AP Computer Science
Principles Exam Prep 2026
| Study Guide, Practice
Questions, Answers,
Rationales & Exam Review
| Complete Ethics Study
Guide
Updated 2026 Questions and Answers
100% Verified Exam Prep and Comprehensive
Rationales
Included
,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.
Bit A contraction of "Binary Digits". A bit is the single unit of information in a computer,
typically represented as 0 or 1.
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 The universally recognized raw text format that any computer can understand.
(ASCII)
Code To write 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
Principles Exam Prep 2026
| Study Guide, Practice
Questions, Answers,
Rationales & Exam Review
| Complete Ethics Study
Guide
Updated 2026 Questions and Answers
100% Verified Exam Prep and Comprehensive
Rationales
Included
,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.
Bit A contraction of "Binary Digits". A bit is the single unit of information in a computer,
typically represented as 0 or 1.
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 The universally recognized raw text format that any computer can understand.
(ASCII)
Code To write 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
