CS 173 [B], Fall 2012

Coursework

Lectures

Our lectures are Tu/Th 11:00 AM to 12:15 PM in Chemistry Annex room 112 Main Library, Room 66. << Note Classroom Change!

It is highly recommended that you get an i>Clicker for the lectures. You can register your clicker here (use your NetID as your "student ID").

Discussion Sections

50 minute discussion sections meet on Fridays, at 11:00 AM, 12:00 noon, 1:00 PM, 2:00 PM, 3:00 PM and 4:00 PM, in 1111 Siebel.

You are expected to attend lectures and your discussion section, every week. If you cannot be there, you must arrange to pick up any handouts or returned homeworks you may have missed, e.g. by coming to office hours.

Pre-Lecture Preparation

This includes prescribed readings and sometimes video clips, that help you follow the lecture much better. A short quiz (see below) will help you spend some brain-cycles processing this material.

Homeworks

Homeworks will be posted here.

Quizzes

Quizzes will appear on Moodle. These include pre-lecture quizzes as well as post-lecture ones.

Examinations

There will be two midterm exams and one final exam, held in class. Details will be posted here.

Grading Policy

You can find the grading policy here.

Announcements

Announcements, homework hints, etc will be posted on the class discussion forum.

You must read the discussion forum regularly (at least once a day). Only particularly important announcements will be duplicated on the course home page. You are encouraged to use the discussion forum to initiate and participate in discussion related to the class. However, students should not post solutions or hints to homework problems.

Textbook

We will roughly follow the course text, Building Blocks for Theoretical Computer Science, Version 1.2. The other main reference for the course are the slides from the lectures (posted here).

If you want more detail, we have a second optional text: Discrete Mathematics and its Applications, Kenneth H. Rosen, 7th edition, McGraw-Hill, New York, 2011. This is available from the book store or on-line booksellers. The 6th, 5th and international editions are good alternatives if you are on a tight budget. It's also on reserve at Grainger library.

Sometimes it helps to read explanations of an idea from several different people. On reserve at Grainger, you will find Martin Liebeck, "A Concise Introduction to Pure Mathematics." This text is designed for a course with somewhat different topic coverage, but it is very well written.