Edexcel GCSE Computer Science key terms

An address used by the internet layer to identify a device and help route packets to their destination.

Working through the items in a data structure. For this requirement, the program must process every item.

Software that records keystrokes. When used maliciously, it can steal information such as usernames and passwords.

A binary file-size unit equal to 1024 bytes; abbreviated KiB.

A site where waste is deposited on or buried in the ground.

The delay between data being sent and received, usually measured in milliseconds.

A valid legal reason for collecting or using personal data.

A part of a network communication model with a particular responsibility, providing services to the layer above and using services from the layer below.

The arrangement of code into lines and logical sections.

A question concerning what the law allows, prohibits or requires.

Responsibility under the law for an action or harm, which may lead to legal consequences such as having to pay compensation.

A validation check that the number of characters in a string meets a specified requirement.

A collection of pre-written, reusable code that a program can import and use.

A search that checks records one at a time until a match is found or all records have been checked.

A network covering a small geographical area, such as a home, school or office site, usually owned and managed by the organisation using it.

A variable available only within the subprogram in which it is created. A subprogram's parameters are also local to that subprogram.

An operator that combines or reverses Boolean values. Python uses and, or and not.

Using the program's instructions and conditions to work out what it will do and whether its behaviour meets the requirements.

An operation that moves every bit a specified number of positions left or right, discards bits that leave the fixed-width pattern and fills vacated positions with zeros.

A mistake in a program's instructions that causes incorrect behaviour even though the code can execute.

A search for a stored record using a value such as a user ID.

A method of reducing file size that allows the original data to be reconstructed exactly when the file is decompressed.

A method of reducing file size by permanently removing some data, so the original data cannot be reconstructed exactly from the compressed file.

A programming language closely tied to a processor’s instruction set, giving the programmer detailed control over hardware. Machine code and assembly language are low-level languages.

Binary instructions that a processor can execute directly.

An approach to artificial intelligence in which a system learns patterns from data to perform a task, rather than having every decision explicitly programmed.

Storage that represents binary data using the magnetic states of tiny regions on a surface.