Glossary of Terms
Terminology
As you begin to learn programming, you will encounter several new terms and concepts. This glossary will serve as an aid to students when they encounter words or terminology in computer science that they many not be familiar with.
For example, when you are learning to speak a foreign language for the first time, you will encounter new vocabulary that you will not understand at first. eg. learning English, German, or Spanish for the first time.
Similarly, when learning computer programming languages or about technology, you will also encounter words that you may not understand at first. This glossary will help define some of the more common terminology and programming concepts that you will encounter as you continue your journey in computer programming and learning about technology.
Think of it as a custom-made dictionary!
Glossary
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Abstraction | Pulling out specific differences to make one solution work for multiple problems |
| Algorithm | A list of steps you follow to finish a task |
| Binary | A way of representing information using only two options. For example, digital data is represented by a 0 or 1 binary bits in machine code |
| Boolean | A type of data with two values: true and false |
| Boolean expression | Any combination of values and Boolean operators that produce a Boolean result. For example, the expression âwidth > 3â evaluates to either true or false, depending on whether or not the width is greater than 3. The â>â is the relational operator that is comparing two different values |
| Coding | The way people tell a computer what to do using instructions that the computer understands. Also called programming. |
| Community | A group of people in one place or a group of associated people sharing common interests, common ideas and/or a common heritage |
| Compass | A tool that shows us the direction of magnetic north and helps us navigate where we are and where we are going |
| Computer Science | The art of blending human ideas and digital tools to increase problem solving power |
| Condition | Something that we check if it is true before we do something |
| Conditional statements | Statements that only run under certain conditions |
| Crowdsourcing | Getting help from a large group of people to finish something faster |
| Decompose | Break down a problem into smaller pieces |
| Debugging | Finding and fixing problems in your algorithm or program |
| Digital Footprint | The information about someone on the Internet |
| DNS (Domain Name Service) | The service that translates URLs to IP addresses |
| DSL/Cable | A method of sending information using telephone or television cables |
| Event | An action that causes something to happen |
| Event handler | An event and the set of functions that are performed in response to it |
| Fiber Optic Cable | A connection that uses light to transmit information |
| FOR Loop | Loops that have a pre-specified beginning, end and increment (step interval) |
| Function | An algorithm that you can write once and give a name, allowing you to execute that algorithm anywhere you want in your program just by using its name. The function definition is the actual code of the function, while the function call is used when we tell the functions to run |
| IF statement | A conditional statement in programming that, if proved true, performs a function or displays information |
| Internet | A group of computers and servers that are connected to each other |
| IP Address | Internet protocol . A number assigned to any item that is connected to the Internet. |
| Loop | The action of doing something over and over again |
| Object | Refers to a particular instance of a class that can be a combination of variables, functions, and data structures |
| Open-source | Software for which the original source code is made freely available and may be redistributed and modified. |
| Packets | Small chunks of information that have been carefully formed from larger chunks of information |
| Pair Programming | When two students share one computer to write a program. |
| Parameter | An extra piece of information that you pass to the function to customize it for a specific need |
| Pattern Matching | Finding similarities between things |
| Persistence | Trying again and again, even when something is very hard |
| Program |
An algorithm that has been coded into something that can be run by a machine
What is the difference between an algorithm and a program? An algorithm is the thinking behind what needs to happen, while the program is the actual instructions that make it happen. An algorithm has to be translated into a program before a computer can run it |
| Relational operator | Used to compare two values that will evaluate to a Boolean value - true or false |
| Servers | Computers that exist only to provide things for others |
| Statement | A command or instruction that tells the computer to do something |
| URL | Uniform Resource Locator . An easy-to-remember address for calling a web page |
| Username | A name you make up so that you can see or do things on a website, sometimes called a "screen name" |
| Variable | A placeholder for a piece of information that can change |
| Visual Coding | Any programming language that lets users create programs by manipulating program elements graphically rather than by specifying them textually |
| WHILE Loop | A loop that performs a set of commands over and over again while a condition is TRUE |
| Wi-Fi | A wireless method sending information using radio waves |