Computer Science key terms

The ease with which a program can be transferred to and used on different computer systems.

A check that a required input has not been left empty.

Memory that holds data and instructions for access by the CPU. It usually consists of RAM and ROM.

A concern about who can collect, access or use information about a person, and how much control that person has over it.

A subprogram that performs a task without returning a result for the calling code to use.

An operation performed on data, such as calculating a total or comparing a value with a limit.

An operation carried out on personal data, including collecting, storing, using, sharing or deleting it.

An individual processing unit within a CPU that can fetch, decode and execute instructions independently.

A register that holds the memory address of the next instruction to be fetched.

Software whose owner retains control, normally does not provide users with source code, and grants limited rights to use it through a licence.

A set of rules that devices follow to communicate and transfer data.

An organised set of protocol layers that work together to enable network communication.

A structured, text-based description of an algorithm that is not tied to the exact syntax of a particular programming language.

Isolation of a suspected malicious file to prevent it from running or affecting the system.

A request for data from a database, specifying which data should be returned.

The whole-number result returned by integer division. For example, 17 DIV 5 gives a quotient of 3.

Random access memory: primary storage holding programs and data currently in use.

The computer’s main memory, which temporarily holds instructions and data currently in use.

Producing numeric values within a specified range to introduce unpredictability into a program.

A check that a value falls within the permitted limits.

Malware that locks a device or encrypts files and demands payment to restore access.

An operation that retrieves data from a file so that a program can use it.

Memory whose contents the computer can both retrieve and change during normal operation.

Describes memory that allows data to be both retrieved and changed or added.

How quickly data can be retrieved from or saved to a storage device.

A numeric data type that can represent values with a fractional part. Python uses the float type for real-number values.

A collection of related fields describing one entity, such as one student or one book.

The provision of additional connections or components so that alternatives are available if something fails.

Improving an algorithm, for example by correcting a fault or handling a previously missed case.

An extremely small, fast storage location within the CPU with a specific purpose, such as holding an address, data or a calculation result.