Representation, analysis, techniques, and principles for manipulation of basic combinatoric data structures used in computer science. Rigorous reasoning is emphasized. (Counts as a CS Background Course for the concentration.)
Basic (high school level) calculus and algebra.
Tues-Thur 2-3:30 pm, GCB 205.
I expect you to come to lectures (on time!) and I encourage you to participate. There is no perfect textbook for the class, and lectures are your important source of information. Be sure to take good notes.
Lab: MCS B29, Fri, 11:00am-12:00pm
Lab: MCS B33, Fri, 2:00pm-3:00pm
Lab: MCS B29, Mon, 1:00pm-2:00pm
Evimaria Terzi, evimaria@cs.bu.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm and Wed 9:30 am -11:00 am or by
appointment.
Evimaria’s office: MCS280
www.cs.bu.edu/~evimaria
Konstantin Voevodski, kvodski@bu.edu
http://cs-people.bu.edu/kvodski/
Office Hourse: Thursday 3:30pm - 5:00pm and Fri 12:30pm - 2:00pm.
Konstantin’s office: PSY223
http://cs-people.bu.edu/kvodski/
The Teaching Fellow will lead the discussion sessions. The objective is to reinforce the concepts covered in the lectures, and answer questions (or provide clarifications) regarding the homework assignments.
The purpose of the office hours of the Instructor and Teaching Fellow is to answer specific questions or clarify specific issues. Office hours are not to be used to fill you in on a class you skipped or to explain entire topics. Please come to class and to your discussion session.
There is no perfect textbook that covers all the material of this course from a CS perspective. We will mostly make use of the following online notes. Do not print anything yet! The notes are 339 pages long, so you might consider printing them out in chapters as we get to them rather than all at once. We won’t cover all chapters anyway.
Notes for MIT’s CS 6.042 course (PDF format), by Eric Lehman and Tom Leighton, 2004.
Together with your lecture notes, these notes should be quite sufficient, but if for some reason you want to do additional reading, you might consider some discrete mathematics book, e.g., Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications, by Kenneth H. Rosen, McGraw Hill. However, be warned: each discrete math book has its cons and they can be quite expensive!
Problem sets (20%)
2 midterms (25% each)
1 final (30%)
Incompletes will not be given.
Late assignments will not be accepted. The assignment grade will be the average over all assignments (the two lowest-grade assignments will be ignored).
| Jan 18, 20 | Introduction: Logic and Proofs | Chapter 1 |
| Jan 25 | Problem Set 1; Deadline Feb. 1 | download, solutions |
| Jan 25, 27 | Proof by Induction I | Chapter 2 |
| Feb 1 | Problem Set 2; Deadline Feb. 8 | download,solutions |
| Feb 1, 3 | Proofs by Induction II | Chapter 3 |
| Feb 8 | Review Class | review,solutions |
| Feb 10 | Exam 1 | |
| Feb 15, 17 | Sums and Approximations | Chapters 10, 11 |
| Feb 17 | Problem Set 3; Deadline Feb 25 | download,solutions |
| Feb 22 | No Class; Monday Schedule | |
| Feb 24 | Recurrences | Chapter 12 |
| Mar 1 | Problem Set 4; Deadline March 8 | download,solutions |
| Mar 1, 3 | Recurrences | Chapter 12 |
| Mar 10 | Problem Set 5; Deadline Mar 24 | download, solutions |
| Mar 8,10 | Recurrences | Chapter 12, 13 |
| Mar 15,17 | Spring Break | |
| Mar 22 | Review Class | |
| Mar 24 | Exam II | |
| Mar 29 | Problem Set 6; Deadline April 5 | download,solutions |
| Mar 29,31 | Counting | Chapters 14, 15, 16 |
| April 5, 7 | Counting | Chapters 14, 15, 16 |
| April 12 | Problem Set 7; Deadline April 21 | download,solutions |
| Apr 26,28 | Probability | Chapters 18, 19, 20 |
| April 26 | Problem Set 8; Deadline May 5 | download,solutions |
| May 3 | Probability | |
| May 5 | Review | Review, Solutions |
Course participants must adhere to the CAS Academic Conduct Code. All instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the academic conduct committee. Collaboration/Academic Honesty
I encourage you to discuss course material and even problem sets with other students in the class (esp. on the class mailing list), subject to the following rules:
You must write up your solutions completely on your own (and certainly without looking at other people’s write-ups).
In your solution to each problem, you must write the names of those with whom you discussed it.
You must include citations of all the materials you have used beyond the class notes and the textbook.
You may not consult solution manuals or other people’s solutions from similar courses or prior years of this course.
I expect you to follow these rules as well as the academic conduct code of CAS/GRS. If you have any questions or are not sure what is appropriate, consult me before taking steps that you are afraid may violate the rules.
If you violate the academic conduct code, you will be reported to the Academic Conduct Committee.