Unit 6 Vocab

Bit - shorthand for binary digit.

Binary digit - either 0 or 1.

Binary base - uses only combinations of the digits zero and one.

Byte - 8 bits.

Decimal base - uses only combinations of the digits 0 – 9.

Abstraction - the process of reducing complexity by focusing on the main idea; by hiding details irrelevant to the question at hand and bringing together related and useful details, it reduces complexity and allows one to focus on the idea.

Analog data - values that change smoothly, rather than in discrete intervals, over time (ex: pitch and volume of music, colors of a painting, or the position of a sprinter during a race).

Sampling technique - measuring values of the analog signal at regular intervals called samples.

Samples - measured to figure out the exact bits required to store each sample.

Data compression - reduces the size (number of bits) of transmitted or stored data.

Lossless - data compression algorithms that can usually reduce the number of bits stored or transmitted while guaranteeing complete reconstruction of the original data.

Lossy - data compression algorithms that can significantly reduce the number of bits stored or transmitted but only allow reconstruction of an approximation of the original data.

Information - the collection of facts and patterns extracted from data.

Metadata - data about data (ex: the date of creation or the file size of an image).

Cleaning data - a process that makes the data uniform without changing their meaning (e.g. replacing all equivalent abbreviations, spellings, and capitalizations with the same word).

Overflow error - an error that occurs when a computer attempts to handle a number that is outside of the defined range of values.