revision wace exam

Problem description: Understand the issue that needs solving. Define requirements: Determine what the system must do to meet user needs. Development schedule: Plan stages and deadlines to ensure timely project completion.

Data structures: Choose appropriate data storage methods like arrays or dictionaries. Design and test algorithms: Use pseudocode or flowcharts to model logical steps before coding.

Develop code: Translate design into working code using a programming language. Debug code: Identify and remove syntax or logic errors. Unit testing: Test individual components for correct functionality. Use of live data: Validate system performance with real-world data.

User acceptance testing (UAT): Ensure software meets user needs and performs correctly in realistic scenarios. Developer retrospective: Reflect on what worked and what didn’t to improve future development cycles.

Repeats each phase until product meets desired outcomes. Characteristics: Incremental changes improve functionality step-by-step, allows flexibility for user feedback, manages risks early, and promotes continuous improvement.

Parameters: Placeholder variables used in function definitions. Arguments: Actual values passed to parameters when calling the function.

makes overall program flow and logic easier to understand and maintain

Tracks and manages changes to code over time. Allows collaboration, rollback of versions, and branching for experimentation. Common tools include Git and SVN.

Used to gracefully handle runtime errors and prevent program crashes. Example: Using try-except blocks in Python allows the program to recover or display user-friendly error messages.

• compare elements in list with target element • if match, return index of current element • if elements don’t match, move to the next element • repeat steps 2-4 until end of list is reached O(n)

• compare middle element with target element • if they match, return index • if middle element is greater than target, repeat process on left half • if middle element is less than target, repeat on right half • repeat steps 2-5 until element is found or end of list is reached. O(log n)

• start at beginning of list • compare each pair together • if they are wrong, swap them • repeat steps 2-3 until the end of list is reached • if any swaps were made during previous pass, repeat steps 1-4 o(n^2)

• start with second element • compare current element with elements to left • if current element is smaller, shift larger elements to the right • repeat steps 2-3 until elements are in correct position • move to next element and repeat steps 2-4 • continue this process until its all sorted o(n^2)

Abstraction: Hides complex details from users. Instantiation: Creating an instance (object) from a class. Inheritance: Allows one class to use properties of another. Polymorphism: Enables methods to behave differently based on the object calling them.

A debugging tool that halts code execution at a specific line, allowing the programmer to inspect variable values and control flow.

Viruses: Attach to legitimate programs. Trojans: Disguised as safe software. Worms: Self-replicate across networks. Spyware: Monitors user activity. Ransomware: Encrypts data for ransom.

Arithmetic overflow: Result exceeds storage capacity. Index out of range: Attempting to access an array element outside its valid index range.

Application (DNS, HTTP) - enables humans to interact with app Transport (TCP, UDP) - transfers data across a network Internet (IP, ARP, router) - handles packaging, addressing and routing of data Network (NICs, switches) - handles moving data into and out of a networks physical link

1) Physical – handles physical connections between devices (USB, bluetooth) 2) Data Link – node-to-node communication (Ethernet), 3) Network – data transmission between different networks (IP, BGP) 4) Transport – ensures reliable delivery of data segments (TCP/UDP) 5) Session – manages connections between applications (RPC, PAP) 6) Presentation – transforms data into a standard interface (ASCII, JPEG), 7) Application – enables user to interact with application (HTTP, DNS).

Unique identifier for a network interface card. Used in Layer 2 switching to decide how traffic moves across a local network.

UDP: Lightweight, fixed header (8 bytes), no sequence/acknowledgment numbers. TCP: Reliable, includes sequence and acknowledgment numbers, variable header length (20–60 bytes).

Units of formatted data sent across packet-switched networks. Contain headers (routing info) and payload (data being transmitted).

Router that forwards packets from a local network to other networks (e.g., from LAN to Internet).

Numerical identifiers that allow multiple services to run on one device. Example: HTTP uses port 80, HTTPS uses port 443.