Computer Science Essentials

All flashcards in this deck

1. Front

   Algorithm

   Back

   A step by step procedure for solving a problem.

2. Front

   Data structure

   Back

   A way of organizing data for efficient access and modification.

3. Front

   Variable

   Back

   A named storage location for a value in a program.

4. Front

   Function

   Back

   Reusable block of code that performs a specific task.

5. Front

   Conditional statement

   Back

   Code that runs differently based on true or false conditions.

6. Front

   Loop

   Back

   A control structure that repeats code until a condition changes.

7. Front

   Array

   Back

   Ordered collection of items usually stored contiguously.

8. Front

   Linked list

   Back

   Sequence of nodes where each node points to the next node.

9. Front

   Stack

   Back

   Last in first out data structure.

10. Front

    Queue

    Back

    First in first out data structure.

11. Front

    Hash table

    Back

    Structure mapping keys to values for fast average lookup.

12. Front

    Tree

    Back

    Hierarchical data structure with parent child relationships.

13. Front

    Binary search

    Back

    Search method on sorted data that halves the search space each step.

14. Front

    Time complexity

    Back

    How running time grows with input size.

15. Front

    Space complexity

    Back

    How memory usage grows with input size.

16. Front

    Big O notation

    Back

    A way to describe upper bound growth rate of an algorithm.

17. Front

    Compilation

    Back

    Translating source code into machine executable form.

18. Front

    Interpretation

    Back

    Executing code by reading instructions at runtime.

19. Front

    Debugging

    Back

    Finding and fixing defects in code.

20. Front

    Version control

    Back

    System for tracking and managing code changes over time.

21. Front

    Git commit

    Back

    A saved snapshot of changes in a repository.

22. Front

    API

    Back

    A defined interface that lets software systems communicate.

23. Front

    HTTP

    Back

    Protocol used to transfer web resources between clients and servers.

24. Front

    Client server model

    Back

    Architecture where clients request services from servers.

25. Front

    IP address

    Back

    Numeric identifier for a device on a network.

26. Front

    DNS

    Back

    System that translates domain names into IP addresses.

27. Front

    TCP

    Back

    Reliable transport protocol with ordered delivery.

28. Front

    Database

    Back

    Organized collection of data for storage and retrieval.

29. Front

    SQL

    Back

    Language for querying and managing relational databases.

30. Front

    Primary key

    Back

    Column that uniquely identifies each row in a table.

31. Front

    Recursion

    Back

    Technique where a function calls itself with smaller subproblems.

32. Front

    Object oriented programming

    Back

    Style organizing code around objects with state and behavior.

33. Front

    Class

    Back

    Blueprint defining properties and methods for objects.

34. Front

    Encapsulation

    Back

    Bundling data with methods and controlling direct access.

35. Front

    Inheritance

    Back

    Mechanism where one class acquires behavior from another.

36. Front

    Testing in software

    Back

    Running checks to verify code behaves as expected.

37. Front

    Unit test

    Back

    Test focused on a small piece of functionality in isolation.

38. Front

    Runtime error

    Back

    Error that occurs while a program is executing.

39. Front

    Memory leak

    Back

    Unused memory that is not released properly over time.

40. Front

    Computational thinking

    Back

    Breaking problems into steps, patterns, and abstractions for automation.