Download A-Level Computer Science Topics: Comprehensive Overview and more Schemes and Mind Maps Computer science in PDF only on Docsity!
A Level topics
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1. Fundamentals of programming o What is an algorithm? o Understanding pseudocode: specially searching/sorting algorithms, arrays to use with trace tables o Programming in Python, including importing modules, using subroutines, validation, arrays, exception handling 2. Problem solving and theory of computation o Solving logic problems such as puzzles, word problems o Properties of an algorithm o Searching and sorting algorithms o Structured programming o Hierarchy charts o Decomposition o Abstraction (procedural, functional) o Testing and evaluation o Finite State Machines and state transition tables 7. Data Structures o Queues o Operations to queues, for example, enQueue, deQueue, isEmpty, isFull o Queues as fixed arrays o Circular queues o Priority queue o Dynamic and static data structures o Lists o Operations on lists o Stacks o Operations on stacks o Hash tables o Hashing algorithms: folding method, square method, alphanumeric data o Avoiding collisions o Dictionary and hashing o Graphs: directed, undirected o Matrix o Adjacency list o Trees: rooted, Binary o Traversing a tree: pre-order, in-order, post-order o Building a binary tree o Representing a binary tree as a 2-dimentional list o Vectors: 2-, 3-, 4-vector o Map function on vectors o Vector addition, Scalar multiplication, Convex combination, Dot product
- Recursive algorithms o Recursion o Tracing recursive tree-traversal algorithms o Algorithm efficiency: linear, quadratic, logarithmic, Big-O o Permutations with and without repetition o Searching and sorting algorithms and efficiency o Graph traversal algorithms o Lists as graphs o Traversing a graph: depth-first, breadth-first o Complexity of depth-first, breadth-first o Dijkstra’s shortest path o Limits of computation: computable and incomputable problems o Intractable/Tractable problems o Heuristic methods 9. Regular languages o Mealy machines and state transition tables o Sets: membership, comprehension, compact representation o Set operations: union, intersection, difference, cartesian product o Subsets and proper sets o Cardinality o Regular expressions: notation, form o Regular expressions and FSMs o Turing machine: how it works, notation for transition functions o Universal Turing machine o Backus-Naur Form Vs regular expressions o BNF symbols and production rules o Revers Polish notation: prefix, infix, postfix o Reverse Polish Notation terminology o Conversion methods from infix to RPN: translation by numbering, by bracketing, by binary tree o Conversion methods from RPN to infix: translation by scanning, by bracketing o RPN evaluation 12. OOP and Functional programming o Programming paradigms o Procedural Vs OOP o OOP design principles: inheritance, polymorphism, overriding, aggregation (composition and association), encapsulation o OOP diagrams o Functional programming: domain and co-domain, first class objects o Functional application: higher order functions, including map, filter, fold o Lists in functional programming: heads and tails, prepending and appending, concatenation o Big Data: examples of big data, functional programming and big data, graph schema
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3. Data Representation o Number systems o Bits, bytes, Ki, Mi, Gi, Ti o Differentiate between ASCI representation of a number and binary representation o Error checking (parity bits, majority voting, checksum, check digit) o Binary addition and multiplication o Signed and unsigned binary numbers o Calculating the range o Subtraction using two’s complement o Fixed point binary to represent fractions o Images: resolution, colour depth o Vector and bitmap images o Sound sampling and resolution o Analogue and digital o Nyquist’s theorem o Calculating image or sound files o Metadata o Compression types: lossy, lossless o Reasons for using compression o RLE o Dictionary-based compression o Different types of encryption: Vernam and Cipher 4. Hardware and Software o Classification of software: OS, Utility programs, Libraries, Translators, Application Software (general and special purpose, bespoke) o Functions of OS o Assembly language vs High level language o Translators: assembler, compiler, interpreter o Bytecode o Logic gates and truth tables o Boolean algebra 5. Computer Organisation and architecture o Processor o Man memory o Buses o I/O controllers o The stored program concept: Von Newman Vs Harvard architecture o The processor: ALU, control unit, clock, registers o Fetch-Decode-Execute cycle o Factors affecting processor performance o The role of interrupts o The processor instruction set: Op Code, Operand, Addressing modes
o Assembly language o Logical bitwise and shift operations o Input/output devices/storage: how do they work?
6. Communication: technology and consequences o Serial and parallel data communication o Bit rate and baud rate o Bandwidth o Latency o Synchronous and Asynchronous transmission o Protocol o Topologies: bus, star o Physical Vs logical topologies o Mac address o Client-server and peer-to-peer o Advantages/disadvantages of different topologies and networks o CSMA and SSID o Communication and privacy o Challenges of the digital age: impact of internet on jobs, content, ethics, legislation 10. The Internet o URL, domain name, IP address, DNS, registries o Packet switching: components of a packet, routers, gateways o Internet security: firewalls, encryption types, digital signatures and certificates o Proxy servers o Malicious software: worms, trojans, viruses, phishing o Code quality and buffer overflow attacks, SQL injections o The four layers in the TCP/IP protocol o Sockets, Mac addresses, ports, secure shell o IMAP Vs POP o IP addresses: network and host identifiers, subnet masks, classful and classless, public and private IP addresses o Two standards for IP: V4 and V o Routable and non-routable IP addresses o DHCP system o NAT and port forwarding o Client-server model o WebSocket protocol o Web CRUD applications o JSON and XML o Thick clients Vs thin clients 11. Databases o Concepts: flat file, relational database, keys, entities, attributes, normalisation o ERD o SQL statements o SQL and declarative languages o Writing an entity description
