Karnataka II PUC Computer Science (KSEAB) flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Von Neumann architecture

Stores program instructions and data in the same memory; the CPU repeatedly fetches, decodes, and executes instructions one at a time.

CPU

Central Processing Unit executes instructions; it contains an arithmetic logic unit for calculations, a control unit for coordination, and registers for temporary high-speed storage.

SRAM versus DRAM

SRAM uses flip-flops, is fast, and needs no refresh; DRAM uses capacitors, is denser and cheaper, and must be refreshed periodically.

Cache memory

Small high-speed memory between CPU and main memory that holds recently used instructions and data, improving performance through temporal and spatial locality.

Two's complement

Represents signed integers by inverting all bits of the positive value and adding one; subtraction becomes addition of the complement.

ASCII

Seven-bit character encoding assigning numeric codes 0-127 to English letters, digits, punctuation, and control characters; extended versions use eight bits.

Flowchart decision symbol

A diamond shape representing a condition with two exits, Yes and No, used to choose between alternative paths in an algorithm.

Algorithm

Finite ordered set of unambiguous steps that accepts input, processes it, and produces output, terminating after a finite number of operations.

Class

Blueprint defining data members and member functions; objects are instances created from it, each with its own copy of non-static data.

Encapsulation

Bundling data and methods inside a class and restricting direct access through private members, exposing controlled public interfaces.

Modulus operator

Binary % operator returns the remainder after integer division; operands must be integer types, and the result sign follows the dividend in C++.

do-while loop

Post-test loop that executes its body once before checking the condition, repeats while the condition is true, and ends with a semicolon after while(condition).

Array index range

For an array declared with n elements, valid subscripts are 0 through n-1; C++ does not check bounds during access.

Row-major order

Two-dimensional array storage arrangement storing all elements of row 0, then row 1, and so on; address = base + (row*columns + column)*element_size.

Function prototype

Declaration before use giving the function name, return type, and parameter types, ending with a semicolon; it lets the compiler check calls.

Structure

User-defined type grouping variables of different types under one name; members are accessed with the dot operator and occupy memory in declaration order.

Access specifier

Keyword public, private, or protected controlling visibility of class members; class members are private by default, while struct members are public by default.

this pointer

Implicit pointer available in non-static member functions that points to the object on which the function was called; used to resolve name conflicts.

Constructor

Special member function with the same name as its class, no return type, invoked automatically when an object is created; it initializes data members and can be overloaded.

Destructor

Special member function named ~class, taking no arguments and returning nothing; called automatically when an object's scope ends or delete runs.

Operator overloading

Giving existing C++ operators additional meaning for class types by defining operator functions; it cannot change precedence, associativity, or number of operands.

Non-overloadable operators

The operators ::, ., .*, ?:, and sizeof cannot be overloaded; operator=, [], (), and -> must be overloaded as non-static members.

Public inheritance

class D : public B makes public and protected members of B keep their status in D, models an is-a relationship, and keeps private members inaccessible directly.

Virtual base class

In diamond inheritance, declaring a shared base as virtual ensures only one copy of its members exists in the most derived object.

Pointer dereference

Unary * applied to a pointer accesses the value stored at the address it holds; the & operator obtains an object's address.

ios::app mode

File open mode that directs all output to the end of the file without truncating existing contents; useful for appending records.

Router

Network device forwarding packets between different networks using IP addresses and routing tables; it connects LANs to WANs or the Internet.

DNS

Domain Name System translates human-readable domain names into IP addresses through distributed hierarchical name servers.

Primary key

Column or set of columns uniquely identifying each row; it cannot contain NULL, and only one primary key is allowed per table.

Foreign key

Column referencing a primary key of another table and enforcing referential integrity; its values must exist in the referenced table or be NULL.

HTML anchor tag

An anchor element <a href='URL'>text</a> creates a hyperlink; href gives the destination and the enclosed text becomes clickable.

HTML table

Table uses <table> with <tr> rows, <th> header cells, and <td> data cells; colspan and rowspan merge adjacent cells.