Tags & Description
string
a linear sequence of characters, words, or other data
dichotomous
in which something can only be one thing or another (yes or no)
binary code
code represented with the two symbols of 1 and 0
bits
the foundation for digital computing (1s and 0s) - short for binary digits
digital
how information is stored, accessed, transformed and used by computers
state space
the space of potential possibilities
exponential growth
the rate of growth that rapidly increases in proportion to the growing total number or size.
fixed-point numbers
numbers where the decimal point is always in the same place.
floating-point numbers
numbers where the decimal point can float because there is no fixed number of digits before and after the decimal point. AKA: real numbers
real numbers
numbers approximated by floating-point representations that do not necessarily have infinite precision.
scientific notation
the mathematical representation of a decimal number in floating-point form. Examples: 4 x 10³ for 4,000, 4.002 x 10³x 10 for 4,002 or 2.345E6 for 2,345,000.
decimal
describes the base-10 number system. The most commonly used number system.
ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange)
a table that outlines a common set of conventions established for converting between binary values and alphanumeric (represents 128 different characters)
alphanumeric
the characters that consists of uppercase and lowercase letters in addition to numerals 0-9.
digital noise
irrelevant or meaningless data that has found its way into otherwise meaningful code.
abstraction
the process of removing or suppressing details to create a manageable level of complexity.
bit string
a sequence of bits that can be used to represent sets or to manipulate binary data.
mapping
associating each element of a given set with one or more elements of a second set.
data
characters, symbols or quantities on which operations are performed, stored and/or transmitted by a computer.
Unicode
a binary encoding system that can represent much more of the world's text than ASCII can (represents 65,536 different characters)
discrete
separate or divided (digital)
continuous
unbroken, without interruption (analog)
approximation
digital copies are only approximations of the natural object.
analog
non-digital signals or information represented by a continuously variable physical quantity such as spatial position or voltage.
innovating
the process of imagining something that does not yet exist, but that has potential value, and making it real through the application of design, implementation, and production
iteration
repeatedly applying a process with the goal of coming closer and closer to a solution
iterative development process
the process by which computer programs are designed, developed and tested in repeated cycles
debug
to identify and remove errors from a computer program
algorithm
a finite set of instructions that accomplish a specific task.
sequencing
executes statements one at a time - in order, one after another.
selection
uses "if...then" to tell a computer how to select a step or to tell the sequence that it should be executed.
imperative statement
a command statement with a verb phrase that indicates an operation to perform (example: move forward)
descriptive qualifier
a specific adverb or adjective that further qualifies or limits the meaning of a word (example: left shoe)
natural language
a complex, but structured language, both written and spoken, that has evolved naturally in humans through use, repetition, and adaptation.
artificial language
a limited size language, usually developed by a small group for specific purposes. Usually much simpler and structured.
ambiguity
uncertainty or being open to more than one interpretation.
visual programming language
a programming language that lets users drag and drop icons into organized blocks of code to create programs rather than typing text.
high-level language
a programming language that is easier for humans to read, write, and parse. Guaranteed to be unambiguous.
low-level language
a programming language that has little or no abstraction and communicates closely to the hardware using machine language. Less natural for humans.
compilation
the process of source code being translated into machine code.
source code
programs written in high-level languages.
machine code
machine-level instructions that are uniquely read by computer processors using patterns of 1s and 0s.
byte
a group of 8 bits
nibble
a group of 4 bits
logic error
a mistake in the algorithm or program that causes it to behave incorrectly or unexpectedly
syntax error
a mistake in the program where the rules of the programming language are not followed.
run-time error
a mistake in the program that occurs during the execution of a program.
overflow error
the data type used to store data was not large enough to hold the data.
roundoff error
the difference between an approximation of a number used in computation and its exact (correct) value.
hard disk drive
is an electro-mechanical data storage device that stores and retrieves digital data using magnetic storage
solid state drive
device that uses integrated circuit assemblies to store data persistently, typically using flash memory, and functioning as secondary storage in the hierarchy of computer storage.
optical disk drive
uses laser light or electromagnetic waves within or near the visible light spectrum as part of the process of reading or writing data to or from optical discs.
database
information that is set up for easy access, management and updating.
sampling
a method of converting an analogue audio signal into a digital signal or takes a segment of sound and plays it at a high rate of speed, resulting in continuous sound.
sampling rate
measures how many times per second we sample the amplitude of the sound wave.
screen resolution
is the number of pixels on a device found in each dimension (width × height) that can be displayed on the screen.
pixel density
is usually measured in PPI (Pixels Per Inch), which refers to the number of pixels present per inch on the display.
metadate
data that describes other data. For example, a digital image may include data that describe the size of the image, number of colors, or resolution.
RGB
encoding scheme describes a specific color by capturing the individual contribution to a pixel's color of each of the three light colors: red, green, and blue
data compression
the process of encoding, restructuring or otherwise modifying data in order to reduce its size.
data compression algorithms
reduce the number of bytes required to represent data and the amount of memory required to store images
lossy compression
the data in a file is removed and not restored to its original form after decompression.
lossless compression
a compression technique that does not lose any data in the compression process