AP COMPUTER SCIENCE COURSE SYLLABUS

 

 

 

Introduction

 

The following is a description of the topics covered in AP Computer Science. It is the intent of this course to cover material sufficiently to prepare students to take the AP Computer Science Examination A (there is also an AB examination which covers material beyond the scope of this course).

 

 

 

 

I. Object-Oriented Program Design

 

The overall goal for designing a piece of software (a computer program) is to correctly solve the given problem. At the same time, this goal should encompass specifying and designing a program that is understandable, can be adapted to changing circumstances, and has the potential to be reused in whole or in part. The design process needs to be based on a thorough understanding of the problem to be solved.

 

A. Program design

 

            1. Read and understand a problem description, purpose, and goals.

            2. Apply data abstraction and encapsulation.

            3. Read and understand class specifications and relationships among the classes ("is-a," "has-a" relationships).

            4. Understand and implement a given class hierarchy.

            5. Identify reusable components from existing code using classes and class libraries.

 

B. Class design

 

            1. Design and implement a class.

            2. Design an interface.

            3. Choose appropriate data representation and algorithms.

            4. Apply functional decomposition.

            5. Extend a given class using inheritance.

 

 

 

 

 

II. Program Implementation

 

The overall goals of program implementation parallel those of program design. Classes that fill common needs should be built so that they can be reused easily in other programs. Object-oriented design is an important part of program implementation.

 

A. Implementation techniques

 

            1. Methodology

                        a. Object-oriented development

                        b. Top-down development

                        c. Encapsulation and information hiding

                        d. Procedural abstraction

 

B. Programming constructs

 

            1. Primitive types vs. objects

            2. Declaration

                        a. Constant declarations

                        b. Variable declarations

                        c. Class declarations

                        d. Interface declarations

                        e. Method declarations

                        f. Parameter declarations

 

            3. Console output (System.out.print & println)

            4. Control

                        a. Methods

                        b. Sequential

                        c. Conditional

                        d. Iteration

                        e. Recursion

 

C. Java library classes (included in the A level AP Java Subset)

 

 

 

 

III. Program Analysis

 

The analysis of programs includes examining and testing programs to determine whether they correctly meet their specifications. It also includes the analysis of programs or algorithms in order to understand their time and space requirements when applied to different data sets.

 

A. Testing

 

            1. Test classes and libraries in isolation

            2. Identify boundary cases and generate appropriate test data

            3. Perform integration testing

 

B. Debugging

 

            1. Categorize errors: compile-time, run-time, logic

            2. Identify and correct errors

            3. Techniques: use a debugger, add extra output statements, hand-trace code

 

C. Understand and modify existing code

 

D. Extend existing code using inheritance

 

E. Understand error handling

 

            1. Understand runtime exceptions

 

F. Reason about programs

 

            1. Pre- and post-conditions

            2. Assertions

 

G. Analysis of algorithms

 

            1. Informal comparisons of running times

            2. Exact calculation of statement execution counts

 

H. Numerical representations and limits

 

            1. Representations of numbers in different bases

            2. Limitations of finite representations (e.g., integer bounds, imprecision of floating-point representations, and roundoff error)

 

 

 

 

 

IV. Standard Data Structures

 

Data structures are used to represent information within a program. Abstraction is an important theme in the development and application of data structures.

 

A. Simple data types (int, boolean, double)

B. Classes

C. One-dimensional arrays

 

 

 

 

 

V. Standard Algorithms

 

Standard algorithms serve as examples of good solutions to standard prob­lems. Many are intertwined with standard data structures. These algo­rithms provide examples for analysis of program efficiency.

 

A. Operations on A-level data structures previously listed

 

            1. Traversals

            2. Insertions

            3. Deletions

 

B. Searching

 

            1. Sequential

            2. Binary

 

C. Sorting

 

            1. Selection

            2. Insertion

            3. Mergesort

 

 

 

 

 

VI. Computing in Context

 

A working knowledge of the major hardware and software components of computer systems is necessary for the study of computer science, as is the awareness of the ethical and social implications of computing systems. These topics need not be covered in detail, but should be considered throughout the course.

 

A. Major hardware components

 

            1. Primary and secondary memory

            2. Processors

            3. Peripherals

 

B. System software

 

            1. Language translators/compilers

            2. Virtual machines

            3. Operating systems

 

C. Types of systems

 

            1. Single-user systems

            2. Networks

 

D. Responsible use of computer systems

 

            1. System reliability

            2. Privacy

            3. Legal issues and intellectual property

            4. Social and ethical ramifications of computer use