Basics
This is a step-by-step procedure of precise instructions that performs some calculation or computation.
What is an Algorithm?
This is a search algorithm that repeatedly divides a sorted list to narrow in on the searched-for item
What is binary searching?
This is the simplest sorting algorithm which repeatedly compares and shifts data points until the data set is sorted.
What is a bubble sort?
This is a type of problem that is theoretically impossible to solve by any algorithm.
What is an undecidable problem?
This is a computational model in which operations are performed in order, one at a time on one processor or computer.
What is sequential computing?
This is a blend of English and code used to write down an algorithm for a program.
What is pseudocode?
This is a search algorithm that checks every element in a list from the start to the end of the list to find an item.
What is a sequential/linear search?
This is a type of comparison sort that separates data into sections, sorts them, then combines them in a sorted order, until the data set has been sorted properly into a single data set.
What is a merge sort?
This is a type of problem that cannot be solved within a reasonable time.
What is an intractable problem?
This is a computational model where a problem or program is broken into multiple smaller sequential computing operations some of which are performed simultaneously.
What is parallel computing?
These are the three most basic control structures.
What are sequencing, election, and iteration?
This is a certain type of data set, in which binary searching is almost always superior to linear searching.
What is a sorted data set?
This is a non-comparison sort that sorts data into organized categories, then combines them into a sorted list.
What is a bucket sort?
This is an algorithm that finds an approximate solution for a hard problem, finding a solution in a reasonable amount of time, despite not finding the most optimal solution.
What is a heuristic algorithm?
This is a computational model in which multiple networked computers are used to run a program. An algorithm can be both parallel and distributed.
What is distributed computing?
These are known as "algorithm building blocks", and are what algorithms are built off of.
What are control structures?
This is a certain type of data set, in which linear searching is almost always superior to binary searching.
What is an unsorted data set?
This is the order of three common sorting algorithms from least to most efficient.
What is: Bubble Sort, Merge Sort, and Bucket Sort?
This is an example of when a heuristic algorithm might be helpful.
What is an optimization problem (such as the Traveling Salesman Problem)?
These are the differences between parallel and distributed computing.
Parallel computing is often done on one computer with multiple processors or a few computers, while distributed computing uses multiple networks.
Name one algorithm you may use in your everyday life.
Answers may vary.
This is the maximum number of guesses it would take a binary search to find a random number from one to 10000, given that their prior guesses were too high, too low, or correct.
What is 14?
The bucket sort is a special kind of this type of sort, which compares digits to efficiently sort a group of numbers.
What is a radix sort?
An ordinary desktop computer can make about 100000000000 guesses of a password per second. How many seconds/minutes/hours/days would it take for an ordinary computer to guess your school password (uppercase + lowercase + numbers). Guess to the nearest 5 minutes.
2,183.4 seconds OR 36.4 minutes OR 0.6 hours OR 0 days to crack.
What is the parallel portion and sequential portion?