Unit 1 Vocab

Computer - a programmable device that stores, retrieves, and processes data; an electronic machine or device that performs processes, calculations and operations based on instructions provided by a software program

Hardware - the physical parts of a computer

Central Processing Unit - part of the computer that processes data and allows the computer to "think." Sometimes referred to as a "computer chip"

Memory - how a computer stores data

Random Access Memory - short-term memory that computers use to cache temporary data that they can access quickly; data that gets constantly deleted or over-written

Storage - long-term memory that computers use to store data files or other more permanent pieces of information that a user would expect to be able to access consistently

Input - any part of a computer that can take information from the outside world and input it into the computer (i.e. keyboard, mouse, camera)

Output - parts of a computer that can output information to the outside world (i.e. display screen, printer, speakers)

Software - set of instructions or commands that tell the computer what to do

System software - low-level software that interacts directly with the computer hardware, often called Operating System (OS) software (i.e. Windows, MacOS, Linux)

Application software - higher-level software usually specialized to do a particular task (i.e. Minecraft, Microsoft Word, banking website)

Computing Innovation - something that includes a program as an integral part of its function; it can be physical (e.g., self driving car), nonphysical computing software (e.g., picture editing software), or a nonphysical computing concept (e.g., e-commerce)

Decomposition - the ability to break a larger problem down into smaller parts

Pattern recognition - when you observe similarities and patterns within problems

Abstraction - when you identify what defines the patterns you see, focus on the important information, and derive general rules and concepts that can be applied in other areas (carving out the relevant from the irrelevant)

Algorithmic thinking - when you develop a step-by-step plan or the rules to follow to solve a problem

Program - a collection of computer commands that perform a specific task when run by a computer; often referred to as software

Code segment - a group of programming statements that is part of a program

Behavior - how a program functions during execution; often described by how a user interacts with it

Program inputs - data sent to a computer for processing by a program; it can come in a variety of forms, such as tactile, audio, visual, or text inputs

Program outputs - any data sent from a program to a device; can come in a variety of forms, such as tactile, audio, visual, or text

Sprite - any object in a game that has properties (i.e. position, velocity) and behaviors (i.e. it can move, it has effects)

Event - an occurrence; things that happen; usually associated with an action (i.e. mouse click, button pressed)

Event handler - a part of code that 'handles' or listens for a specific type of event; when that event occurs, the code inside the event handler is run