CS3120 - Discrete Mathematics and Theory 2 Course Logistics

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Syllabus | Lectures | Textbook |Quizzes | Homeworks and Grading Policy | Final Exam | Final Letter Grades |

Syllabus

The syllabus for the course can be found here. Most (but not all) of that information is summarized here.

Important Note: The syllabus linked above is for the Spring semester and has NOT been update for the summer session. The information in that document is correct UNLESS it is overriden here, in which case the information on this page should be taken as correct…

Lectures

Lectures will be held in-person in the classroom listed on the University Registrar. Attendace is required for summer session and attendance will be taken every day.

Textbook

You will really need to read and study material other than the slides. There are many choices where you can get more details about our topics, but a textbook is the easiest option.

We’ll post readings from the following textbook, and we urge you to read them or get that info from another source.

Introduction to the Theory of Computation by Michael Sipser, 2nd edition.

Modules

The course is divided into 5 modules, each which lasts for about 2-5 lectures each. The 5 modules are listed below:

• Module 1: Introduction, Proofs, Cardinality
• Module 2: Regular Languages
• Module 3: Context-Free Grammars
• Module 4: Turing Machines and Decidability
• Module 5: Complexity Theory

Exams

There will be two “midterms” and one “final exam”. The dates are listed on the course schedule page. In general, they occur on Fridays.

Final Exam

The final exam will be during the final course period (the final Friday). This will be a traditional final exam and you will have the entire course period to complete it.

Homeworks

There are one or two homework assignments per module (depending on the module), that must be completed. These will be graded on a traditional scale (out of 10 points). See the syllabus and the homeworks page for more details.

Late Policy: Homeworks have firm deadlines, but extensions can be requested via an online form (which will be provided to students at a later date). By filling out this form, you can request up to 7 days of time to work on the assignment. In general, these will always be granted for any reason. There will be No extensions for any reason beyond the 7 day extension. If you need additional time on homeworks, you should consider appealing for a grade of Incomplete at the end of the semester (contact the instructor for details).

Grades

Your letter grade will be calculated using a traditional weighted average. The weights are:

• Attendance: 25 percent (reduced by 2 percent for each absent)
• Homework: 20 percent (about 6 homeworks)
• Midterms (2): 30 percent (15 percent each)
• Final Exam: 25 percent

Homeworks and quizzes will be graded on a traditional percentage scale. Your final letter grade will be determined by the traditional decade curve. The table for which is shown below: