BIG IDEA 5 · 21–26% OF THE EXAM · 6 TOPICS
Impact of Computing
The second-largest Big Idea, and mostly reading comprehension plus vocabulary. Every innovation has effects — good, bad, intended, unintended — and the exam rewards answers that see more than one side.
What the College Board expects you to walk away understanding
- Computing innovations have beneficial and harmful effects, often at the same time, and effects at scale weren't always intended.
- Access to computing is unequal, and that inequality (the digital divide) matters more as more of life moves online.
- Bias enters computing systems through data and design, and it can be identified and reduced.
- Crowdsourcing and citizen science let large groups solve problems and gather data.
- Computing raises legal and ethical questions about intellectual property, privacy, and access to information.
- Personal data can be collected, combined, and exploited; security practices protect it.
Topics in this Big Idea
Night-before review
Every key term and exam tip from this big idea on one printable page.
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