundancy – finding frequencies or patterns in code

Reliable – a protocol that lets the client know if the server received all sent packets

RGB – color model used for most monitors or screens. Stands for red, green, and blue, referring to the color of light

Root Name Server – one of thirteen servers that contain every IP address and its matching domain name

Round-off Error – a type of error that can occur when working with real that are represented as approximations in computer storage

Router – a networking device that routes Internet traffic to the destination

Run-Length Encoding – looking for redundancy or patterns as runs in the code

Run-time Error – a programming error that occurs during the execution of the program (like dividing by zero, accessing an undefined variable, trying to read a file that doesn’t exist)

S

Secondary Memory – used for long term storage and is physically changed when files are saved or deleted

Second-Level Domain – the second highest level in the DNS hierarchy, found directly to the left of the top-level domain in a domain name

Security – refers to the steps companies take to protect your data

Selection – the logic structure in programming that uses if statements to select certain values

Sequence – the structure that runs one line after another in order

Sequential Computing – a model in which operations are performed in order, one at a time

Server – any computer that provides a service

Software – includes the operating system and the applications. It is usually stored on a computer’s hard drive and cannot physically be touched. At the lowest level, it is a series of ones and zeros

Spear phishing – a type of phishing attack that targets a specific person or group using pre-existing knowledge

SSL – Secure Sockets Layer, issues digital certificates for websites

Subdomain – precedes the domain name, owned by the domain https://subdomain.domain.com

Symmetric Key Encryption – the same key is used to encrypt and decrypt a message

Syntax Error – a programming error which occurs when the rules of the programming language are not followed (Missing semicolon, unmatched parentheses, misspelled keyword)

T

TCP – Transmission Control Protocol, a set of rules for breaking down requests into smaller, more manageable, numbered packets

Text-Based Interface – an interface made up of purely text input from the user

TLS – Transport Layer Security, issues digital certificates for websites

Top-Level Domain – the highest level in the DNS hierarchy, found to the right of the final period in a domain name

Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP) – an NP-hard problem that, when given distances between pairs of cities, seeks to map out the shortest route between many cities and return back to the original city

Two-factor Authentication (2FA) – a subset of MFA where exactly two methods for verifying a user are implemented

U

UDP – User Datagram Protocol, like TCP and usually used for streaming audio/video

Uncompressed– all the information from an original file in the same format

Unicode – a 16-bit encoding scheme that built upon ASCII

URL – Uniform Resource Locator, specifies where to find a file on a domain

V

Variable – used in coding to store a value that can change

VPN – virtual private network

W

Web (World Wide Web) – the part of the Internet that uses HTTP and HTTPS