CS30a Theory of Computation
Instructor: Antonella Di Lillo (dilant[at]cs.brandeis.edu)
Office: Volen 124
Office hours: TBA
Teaching Assistant: Matt Goldfield (mvg[at].brandeis.edu)
Office: Volen 136
Office hours: M,W,Th 1:00 – 1:50
-- Class Meeting
Lectures will be held in Volen 106 three times a week on Monday, Wednesday,
and Thursday from 12:10 to 1:00 pm.
-- Instructional Materials
Textbook: Introduction to Theory of Computation (Second Edition) by Michael
Sipser, Thomson Publishing.
-- Tentative schedule of lecture topics (subject to change)
--- Automata Theory --1. Jan 16 Intro
2. Jan 17 Chap 0 (Problem Set 1 Assigned)
Jan 21 - NO CLASS3. Jan 23
4. Jan 24
5. Jan 28 (Problem Set 1 Due Jan 25, PS 2 Assigned)
6. Jan 30
7. Jan 31
8. Feb 4
9. Feb 6
10. Feb 7 (PS 2 Due, PS3 Assigned)
11. Feb 11
12. Feb 13
13. Feb 14 (PS3 Due, PS4 Assigned (easier))
Feb 18 -- NO CLASS: Midterm Recess
Feb 20 -- NO CLSS
Feb 21 -- NO CLASS: Midterm Recess
14. Feb 25
15. Feb 27
-- EXAM 1
--- Computability Theory ---
16. Feb 28 (PS4 Due, PS5 Assigned)
17. March 3
18. March 5
19. March 6
20. March 10 (PS 5 Due, PS 6 Assigned)
21. March 12
22. March 13
23. March 17
24. March 19
25. March 20 (PS 6 Due, PS 7 Assigned)
26. March 24
27. March 26
28. March 27
29. March 31 (PS 7 Due, PS 8 Assigned)
30. April 2 -- EXAM 2
--- Complexity Theory --31. April 3
32. April 7
33. April 9
34. April 10 (PS 8 Due, PS 9 Assigned)
35. April 14
35. April 16
37. April 17
April 21 -- NO CLASS: Spring Recess
April 23 -- NO CLASS: Spring Recess
April 24 -- NO CLASS: Spring Recess
38. April 28 PS 9 Due
39. April 30 -- FINAL EXAMINATION
-- Percentages toward final grade
Problem Sets
35%
Exam 1
15%
Exam 2
15%
Final Exam
20%
Participation
15%
-- Problem Sets:
Nine problem sets will be assigned during this semester (see tentative schedule
for the assignments and due dates).
Late problem sets will not receive credit. (If a genuine emergency situation
prevents you from handing in an assignment on time, come talk to me and we
can work something out).
Each problem should be handwritten or typed on separate sheets of letter paper.
Mark the top of each sheet with the following:
your name,
problem number,
the people you worked on the problem with, if any
Staple all the sheets together
On the back of the last page, write your first name, last name, and campus
address.
-- Collaboration Policy
The homework assigned is a vital part in fully understanding the course's subject
matter. While you are welcome to collaborate and form study groups to help
each other learn the material, you must write up each actual problem solution by
yourself without assistance. If you do work together as a group, you are
expected to credit your collaborators and ensure your final work is unique. Also,
if you use the library or Internet in developing your solution, always acknowledge
your source, and ensure that you employ the researched technique to create
your own separate work. Cut-and-paste solutions are considered plagiarism.
Finally, it is also considered a violation of this policy to submit a problem solution
that you cannot orally explain in class.