12 — Foundations Capstone: Integrated Computer Science Project Free Online FlashCards

What does a computer science capstone integrate?

A complete capstone connects representation, programming, data structures, algorithms, complexity analysis, testing, and ethical evaluation into one coherent system.

What belongs in a precise problem statement?

It identifies users and needs, inputs, outputs, constraints, assumptions, limitations, and success criteria.

Why distinguish `unknown` from `0`?

Representing unknown capacity as 0 falsely means no capacity. An explicit value such as `unknown` preserves the distinction between missing information and zero.

Which structures fit lists, membership, keys, and relationships?

Use a list or array for sequential processing or positional indexing; a set for membership and uniqueness; a dictionary or hash table for key-based retrieval; and a graph for relationships.

What responsibilities do the program layers separate?

A layered design separates input, data storage and retrieval, algorithms, output formatting, and evaluation. This separation makes components easier to understand, reuse, and test.

What is the baseline resource-ranking algorithm?

The baseline scans resources, keeps those matching the category and availability condition, calculates their distances, sorts them by distance, and returns the results.

What is the filtering-and-ranking time complexity?

Its time complexity is approximately `O(n + m log m)`, where `n` is all records and `m ≤ n` is the number of matches. In the worst case, it becomes `O(n log n)`.

State the filtering-loop invariant.

After processing the first `k` records, `matches` contains exactly the eligible records among those records, each paired with its calculated distance.

Why can testing alone not prove correctness?

Testing can reveal errors, but a test suite alone cannot prove that every untested input will succeed. Correctness also needs an invariant, proof, trusted comparison, or precise argument.

What is the purpose of a regression test?

A regression test reproduces a discovered defect and remains in the suite, helping ensure that later changes do not reintroduce the same error.

What do property-based tests examine?

Property-based tests check general rules, such as every returned resource matching the requested category and results being ordered by distance, rather than checking only fixed examples.

What should a capstone ethics review assess?

An ethics review should examine privacy, fairness, accessibility, accuracy, safety, security, accountability, and transparency, including who may be helped or harmed.