AP Computer Science Unit 1 Vocabulary

optimization problem

This is basically looking for the maximum output solution from all the different solutions that you have. optimal value from a continuous function must be found.problem is a problem with the goal of finding the "best" solution among many (e.g., what is the shortest path from A to B?).

Iteration

when you have one education of a repetition statement. So for example if you have a yes or no question if that question isn't matched by the description of the answer it will keep repeating that same process until that fulfilment is matched.

strong password

A strong password is an algorithm that you made up and that it has multiple steps to cracking it for example using the caesar cipher or the vignette cipher to make the password precise.

Exponential

Algorithms with exponential or factorial efficiencies are examples of algorithms that run in an unreasonable amount of time.

Algorithm

An algorithm is a step-by-step process for solving a problem. For example a recipe or travel directions.

Abstraction

An object, meaning that the detail of how it works does not matter to the user of the object. So basically they act as simplifying all the complex directions that are not needed. The idea of hiding details.

Quadratic

As the size of a problem grows, the amount of extra work required increases much more quickly.

linear or sequential search

As the size of a problem grows, the amount of work required grows at approximately the same rate

logarithmic

Every doubling of the size of a problem only requires one extra unit of work.

Decryption

It is the process of taking the encrypted message and trying to figure out what the code translate into regular language

Constant

No matter how much a problem grows, the amount of work stays more or less the same.

programming language

The syntax and semantics of the statements used to create a program. Problem. Syntax refers to the structure/form of the code that a specific programming language specifies but Semantics deal with the meaning assigned to the symbols, characters and words. ... While semantics, It concerns logic or concept of sentence or statements. It is basically a language or instruction to create a certain software program. People use this to write high and low level directions

Selection

a hypothetical question. It determines which parts of an algorithm are executed based on a condition being true or false. They ask a question and if it is true they go one way and if it is false they go the other way.

instance of a problem

a specific task that needs to be solved with specific input. For example, sorting is a problem; sorting a specific list such as {2,3,1,7} is an instance of the problem.

efficiency

estimation of the amount of computational resources used by an algorithm. Efficiency is typically expressed as a function of the size of the input.

Encryption

he process of converting understood information into a codes that is unreadable at first sight. This is used so that people may have a little more privacy

undecidable problem

is one in which no algorithm can be constructed that always leads to a correct yes-or-no answer.

Sequencing

is the application of each step of an algorithm in the order in which the code statements are given, they are detailed responses of what they want you to do. They give specific orders

Scalability

is the capacity for a system to change in size and scale to meet new demands.

decision problem

problem is a problem with a yes/no answer (e.g., is there a path from A to B?)