AP Computer Science Principles
Exam Prep
Innovation
a novel or improved idea, device, product, etc. or the development thereof
Prototype
A preliminary sketch of an idea or model for something new. It's the original drawing
from which something real might be built or created.
Binary
A way of representing information using only two options.
Bandwidth
maximum transmission capacity of the device expressed typically in metric multiples of
bits per second
Bit Rate
The numbers of Bits that are conveyed or processed per unit of time. EX: 8bits/per
second.
Latency
the amount of time it takes for a bit to travel from sender to receiver
Protocol
A set of rules governing the exchange or transmission of data between devices.
American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII)
The universally recognized raw text format for characters that any computer can
understand.
Code
Written instructions for a computer.
Requests for Comments (RFC)
Documents are how standards and protocols are defined and published for all to see on
the IETF website.
Internet
a tangible physical system that is made to move information
IP Address
A number assigned to any item that is connected to the internet.
Packets
small chunks of information that have been carefully formed from larger chunks of
information for the purpose of transmitting through a network
Router
A computer which receives messages travelling across a network and redirects them
towards their intended destinations based on the addressing information included with
the messages.
Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)
Provides reliable, ordered, and error-checked delivery of a stream of packets on the
internet. TCP is tightly linked with IP and is usually seen as TCP/IP in writing.
Domain named system (DNS)
The internet's system for converting alphabetic names into numeric IP addresses.
,Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)
Is the protocol used by the world wide web. It describes how messages are formatted
and interchanged, and how web servers respond to commands.
Abstractions
Reducing information and detail to focus on essential characteristics.
Server
A computer that awaits and responds to requests for data.
Client
A computer that requests data stored on a computer.
HTTPS
a protocol for secure communication over a computer network which is widely used on
the Internet.
Digital Certificate
an electronic document used to prove ownership of a public key.
DDoS
pertaining to or being an incident in which a network of computers floods an online
resource with high levels of unwanted traffic so that it is inaccessible to legitimate
service requests
HTTP Request
When you type a URL in your browser, your computer (the client) needs to "ask" the
server that is storing the data and images for the web page to return its contents so your
browser can display it.
HTTP Response
When a server receives an HTTP request it will respond with a message of its own.
Once again, the response will be sent entirely in ASCII-text and must be correctly
formatted.
Electricity, light and radio waves
3 ways we send information
Fiber optic cable
a thread of glass engineered to reflect light
URL
an easy-to-remember address for calling a web page (like www.code.org)
Net Neutrality
the principle that all Internet traffic should be treated equally by Internet Service
Providers
Byte
8 bits
Heuristic
a problem solving approach (algorithm) to find a satisfactory solution where finding an
optimal or exact solution is impractical or impossible
Lossless
a data compression algorithm that allows the original data to be perfectly reconstructed
from the compressed data
Image
A type of data used for graphics or pictures
Metadata
, data that describes other data. For example, a digital image my include metadata that
describe the size of the image, number of colors, or resolution
Pixel
short for "picture element" it is the fundamental unit of a digital image, typically a tiny
square or dot which contains a single point of color of a larger image
RGB
color model using varying intensities of red, green, and blue to produce colors
Lossy
data compression method that uses inexact approximations, discarding some data to
represent the content
Abstraction
pulling out specific differences to make one solution work for multiple problems
Adware
A form of spyware. Collects information about the user or user activities in order to
display advertisements in a web browser.
Algorithm
A set of instructions for solving a problem.
Application
Refers to a complete and self-contained program that helps the user accomplish a
specific task.
Artificial Intelligence
A branch of computer science with the focus on how to endow computers with
capabilities of human intelligence. Can be seen as an attempt to model aspects of
human thought on computers
Autoresponder
A program that automatically delivers information
Backup and Recovery
The combination of procedures that can restore lost data in the event of hardware or
software failure
Backward Compatible
Refers to the new versions of software or hardware that is compatible with earlier
models or versions of the same product.
Bandwidth
Measures how much data you can send in a given amount of time.
Bookmark
A facility for marking a specific place in electronic documentation to enable easy return
to it. It is used in several types of software, including PDF files, electronic help files and
tutorials within a program or online.
Bug
An error, flaw, mistake, failure, or fault in a computer program that prevents it from
working as intended, or produces an incorrect result.
Byte
Is equal to eight bits.
C Programming Language
A general-purpose, procedural, imperative computer programming language developed
in the early 1970s by Dennis Ritchie for use on the Unix operating system.
Exam Prep
Innovation
a novel or improved idea, device, product, etc. or the development thereof
Prototype
A preliminary sketch of an idea or model for something new. It's the original drawing
from which something real might be built or created.
Binary
A way of representing information using only two options.
Bandwidth
maximum transmission capacity of the device expressed typically in metric multiples of
bits per second
Bit Rate
The numbers of Bits that are conveyed or processed per unit of time. EX: 8bits/per
second.
Latency
the amount of time it takes for a bit to travel from sender to receiver
Protocol
A set of rules governing the exchange or transmission of data between devices.
American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII)
The universally recognized raw text format for characters that any computer can
understand.
Code
Written instructions for a computer.
Requests for Comments (RFC)
Documents are how standards and protocols are defined and published for all to see on
the IETF website.
Internet
a tangible physical system that is made to move information
IP Address
A number assigned to any item that is connected to the internet.
Packets
small chunks of information that have been carefully formed from larger chunks of
information for the purpose of transmitting through a network
Router
A computer which receives messages travelling across a network and redirects them
towards their intended destinations based on the addressing information included with
the messages.
Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)
Provides reliable, ordered, and error-checked delivery of a stream of packets on the
internet. TCP is tightly linked with IP and is usually seen as TCP/IP in writing.
Domain named system (DNS)
The internet's system for converting alphabetic names into numeric IP addresses.
,Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)
Is the protocol used by the world wide web. It describes how messages are formatted
and interchanged, and how web servers respond to commands.
Abstractions
Reducing information and detail to focus on essential characteristics.
Server
A computer that awaits and responds to requests for data.
Client
A computer that requests data stored on a computer.
HTTPS
a protocol for secure communication over a computer network which is widely used on
the Internet.
Digital Certificate
an electronic document used to prove ownership of a public key.
DDoS
pertaining to or being an incident in which a network of computers floods an online
resource with high levels of unwanted traffic so that it is inaccessible to legitimate
service requests
HTTP Request
When you type a URL in your browser, your computer (the client) needs to "ask" the
server that is storing the data and images for the web page to return its contents so your
browser can display it.
HTTP Response
When a server receives an HTTP request it will respond with a message of its own.
Once again, the response will be sent entirely in ASCII-text and must be correctly
formatted.
Electricity, light and radio waves
3 ways we send information
Fiber optic cable
a thread of glass engineered to reflect light
URL
an easy-to-remember address for calling a web page (like www.code.org)
Net Neutrality
the principle that all Internet traffic should be treated equally by Internet Service
Providers
Byte
8 bits
Heuristic
a problem solving approach (algorithm) to find a satisfactory solution where finding an
optimal or exact solution is impractical or impossible
Lossless
a data compression algorithm that allows the original data to be perfectly reconstructed
from the compressed data
Image
A type of data used for graphics or pictures
Metadata
, data that describes other data. For example, a digital image my include metadata that
describe the size of the image, number of colors, or resolution
Pixel
short for "picture element" it is the fundamental unit of a digital image, typically a tiny
square or dot which contains a single point of color of a larger image
RGB
color model using varying intensities of red, green, and blue to produce colors
Lossy
data compression method that uses inexact approximations, discarding some data to
represent the content
Abstraction
pulling out specific differences to make one solution work for multiple problems
Adware
A form of spyware. Collects information about the user or user activities in order to
display advertisements in a web browser.
Algorithm
A set of instructions for solving a problem.
Application
Refers to a complete and self-contained program that helps the user accomplish a
specific task.
Artificial Intelligence
A branch of computer science with the focus on how to endow computers with
capabilities of human intelligence. Can be seen as an attempt to model aspects of
human thought on computers
Autoresponder
A program that automatically delivers information
Backup and Recovery
The combination of procedures that can restore lost data in the event of hardware or
software failure
Backward Compatible
Refers to the new versions of software or hardware that is compatible with earlier
models or versions of the same product.
Bandwidth
Measures how much data you can send in a given amount of time.
Bookmark
A facility for marking a specific place in electronic documentation to enable easy return
to it. It is used in several types of software, including PDF files, electronic help files and
tutorials within a program or online.
Bug
An error, flaw, mistake, failure, or fault in a computer program that prevents it from
working as intended, or produces an incorrect result.
Byte
Is equal to eight bits.
C Programming Language
A general-purpose, procedural, imperative computer programming language developed
in the early 1970s by Dennis Ritchie for use on the Unix operating system.
