CS46 — Theory of Computation
Spring 2010

Announcements | Schedule | Homework | Grading | Integrity | Links
Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science

Introduction

Welcome to CS46: Theory of Computation! Computer technology changes rapidly, but the underlying model of computation is relatively unchanged in the past 50 years. How do computers compute, and why is this method of computation preferred over others methods. Do other methods even exist? Could we solve more interesting problems with another model? Could we solve the same problems we solve today using a simpler model of computation? In this course will will look at various theoretical models of computation and examine the computational power of these models. For each model we consider problems that can and cannot be solved, and develop a rigorous method of classifying how difficult certain problems are to compute. While the course emphasis is on theory, there are many applications of the topics discussed. Regular expressions, compilers, CPU job scheduling, and many other real-world problems have some underlying computational model rooted in the theory of computation.

Announcements

Class info

Room: Science Center 264
Time: TR 9:55am–11:10am
Text: Elements of the Theory of Computation 2nd Ed. by Lewis and Papadimitriou

Professor: Andrew Danner
Office: Science Center 253
Phone: (610) 328-8665
Office hours: by appointment. Drop by if my door is open, or email me to set up a time

Schedule

WEEK DAY ANNOUNCEMENTS TOPIC & READING HOMEWORK
1 Jan 19   Math preliminaries p1-28
Languages p42-51
HW 1
Jan 21  
2 Jan 26   Finite automata p55-89,102-109
regular languages
Context free grammars p113-122
HW 2
Jan 28 Drop/Add ends (Jan 29)
3 Feb 02   HW 3
Feb 04  
4 Feb 09   Pushdown automata
Context free languages
Determistic CFLs p123-149
HW 4
Feb 11  
5 Feb 16   HW 5
Feb 18  
6 Feb 23   Deterministic CFLs HW 6
Feb 25   Turing Machine Intro
7 Mar 02   Turing machine computation
 
Mar 04    
 

Mar 09

Spring Vacation

Mar 11

8 Mar 16   Turing machine extensions  
Mar 18    
9 Mar 23   Non-determinism
and Turing Machines
 
Mar 25 Last day to declare CR/NC
or withdraw with a "W"
(Mar 26)
Unsolvable problems HW 7
10 Mar 30  
Apr 01    
11 Apr 06   Computational complexity HW 8
Apr 08  
12

Apr 13

No Class

Apr 15   NP-complete problems  
13 Apr 20   Complexity hierarchies
Wrapup
 
Apr 22    
14 Apr 27    
Apr 29    
 

May 06

Final exams start

 

May 15

Final exams end

Grading

Grades will be weighted as follows:
40%Homework assignments
10%Lab assignments
10%Class Participation and Discussion
20%Midterm exam
20%Final Exam

Homework policy

Each week, reading and several problems will be assigned. You should work on all of the problems but hand in clearly written solutions to a subset (usually four) of the problems at the beginning of the Thursday session. Sometimes I will specify certain problems that must be part of what you hand in. All students should be prepared to discuss the reading and solutions to any of the problems. Always do all parts of a problem unless I specify otherwise.

It is best if you start the assignments early, and at least read the problems and make sure you understand what the problem is asking soon after the problems are assigned. If you do not understand a problem, ask for clarification. I often find that the solution to problems in this course only come if the problems sit in your brain for several hours, even if you are not constantly thinking about the problem during that time.

Late assignments will not be accepted except in extreme situations and only if you contact me well before the deadline. Even if you do not fully complete an assignment, you may submit what you have done to receive partial credit.

Academic Accommodations

Academic accommodations are available for students with disabilities who are registered with Student Disability Services in the Dean's office. Students in need of disability accommodations should schedule an appointment with me early in the semester to discuss accommodations for this course that have been approved by the Dean's office. All requests must come through an accommodation letter from the Dean's office. To receive an accommodation for a course activity, your meeting with me must be at least one week prior to the activity.

Contact Tracey Rush at the Dean's office and follow these steps for obtaining accommodations.

Academic Integrity

Academic honesty is required in all work you submit to be graded. You may not submit work done with (or by) someone else. You may not examine or use work done by others to complete your own work. You may discuss assignment specifications and requirements with others in the class to be sure you understand the problem. In addition, you are allowed to work with others to help learn the course material. However, with the exception of the student mentors and your partner on group assignments, you may not work with others on your assignments.

All code you submit must be your own with the following permissible exceptions: code distributed in class, code found in the course text book, and code worked on with an partner. In these cases, you should always include detailed comments that indicates on which parts of the assignment you received help, and what your sources were.

"It is the opinion of the faculty that for an intentional first offense, failure in the course normally is appropriate. Suspension for a semester or deprivation of the degree in that year may also be appropriate when warranted by the seriousness of the offense." - Student Handbook (2009-2010, pg18 Section I.B.3.b.i)

Please see me if there are any questions about what is permissible.

Links that are related to the course may be posted here. If you have suggestions for links, let me know.

A real DIY Turing Machine
JFLAP: Java Formal Languages and Automata Package