CS 2223 B Term 2015: Algorithms

What This Course Is About

We are now in the midst of a similar revolution, which will only be placed in historical context by future generations. Where the Industrial Revolution changed the way goods are manufactured and distributed, the Information Technology revolution has created a digital ecosystem that pervades modern life. None of this would be possible without efficient software systems that control all aspects of the hardware devices that are connected to the Internet. And these systems would be infeasible to build without the numerous discoveries in algorithms.

Without a power source, the most powerful computer becomes nothing more than a fancy paperweight.

Without efficient algorithms, the software infrastructure would not function.

Course Objectives

CS 2223 aims to instruct students in the fundamental data structures used throughout computer science. You will learn about the most important algorithms and be taught a number of specific techniques to help you design new algorithms. Students will learn mathematical tools to analyze and predict the execution performance of algorithms.

Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, the student should be able to:

• Mathematically analyze the run-time performance of an algorithm.
• Explain time- and space-complexity classes and classify algorithms accordingly using Θ, Ω, and Ο notation.
• Prove properties of an algorithm or its supporting data structures.
• Write efficient Java code given an algorithm's pseudocode description.
• Design new algorithms using different strategies.

Class Effort

• 15 mins. Review the lecture before coming to class. This course is not a mystery novel! I am trying to teach specific knowledge and skills.
• 30 mins. Read the assigned readings. I aim to give 15 pages of reading nightly for each class. It is important to complete this reading before class begins so you will be prepared for the lecture material and in-class activities.
• 15 mins. Try to answer the daily questions. These are not graded, but they are exactly the kind of question that I would feel comfortable having on a midterm or final exam. Really pay attention to how you approach these problems and how you solve them.
• 60 mins. Work on the homework assignment

It is possible to work hard and get an A in this course, but make sure you leave room for this challenge if you set this as your goal.

Why Java?

Staff & Contact Information

Instructor: George Heineman (GTH)
Teaching Assistants: Oleksandr Narykov (onarykov@wpi), Xiao Qin (xqin@wpi)
Student Assistants: Axe Soota (axe@wpi), Yang Xu (yxu4@wpi)

Office Hour Schedule

TA/SA office hours will be held in FL A22. George Heineman's office hours are held in FL B-20. Each TA/SA will hold 3 hours of office hours per week.

Day/Time	10:00	11:00	12:00	1:00	2:00	3:00	4:00	5:00	6:00	7:00	8:00
Sunday											GTH - Online 8:30 to 9:30
Monday		GTH
Tuesday	GTH		ON								GTH - Online 8:30 to 9:30
Wednesday	YX			ON	AS	XQ	AS	AS
Thursday		YX		GTH		XQ	XQ ON				GTH - Online 8:30 - 9:30
Friday		YX

Initials above are: Oleksander Narykov (ON), Xiao Qin (XQ), Axe Soota (AS), Yang Xu (YX)

George Heineman is available for additional online office hours on a semi-regular basis in the evenings from 8:30PM to 9:30PM using Adobe Connect, a tool available in the my.wpi.edu web site. Once the course is up and running, this will be actively promoted in class. When you connect to this meeting, please connect as a guest and enter your name. That is the easiest way to manage this utility.

Class Discussion Board and Email

If you have a question regarding your grades in the course, send email to cs2223-staff *at* cs.wpi.edu. Mail sent to this address goes to the instructor and to the TAs/SAs. Include your section number in all correspondence.

The instructor's email address is heineman *at* cs.wpi.edu. Please restrict your use of my personal email address to issues of a confidential nature. You will get a quicker response if you post your questions to the class discussion board.

No Laptop Mondays

Research shows that We are not effective multi-taskers. And in this course, I believe you need to focus your entire attention during the lecture. And I believe with practice, you can learn the essential skill of focusing on a single problem for a fixed length of time.

I kindly ask every student in the class to refrain from using a smartphone during class.

In addition, I am going to insist on a "No Laptop Mondays" policy where I will ask each student to put away their laptop for the duration of the class. That is right, nothing but pencil and paper. We will benefit by having more focused discussions and work during lecture.

Lecture and Lab Times

Lectures MTRF from 2:00 - 2:50pm (Upper FLAUD).

Textbook and Software

Software: We will use Java which is installed on all lab computers on campus. We will use the Eclipse development environment which is also freely available and installed on all lab computers. (Luna | Mars). You only need "Eclipse for Java Developers"

Fusion.wpi.edu: All source code that I make available can be found here. You are responsible for checking it out into your local Eclipse Workspace. Use the following as the Git identifier: https://fusion.wpi.edu/anonscm/git/cs2223/cs2223.git

Grading

Final grades will reflect the extent to which you have demonstrated understanding of the material, and completed the assigned projects. The base level grade will be a B which indicates that the basic objectives on assignments and exams have been met. A grade of A will indicate significant achievement beyond the basic objectives and a grade of C will indicate not all basic objectives were met, but work was satisfactory for credit. No incomplete grades will be assigned unless there exist exceptional, extenuating circumstances.

Exams (40%)

You must have a passing average on the exams in order to pass the course. (A passing average on the exams is usually around 60%. We may lower this threshold if the exam averages are low; the threshold will not be raised).

Exams are closed-book, closed-notes. You may bring in one sheet of notes (one paper, 8.5" x 11.5", both sides) to each exam. You may not use any computers, calculators, cellphones, headphones, or other electronic devices during the exams.

There are no makeups for exams. Absence from an exam will be excused only for medical or emergency reasons. A note from your doctor or from the Office of Academic Advising will be required. In such cases, your final grade will be recorded as Incomplete and you will be allowed to take a makeup exam once the course is over.

Homeworks (6050%)

Homeworks are due by Friday 2:00 PM so we can grade your assignments and have them back to you by Monday. Note that this deadline is chosen carefull because class lectures are 2PM on Friday. We need to have this quick turn-around so we can detect problems that I can address in lecture.

If you miss the deadline, you will still be able to receive credit if you submit your assignment by 6:00 PM, although there will be a 25% late penalty assessed. Homeworks received after 6:00 PM receive a grade of zero.

In-Class Quizzes (10%)

Exams

Homework

As examples, each of the following scenarios would constitute cheating (this list is not exhaustive!):

• Two students share a solution to a single question on a homework assignment.
• Two students sit side-by-side while writing up their solutions and one student copies down what the other student types up.
• You send your homework solution to a friend "just so he can look at it to figure out how to do the problem". If that friend submits a homework that includes identical portions, both students have violated the honesty policy for this class.
• You obtain a solution to a homework problem (or a problem similar to a homework problem) from an on-line resource and submit it as your own.

In contrast, the following scenarios would not constitute cheating:

• Students discuss the homework assignment, its goal, what it is asking you to do, what the challenging parts are, or how to approach the problem.
• You ask any member of the course staff (professor, TAs, or SAs) for help in understanding or completing an individual assignment.
• A student shows their code to another student in the class to ask for help in understanding why their code is wrong. (This would become cheating if the helping student provided or dictated a reasonable amount of the solution to the original student).

Cheating will not be tolerated. I have pursued these cases in the past and will do so again. We have these rules in place to ensure you give yourselves the best education possible.

If you are unsure whether a given activity would constitute cheating, ask the instructor. Violations of the Academic Honesty Policy can result in an NR for the course, and violators will be subject to the procedures outlined in section 5 of the WPI Judicial Policy.

Late Policy

For each homework assignment, there will be a posted rubric describing how points are assigned. Use your time wisely to accumulate as many "partial credit" points as you can by the time the homework is due.

We will use blackboard to submit assignments. Each homework will have a specific time of day by which the assignment must be submitted. Being one-minute late is the same thing as being four hours late, so make sure you submit your assignments in timely fashion.

Do not send email to the instructor or to the TAs requesting special exemption from the late policy. The late policy is applicable for all possible reasons for late submissions. To receive the most partial credit, be sure you submit on time.

Homework Submission Policy

Students with Disabilities

http://www.cs.wpi.edu/~cs110x/c14

Last Updated: $Date: 2014/02/27 02:21:08 $