CISC 320 Algorithms and Advanced Programming

Syllabus, Fall, 2002

Course meeting time: Tu,Th 11:00-12:15, place: 221 Smith Hall

Saunders' office hours are 2-3pm on Tue, Wed, Thu. and by arrangement.

Teaching Assistant: Michael Shelmet
Office hours in 51 E. Main St., room 005: 12-2pm Mon
Office: 214-A Smith Hall, 831-3132, Email: mshelmet@udel.edu

Text: Goodrich and Tamassia, Algorithm Design: Foundations, Analysis, and Internet Examples, Wiley, 2002.

References:
Cormen, Leiserson and Rivest, Introduction to Algorithms, McGraw-Hill & MIT Press, 1990.
Sedgewick, Algorithms in C++, Addison Wesley, 1992.
Basse and Van Gelder, Computer Algorithms , Addison Wesley, 2000.

The computer (composers) project number is 2056

Topics

Data structure algorithms of Searching, Sorting, Selection.
Text processing.
Arithmetic for large integers, polynomials, matrices.
Application of arithmetic to cryptography.
Graph algorithms.
Network Algorithms.
Computational Geometry.
NP Completeness.

Tentative Coverage, order, and pace

Chapters 1, Math preliminaries, largely a review of Math 210: scan, then refer back as needed.
Chapters 2-13, Selected topics covered roughly in the order they appear in text; roughly a chapter per week.
Chapter 14, B-trees covered with Sorting. Parallel computation model if time permits.

Homework

There will be four homework assignments. Some exercises will involve programming and online algorithm performance measurements. Others will be of the "pencil and paper" variety.

The programming is to be in C++, with some possibly in Java. Grading of programs you write takes into consideration:

clarity - documentation, modularity, code structure, naming, formatting, ...
correctness - completeness and accuracy of the solution
performance - time and memory requirements of your solution.
test data - quality of the chosen test data as useful for demonstrating correctness and performance characteristics of the program. exhibiting
interpretation of test results - clarity and thoroughness of the discussion.

Exams

There will be three exams, tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 8, Thursday, Nov. 7, and our final exam slot. Each exam will cover approximately a third of the course material. They are not cumulative and will be closed book and closed note.

"Examinations are formidable even to the best prepared, for the greatest fool may ask more than the wisest man can answer." (Charles Caleb Colton)

Grading

Homeworks - 38% more or less
Exams - 20% each
Class participation - this is the more or less

Late assignments

Assignments are due at the beginning of class on the assigned date. Pencil and paper exercises will NOT be accepted late, since sketches of solutions will be handed out at the end of the class in which the homework is due. Unexcused late programs will be penalized 5% per class meeting, and will not be accepted more than four class meetings late.

Policies

Exams, pencil and paper exercises, and programming assignments are intended to measure your individual performance and accomplishments in the course. Thus, the following are considered cheating and will be dealt with accordingly: looking the solution up in any source other than those listed above; looking up the solution by locating a paper in the literature; looking in any way at solutions from other courses at Delaware or elsewhere; posting the problem on the Internet, seeking a solution; etc. You may ask others for clarifications of the problem statement. If in doubt, ask the instructor.

Final grades will be formulated by totaling the grades from exams, and homeworks for each student (weighted as noted above), and then assigning appropriate boundaries between letter grades (including +/-). For those close to the boundaries, class attendance and participation can be a positive (or negative) factor.

Objectives of the course:

1. To give the student a good working knowledge of important algorithms in several domains.

2. To give the student an appreciation for, and an understanding of, algorithm design and analysis.

Course webpage:

http://www.cis.udel.edu/~saunders/courses/320/02f/

University Catalog 320 Course Description, CIS Dept. 320 Course Description.
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Corrections, suggestions and comments to saunders@cis.udel.edu