Advanced Placement Computer Science - Topic Outline

Topic Outline

Topics covered by the course include:

• Object-Oriented Program Design
  • Problem Design
    • Read and understand a problem's description, purpose, and goals.
    • Specify the purpose and goals for a problem. (AB only)
    • Apply data abstraction and encapsulation.
    • Read and understand class specifications and relationships among the classes ("is-a", "has-a" relationships).
    • Decompose a problem into classes, define relationships and responsibilities of those classes. (AB only)
    • Understand and implement a given class hierarchy.
    • Identify reusable components from existing code using classes and class libraries.
  • Class Design
    • Design and implement a class.
    • Design and implement a set of interacting classes. (AB only)
    • Design an interface.
    • Choose appropriate data representation and algorithms.
    • Choose appropriate advanced data structures and algorithms. (AB only)
    • Apply functional decomposition.
    • Extend a given class using inheritance.
• Program Implementation
  • Implementation techniques
    • Methodology
      • Object-oriented development
      • Top-down development
      • Encapsulation and information holding
      • Procedural abstraction
  • Programming constructs
    • Primitive types vs. objects
    • Declaration
      • Constant declarations
      • Variable declarations
      • Class declarations
      • Interface declarations
      • Method declarations
      • Parameter declarations
    • Console output (System.out.print/println)
    • Control
      • Methods
      • Sequential
      • Conditional
      • Iterations
      • Recursion
  • Java library classes (included in the A or AB-level AP Java Subset)
• Program Analysis
  • Testing
    • Test classes and libraries in isolation
    • Identify boundary cases and generate appropriate test data
    • Perform integration testing
  • Debugging
    • Categorize errors: compile time, runtime, logic
    • Identify and correct errors
    • Techniques: use a debugger, add extra output statements, hand-trace code
  • Understand and modify existing code
  • Extend existing code using inheritance
  • Understand error handling
    • Understand runtime exceptions
    • Throw runtime exceptions (AB only)
  • Reason about programs
    • Preconditions and postconditions
    • Assertions
    • Invariants (AB only)
  • Analysis of algorithms
    • Informal comparisons of running times
    • Exact calculation of statement execution counts
    • Big-O notation (AB only)
    • Worst-case and average-case time and space analysis (AB only)
  • Numerical representations and limits
    • Representations of numbers in different bases
    • Limitations of finite representations (e.g., integer bounds, imprecision of floating-point representations, and round-off error)
• Standard Data Structures
  • Simple data types (int, boolean, double)
  • Classes
  • One-dimensional arrays
  • Two-dimensional arrays
  • Linked lists (singly, doubly, circular) (AB only)
  • Stacks (AB only)
  • Queues (AB only)
  • Trees (AB only)
  • Heaps (AB only)
  • Priority queues (AB only)
  • Sets (AB only)
  • Maps (AB only)
• Standard Algorithms
  • Operations on data structures listed above
    • Traversals
    • Insertions
    • Deletions
    • Iterators (AB only)
  • Searching
    • Sequential
    • Binary
    • Hashing (AB only)
  • Sorting
    • Selection
    • Insertion
    • Mergesort
    • Quicksort (AB only)
    • Heapsort (AB only)
• Computing in Context
  • Major hardware components
    • Primary and secondary memory
    • Processors
    • Peripherals
  • System software
    • Language translators/compilers
    • Virtual machines
    • Operating systems
  • Types of systems
    • Single-user systems
    • Networks
  • Responsible use of computer systems
    • System reliability
    • Privacy
    • Legal issues and intellectual property
    • Social and ethical ramifications of computer use