Previous Weeks in CSci 370

This file will contain the week-to-week reading and lecture schedules as they actually happened.  At the end of the week the "this week" page will be modified to reflect what actually happened and will be appended to this file.

Week 1: Monday, August 27

    Topics:
    • Introduction to the course
    • Mathematical preliminaries
  • Reading
    • Chapter 0

Monday:

  • Introduction to the course
  • Mathematical preliminaries

Wednesday:

  • Mathematical Preliminaries

Friday:

  • Mathematical Preliminaries (through Boolean algebra)

Other Notes:

  • Classes begin Monday, August 27
  • Monday of next week (September 3) is Labor Day (no classes or office hours).
  • Office Hours begin next week

Week 2: Monday, September 3

    Topics:
    • Finite State Automata (FSA)
  • Reading
    • Sections 0.3 - 1.1

Monday:

  • Labor Day (no classes or office hours)

Wednesday:

  • Proof techniques (0.3 - 0.4)

Friday:

  • Definitions and examples:  The formal definition of computation (2,1)

Other Notes:

  • Monday  is Labor Day (no classes or office hours).
  • Office hours begin this week
  • Next Monday (September 10) is the last day to drop without record.

Week 3: Monday, September 10

    Topics:
    • Finite State Automata (FSA)
  • Reading
    • Sections 1.1 - 1.2

Monday:

  • Homework #1 due.  Please turn this in at the podium at the start of class.
  • Designing Finite Automata
  • Regular operations (section 1.1)

Wednesday:

  • Nondeterminism (1.2)

Friday:

  • Nondeterminism

Other Notes:

  • Monday  is the last day to drop without record.

Week 4: Monday, September 17

    Topics:
    • Regular Expressions (1.3)
    • Applications to compilation
  • Reading
    • Sections 1.3 - 1.4

Monday:

  • Assignment #2 due in class (at the start of class)
  • Finish discussion on closure properties of regular languages
  • Applications of finite automata to compilation
  • Regular Expressions (and their relation to FSA - section 1.3)

Wednesday:

  • Regular Expressions (and their relation to FSA - section 1.3)

Friday:

  • Regular expressions from finite automata

Other Notes:

  • No classes or office hours Thursday, September 20 (instructor has a doctor's appointment)
  • Exam #1 will be next Friday, September 28

Week 5: Monday, September 24

    Topics:
    • Regular Expressions and Finite Automata (1.3)
    • The pumping lemma (1.4)
  • Reading
    • Sections 1.3 - 1.4

Monday:

  • Regular expressions from finite automata  (1.3)

Wednesday:

  • Regular expressions from finite automata  (1.3)
  • The Pumping Lemma (1.4)
  • Review for Hour Exam #1

Friday:

  • Hour Exam #1

Other Notes:

  • Exam #1 will be Friday, September 28

Week 6: Monday, October 1

    Topics:
    • The Pumping Lemma for regular languages (1.4)
    • Context-free grammars (2.1)
    • Pushdown Automata (2.2)
  • Reading
    • Sections 1.4 - 2.2

Monday:

  • The Pumping Lemma for regular languages (1.4)
  • Grammars and context-free languages  (2.1)

Wednesday:

  • Grammars and context-free languages  (2.1)
  • Exam #1 returned and discussed

Friday:

  • Regular Languages and Context-Free Languages
  • Ambiguity in Context-Free Languages
  • Chomsky Normal Form

Other Notes:

  • Exam #2 will be Friday, October 19
  • We will skip section 2.4 and return to it if time permits.

Week 7: Monday, October 8

    Topics:
    • Context-free languages (2.3)
  • Reading
    • Section 2.2 - 2.3 (skipping 2.4)

Monday:

  • Chomsky Normal Form
  • Pushdown automata (2.2)

Wednesday:

  • Pushdown automata (2.2)

Friday:

  • Context-free grammars and Pushdown automata (2.2)

Other Notes:

  • Monday, October 8, is the last day to drop with an automatic 'W'.
  • Friday is midterm (not an exam date for us)
  • Monday and Tuesday of next week are Fall Break (no classes or office hours)
  • Hour Exam #2 will be next Friday, October 19

Week 8: Monday, October 15

    Topics:
    • Context-Free languages (Chapter 2)
  • Reading
    • Section 2.2

Monday:

  • Fall Break Day (no classes or office hours)

Wednesday:

  • Context-free grammars and Pushdown automata (2.2)
  • Review for Hour Exam #2

Friday:

  • Hour Exam #2

Other Notes:

  • Monday and Tuesday are Fall Break (no classes or office hours)
  • Hour Exam #2 will be this Friday, October 19

 

Week 9: Monday, October 22

  • Topics:
    • Turing Machines (chapter 3)
  • Reading:
    •
    • Sections  2.2

Monday:

  • Context-free grammars and Pushdown automata (2.2)

Wednesday:

  • Context-free grammars and Pushdown automata (2.2)
  • Exam #2 returned and discussed

Friday:

  • No class (instructor ill)

Other Notes:

  • Hour Exam #3 will be Friday, November 16

Week 10: Monday, October 29

  • Topics:
    • Turing Machines (Chapter 3)
  • Reading
    • Sections  2.3 - 3.3

Monday:

  • The pumping lemma for context-free languages (2.3)

Wednesday:

  • The Chomsky hierarchy
  • The Turing Machine (3.1)

Friday:

  • The Turing Machine (3.1)

Other Notes:

  • Hour Exam #3 will be Friday, November 16

 

 

Week 11: Monday, November 5

  • Topics:
    • Turing Machines (Chapter 3)
    • Decidability (Chapter 4)
  • Reading
    • Sections  3.1 - 4.1

Monday:

  • The Turing Machine (3.1)
  • Variants of Turing Machines (3.2)

Wednesday:

  • Variants of Turing Machines (3.2)

Friday:

  • The definition of Algorithm (3.3)
  • Decidable Languages (4.1)

Other Notes:

  • Hour Exam #3 will be next Friday, November 16
  • Wednesday, November 21, is a travel day.  No classes or office hours.
  • Thursday and Friday, November 22 and 23, are Thanksgiving Holiday.  No classes or office hours.

Week 12: Monday, November 12

  • Topics:
    • Decidability (Chapter 4)
  • Reading
    • Sections  4.1 - 4.2

Monday:

  • Decidability (4.1)

Wednesday:

  • Decidability (4.1)
  • Undecidability (4.2)
  • Review for Hour Exam #3

Friday:

  • Hour Exam #3

Other Notes:

  • Hour Exam #3 will be this Friday, November 16
  • Next Wednesday, November 21, is a travel day.  No classes or office hours.
  • Next Thursday and Friday, November 22 and 23, are Thanksgiving Holiday.  No classes or office hours.

Week 13: Monday, November 19

  • Topics:
    • Decidability and Undecibility
    • Time Complexity
  • Reading
    • Section 4.2
    • Section 7.1 (skipping chapters 5 and 6)

Monday:

  • Undecidability  (4.2)
  • Exam #3 returned and discussed

Wednesday:

  • Wednesday, November 21, is a travel day.  No classes or office hours.

Friday:

  • Thursday and Friday, November 22 and 23, are Thanksgiving Holiday.  No classes or office hours.

Other Notes:

  • Wednesday, November 21, is a travel day.  No classes or office hours.
  • Thursday and Friday, November 22 and 23, are Thanksgiving Holiday.  No classes or office hours.

Week 14: Monday, November 26

  • Topics:
    • Time complexity
  • Reading
    • 7.1 - 7.3

Monday:

  • An undecidable language
  • Measuring complexity (7.1)

Wednesday:

  • Measuring complexity (7.1)
  • The Class P (7.2)

Friday:

  • The Class P (7.2)
  • The class NP (7.3)

Other Notes:

  • The final exam for CSci 370 is scheduled for Friday, December 14, 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM.  It will be a mandatory, two-hour, in class, comprehensive exam. University regulations require that all students take the final exam at this date and time.  The exam will be held in our usual classroom (Thompson 383).

Week 15: Monday, December 3

  • Topics:
    • Time complexity
  • Reading
    • 7.3 - 7.4

Monday:

  • The class NP (7.3)
  • NP Completeness (7.4)

Wednesday:

  • NP Completeness and the Cook-Levin theorem (7.4)
  • Review for final exam

Friday:

  • Reading period.  No classes.  Office hours will be from 11:00 - noon on Thursday and Friday.

Other Notes:

  • Wednesday, December 5, is the last day of class.  All course material due.
  • Thursday and Friday are Reading Period.  Regular office hours cease for the semester.  Office hours during Reading Period will be from 11:00 AM - Noon.
  • Regular Office Hours end Wednesday, December 5
  • Office Hours during the Final Exam Week will be Wednesday and Thursday, noon - 2:00 PM.
  • The final exam for CSci 370 is scheduled for Friday, December 14, 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM.  It will be a mandatory, two-hour, in class, comprehensive exam. University regulations require that all students take the final exam at this date and time.  The exam will be held in our usual classroom (Thompson 383).

 

 

 

 

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