CSP Review Flashcards
(112 cards)
1
Q
What is Abstraction?
A
A way of hiding information
Abstraction helps to reduce complexity by focusing on high-level mechanisms.
2
Q
Define Algorithm.
A
A clear, step-by-step, detailed computable set of instructions that returns a result in a finite amount of time
Algorithms are fundamental to computer programming and problem-solving.
3
Q
What does Algorithm Efficiency refer to?
A
How an algorithm performs with regard to time and space
4
Q
What is an Application Program Interface (API)?
A
Specifications for using a library’s procedures and understanding how they behave
5
Q
Define Artificial Intelligence.
A
The development of computing systems capable of performing tasks that would otherwise rely on human intelligence
6
Q
What is Assignment in programming?
A
The storing of a value to a variable
7
Q
What does Bandwidth measure?
A
The maximum amount of data that can be sent over a particular computer network in a fixed amount of time
8
Q
What is Base Conversion?
A
Taking a number written in one base (e.g., decimal) and rewriting it in another (e.g., binary)
9
Q
Define Bias in data.
A
The intentional or unintentional skewing of data to favor a particular result
10
Q
What is Binary?
A
Numbers represented with base 2 digits
11
Q
What is Binary Search?
A
A method of seeking an item in an ordered list through an iterated process of comparing the target to the middle item in the list
12
Q
What is a Boolean Expression?
A
An expression that evaluates to true or false
13
Q
What does Cleaning Data involve?
A
Making data uniform without changing its meaning
14
Q
Define Citizen Science.
A
Crowdsourcing in scientific research
15
Q
What are Computing Innovations?
A
A new method, product, or idea that requires a computer
16
Q
What is Crowdsourcing?
A
The practice of obtaining input or information from a large number of people via the Internet
17
Q
Define Cybersecurity.
A
The protection of a system against unauthorized or criminal use of a system
18
Q
What is Data?
A
Anything stored, transmitted, or processed by computing systems in numerical form
19
Q
What is Data Abstraction?
A
Filtering out specific details to focus on the information needed to process the data
20
Q
Define Data Compression.
A
A reduction in the size (number of bits) of data transmitted or stored
21
Q
What are Data Types?
A
A specified kind of information that is stored in a variable
22
Q
What is Decimal?
A
Numbers represented with base 10 digits
23
Q
What is the process of Description?
A
The process of converting encrypted data into its original form
24
Q
Define Digital Divide.
A
The disparity between those who have access to technology and those who do not
25
What is Distributed Computing?
A model in which multiple devices run a program
26
What is Encryption?
The process in which data is encoded to another form
27
What does Fault Tolerance refer to?
The ability of a network to find a different path between sender and receiver
28
What are Graphs used for?
A visual representation of data used to give quick information on trends
29
Define Heuristic.
An algorithm that finds an approximate solution rather than an exact solution
30
What is Hexadecimal?
Numbers represented with base 16 digits
31
What does Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) do?
A protocol used to interpret a Web page
32
What is Information in computing?
See Data
33
What does Information Security encompass?
See Cybersecurity
34
What is Integer Overflow?
The attempt to store a number that is too big for the data type
35
What is Integer Roundoff?
Impression caused by limits in size of data type
36
Define Intellectual Property.
A product that is protected from unauthorized use by others
37
What is Internet Protocol?
Any protocol governing the Internet or other network
38
What is Iteration?
The process in which a part of an algorithm repeats until it meets a condition or for a fixed number of times
39
What are Libraries in programming?
A collection of precompiled procedures that can be used by other programs
40
What is a List?
A data type that holds a collection of values
41
What are Loops?
Sections of code statements that need to be repeated more than once
42
Define Lossless Compression.
A reduction of the number of bits stored or transmitted that guarantees complete restoration of the original data
43
What is Lossy Compression?
A significant reduction in the number of bits stored or transmitted that only allows for an approximation of the original data
44
Define Machine Learning.
The ability of a computing system to train on data fed into software systems
45
What is Metadata?
Data about data such as author, date created, usage, file size, etc.
46
What does Open Source refer to?
Software development that allows programmers and developers to access the source code and to modify and improve the code as they see the need
47
What is Parallel Computing?
Breaking a program into smaller sequential operations using multiple processors
48
What is a Path in networking?
A sequence of directly connected computing devices between two computing devices on a computer network
49
What are Patterns in data?
Recognizable forms in sets of data
50
Define Personally Identifiable Information (PII).
Information about a person that can uniquely identify them
51
What is Plagiarism?
The copying of someone’s work and passing it off as one’s own
52
What does Precision refer to?
The number of significant figures or meaningful decimal places in measurement or calculation
53
What is Procedural Abstraction?
The calling of a function with concern only for the end result rather than how the code functions
54
What are Procedures in programming?
A named group of programming code that performs a specific task
55
Define Protocol.
An agreed upon set of rules that specify the behavior of a system
56
What is Pseudocode?
A way of describing an algorithm that is not the specific code of any language
57
What is a Random Number Generator?
A program that picks a number at random from a range of values
58
Define Redundancy in networking.
Additional paths in a network to create fault tolerance
59
What does Routing refer to?
The process of finding a path from sender to receiver
60
Define Scalability.
The capacity for a system to change in size and scale to meet new demands
61
What is Selection in algorithms?
The use of a Boolean condition to evaluate which of two parts of an algorithm to use
62
What is Sequencing in algorithms?
The outlining of each step of an algorithm in a specific order to solve a problem
63
Define Sequential Computing.
A process in which program instructions are processed once at a time
64
What are Simulation Models?
Collections of computer software that respond to real-time input data to emulate a response that would resemble the real world
65
What is a String in programming?
A collection of characters
66
What does Transmission Control Protocol (TCP/IP) do?
An Internet protocol in which packets are repeatedly sent until receipt is confirmed
67
What are Trends in data analysis?
General direction in which something is developing or changing over time
68
Define Undecidable Problem.
A problem that cannot be solved using an algorithm
69
What is a Variable in programming?
An abstraction inside a program that can hold a value
70
What is the World Wide Web?
A system of linked pages, programs, and files
71
What is a Bit?
The smallest unit of data in computing, representing a 0 or 1.
72
Define Byte.
A group of 8 bits, often used to encode one character of text.
73
What does ASCII stand for?
American Standard Code for Information Interchange.
74
What is Unicode?
A character encoding capable of representing characters from most of the world’s writing systems, typically using 16 or 32 bits per character.
75
Define Floating-Point Number.
A numeric data type that represents real numbers with fractional components using a fixed number of bits for mantissa and exponent.
76
What is Normalization in databases?
A database design process that structures data to minimize redundancy, often by organizing tables and relationships.
77
What is a Function (Procedure/Method)?
A named block of code that performs a specific task and may return a value; called via its identifier.
78
Difference between Parameter and Argument?
A parameter is a variable in a function signature; an argument is the actual value passed when the function is called.
79
What is Variable Scope?
The region of a program in which a variable is defined and accessible (e.g., local vs. global).
80
Define Constant.
A data value that, once defined, cannot be changed throughout the execution of a program.
81
What is Control Flow?
The order in which individual statements, instructions, or function calls are executed in a program (includes sequencing, selection, and iteration).
82
What is Recursion?
A programming technique in which a function calls itself directly or indirectly to solve a problem by breaking it into smaller instances.
83
What is a Module (Library)?
A self-contained set of functions or procedures that can be imported and reused across different parts of a program.
84
What is an IDE (Integrated Development Environment)?
Software that provides comprehensive facilities to programmers for development (editor, debugger, compiler/interpreter).
85
Define Decomposition.
Breaking down a complex problem or system into smaller, more manageable parts.
86
What is Modularity?
Designing a system with interchangeable components that can be independently created and then used in different systems.
87
What is Agile Development?
An iterative approach to software development emphasizing flexibility, incremental delivery, and stakeholder feedback.
88
What is Version Control?
A system (e.g., Git) for tracking changes in source code over time, enabling collaboration and rollback.
89
Define Debugging.
The process of identifying, isolating, and fixing errors or “bugs” in a program’s code.
90
What is a Breakpoint?
A marker set in code that causes execution to pause, allowing inspection of program state during debugging.
91
What is a Greedy Algorithm?
An algorithmic paradigm that makes the locally optimal choice at each step, hoping to find a global optimum.
92
Define Divide and Conquer.
An algorithm design strategy that recursively breaks a problem into subproblems, solves each, and combines results.
93
What is Computational Complexity (Big O Notation)?
A mathematical notation that describes the upper bound of an algorithm’s running time or space usage as input size grows.
94
What is an NP-Complete Problem?
A class of decision problems for which no known polynomial-time algorithm exists, and every problem in NP can be reduced to it.
95
What does DNS stand for?
Domain Name System.
96
Define URL.
The address used to access resources on the Web, specifying protocol, domain, path, and optional parameters.
97
What are SSL/TLS?
Cryptographic protocols providing secure communication over a computer network, underlying HTTPS.
98
What is a VPN?
A service that encrypts your internet connection and routes it through remote servers to enhance privacy and security.
99
Define Packet Switching.
A method of grouping data transmitted over a digital network into packets that are routed independently of each other.
100
What is Bandwidth?
Maximum data transfer rate of a network.
101
What is Throughput?
Actual achieved data transfer rate over a network.
102
Define Latency.
Time delay for data to travel from source to destination.
103
What is a Firewall?
A network security device that monitors and filters incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predefined rules.
104
Define Hash Function.
A one-way function that maps data of arbitrary size to fixed-size values, commonly used in data integrity checks.
105
What is a Digital Certificate?
An electronic credential verifying the ownership of a public key, issued by Certificate Authorities.
106
What is a Denial-of-Service (DoS) Attack?
An attempt to make a machine or network resource unavailable by overwhelming it with traffic.
107
Define Algorithmic Bias.
The systematic and unfair discrimination in output due to biased training data or flawed algorithm design.
108
What is Big Data?
Extremely large datasets analyzed computationally to reveal patterns, trends, and associations.
109
Define Blockchain.
A decentralized, distributed ledger that records transactions across many computers securely and immutably.
110
What is Machine Code?
Low-level code consisting of binary instructions executed directly by a computer’s CPU.
111
What is the Internet of Things (IoT)?
Network of physical objects embedded with sensors and software to exchange data with other devices and systems.
112
Define Cloud Computing.
Delivery of computing services (servers, storage, databases, networking, software) over the Internet (“the cloud”).
