AP Computer Science Principles Questions & Answers

Agile software development - ANSWERSAn approach to software development that emphasizes a flexible and ready response to meet a shifting target. Benchmarking - ANSWERSRunning a program on many data sets to be sure its performance falls within required limits; timing the same algorithm on two different machines. Code library - ANSWERSA collection of thoroughly tested object code for various useful tasks. Coding - ANSWERSThe process of translating the detailed designs into computer code. Divide-and-conquer - ANSWERSA program design strategy in which tasks are broken down into subtasks, which are broken down into sub-subtasks, and so on, until each piece is small enough to code comfortably. These pieces work together to accomplish the total job. Empirical testing - ANSWERSDesigning a special set of test cases and running the program using these test data. Executable module - ANSWERSThe resulting object code after a linker inserts requested code from code libraries. External documentation - ANSWERSAny materials assembled to clarify the program's design and implementation. Feasibility study - ANSWERSA step in the software development life cycle that evaluates a proposed project and compares the costs and benefits of various solutions. Integrated development environment (IDE) - ANSWERSA collection of programs that support software development, such as debuggers, editors, toolkits, and libraries, that lets programmers perform several tasks within the shell of a single application. Integration testing - ANSWERSAfter unit testing, integration testing is done to see that the modules communicate the necessary data between and among themselves and that all modules work together smoothly. Internal documentation - ANSWERSDocumentation that is part of the program code itself. Logic error - ANSWERSAn error in the algorithm used to solve a problem. Object code - ANSWERSMachine language instructions. Pair programming - ANSWERSInvolves two programmers at a single workstation. At any given point in time, one is writing code and the other is actively observing, watching for possible errors but also thinking about the overall approach. Problem specification - ANSWERSA step in the software development life cycle that involves developing a clear, concise, and unambiguous statement of the exact problem the software is to solve. Procedural language - ANSWERSA program written in a procedural language consists of sequences of statements that manipulate data items. Program design phase - ANSWERSA step in the software development life cycle that plans the structure of the software to be written. Program maintenance - ANSWERSThe process of adapting an existing software product due to errors, new system requirements, or changing user needs. Program verification - ANSWERSUsed to prove that if the input data to a program satisfies certain conditions, then, after the program has been run on these data, the output data satisfies certain other conditions. Regression testing - ANSWERSIf anything is changed on an already-tested module, regression testing is done to be sure that this change has not introduced a new error into code that was previously correct. Runtime error - ANSWERSAn error that occurs when the program is run using certain sets of data that result in some illegal operation, such as dividing by zero. Semantics - ANSWERSThe meaning of correctly written programming statements. Source code - ANSWERSHigh-level language instructions. Syntax error - ANSWERSAn error that occurs because a program statement fails to follow the correct rules of syntax. Technical documentation - ANSWERSDocumentation that enables programmers who later have to modify the program to understand the code. Third-generation language - ANSWERSAnother name for high-level programming language as opposed to machine language (first generation) or assembly language (second generation). Top-down decomposition - ANSWERSA program design strategy in which tasks are broken down into subtasks, which are broken down into sub-subtasks, and so on, until each piece is small enough to code comfortably. These pieces work together to accomplish the total job. Syntax - ANSWERSThe rules for exactly how programming statements must be written; the grammatical structure of a programming language Application - ANSWERS(Java) A complete standalone program that resides and runs on a self-contained computer. External library - ANSWERSA well-written, efficient, and thoroughly tested code module that is separately compiled and then drawn on by any program that wishes to use its capabilities. Functional programming languages - ANSWERSViews every task in terms of functions. In this context, function means something like a mathematical function—a recipe for taking an argument (or possibly several arguments) and doing something with them to compute a single value. Knowledge base - ANSWERSFacts and rules about a certain domain of interest. Open source - ANSWERSSoftware whose source code is freely available and may be used, distributed, or modified by anyone. Recursive - ANSWERSSomething that is defined in terms of "smaller versions" of itself. Computational model - ANSWERSA model constructed using algorithmic procedures implemented as computer programs. Computational steering - ANSWERSA procedure for using a computational model to improve the design of an actual system by continually resetting model parameters to improve system performance. Computer graphics - ANSWERSThe field of computer science that examines the technical problems of displaying visual images on a computer screen. Continuous model - ANSWERSA model of a system using mathematical equations that describe system performance as a continuous function of time t. Discrete event simulation - ANSWERSA computational modeling technique that simulates the behavior of a system only at discrete points in time. Garbage in, garbage out - ANSWERSThe term for the fact that the output coming out of a computer model is only as accurate as the assumption used to build the model. Scientific visualization - ANSWERSThe use of images and visualization techniques to make scientific data easier to interpret and understand. Simulation model - ANSWERSAnother term for a computational model. Statistical distribution - ANSWERSThis is a mathematical function that describes the probability of a random quantity taking on certain values. Stochastic components - ANSWERSParts of a model that display random behavior. Uniform random number - ANSWERSEvery value in the range from a to b has the same chance of occurring. Analogy - ANSWERSArguing about a problem by comparing it to a related problem, which you claim is very similar in terms of its ethical implications and consequences. Consequentialism - ANSWERSA school of thought in ethics that focuses on the consequences of an act to determine if the act is good or bad. Cyberbullying - ANSWERSHumiliating, taunting, threatening or invading someone's privacy using the Internet, Web, or other type of electronic technology. Ethics - ANSWERSThe study of how to decide if something is morally right or wrong. Hacktivism - ANSWERSHacking that is intended as political activism. Peer-to-peer file sharing - ANSWERSThe sharing of files between two equal participants on a network. This is distinct from the client-server model in which the two sides serve very different roles--one side only sending information (the server) and the other side only receiving information (the client). Computer science - ANSWERSThe study of algorithms, including their mathematical properties, hardware and linguistic realizations, and their applications. Computing agent - ANSWERSThe entity (machine, robot, person, or thing) that executes the steps of an algorithm. High-level programming language - ANSWERSA programming language that uses both natural language constructs and mathematical notation.