91.304 - Foundations of Computer Science - Spring 2009
Dr. Robert Lechner
Professor Emeritus and Adjunct

Computer Science Department
University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA

 

[RJLRef: $PH/09s304/CourseSchedule.htm (last update: 090509)  [ NOTE:  Page 2 is subject to change. ]

Course Outline (tentative)

Wk

Date (day)

Reading

Topics

Homework Assignments

Handout       

Date Due

In-class Review

1a

27 Jan (Tu)

0.1 - 0.4

Introduction: Home Page, Web Resources;
Chptr 0:  Notation  and Proof Techniques;
Automata vs Computability vs Complexity

#1            

 

 

1b

29 Jan  (Th)

1.1, 1.2

Chptr 1:  Reg. Lang's; FA [state] models;  Closure under Operations;  RegExp's.

#2

#1

 

2a

3 Feb  (Tu)

1.3, 1.4

NDFA to DFA conversion;
pumping lemma and non-reg. languages.

#3

#2

#1

2b

5 Feb  (Th)

1.3, 1.4

Review Asgnt #2

 

 

#2

3a

10 Feb (Tu)

1.3, 1.4

GNFA with RX=RegExpr labels;
DFA-> GNFA->RX conversion;
CFL Intro.

#4

#3

 

3b

12 Feb (Th)

2.1, 2.2

Chptr 2: CFL, CFG and PDA definitions;
Parse trees; Left-most derivation; Ambiguity; CFG --> Chomsky NF;

 

 

 

NA

17 Feb  (Tu)

[Asgnt 3]

Monday Schedule.  - No class  
[OS209: 4-530: Review Asgnt #3]

 

 

#3

4b

19 Feb (Th)

2.2, 2.3

PDAs; Closure of CFLs; CFG ---> PDA;  PDA-CFG Equivalence;

 

 

 

5a

24 Feb (Tu)

2.3

Thm 2.35 CFL Pumping Lemma

 

#4, PRExam1

 

5b

26 Feb (Th)

 

Review Asgnt. #4 and  PracticeExam1

 

 

 #4;  #5 = 08f304Exam1

6a

3 Mar (Tu)

 

Hour Exam 1 (open book and notes)
(Chapters 0, 1, and 2)

 

Exam 1
in-class

 

6b

5 Mar (Th)

3.1

Chptr 3: Part II Intro  (PDAs vs. TMs)

#6A,B

 

 

7a

10 Mar (Tu)

3.2

TM variants: k Tapes,  NTMs; Enumerators; 

 

#6A

Exam 1 Solutions

7b

 12 Mar  (Th)

3.3

Algorithms for TMs; Church-Turing Thesis;
 Review Asgnt #6A(1-6)

 

  #6B

#6A

NA

 17 & 19 March

  N/A

Spring Break
No classes.

 

 

 

 

 

$PH/09s304/CourseSchedule.htm  Page 2 (last update: 090408)    (late submits will be recorded but NOT graded)

Wk

Date

Reading

Topics

Homework Assignments

Handout       

 Due Today:

In-class Review

8a

24 Mar  (Tu)

4.1

Chptr 4 Decidability - TM Acceptance Problem ATM;; Undecidability of ATM ; 

#7 (Ch. 4)

 

 

8b

26 Mar (Th)

4.2

Chptr 4: Undecidable Languages;
Asgnt #6B

 

 

 

9a

31 Mar (Tu)

5.1

Ch. 5: Reducibility -

#8 (Ch. 5)

 

 

9b

2 Apr  (Th)

5.1

The Halting Problem HALTTM

 

#7

#6B

10a

7 Apr (Tu)

5.2, 5.3

Ch. 5.2 PCP
(Post's Correspondence Problem)

#9 (Ch. 5)

#8 (Ch. 5)

#7

10b

9 Apr (Th)

#5.28
p. 213

Ch. 5.3 Mapping Reducibility;
Rice's Theorem  (Pblm #5.28)

#10=PrExam2
[P/F-graded]

 

#8 (Ch. 5)

11a

14 Apr (Tu)

Chptr 6
(15 pp)      

Finish Chapter 5.
Ch.6 survey if possible.

 

#9 (Ch. 5)

 

11b

16 Apr (Th)

Ch. 3-5

Review for Exam 2: Chs. 3-5; #9, #10


#10 = PrExam2
[P/F-graded]

#9 (Ch. 5)
#10 = PrExam2

12a

21 Apr (Tu)

Chptrs
3 - 5

Hour Exam 2  (open-book):
(Chapters 3, 4, 5)

 

Exam 2 
(in class)

 

 

12b

 23 Apr (Th)

  7.1, 7.2

Time Complexity;  O-/o- Notation; Class P Examples;.

 

 

 

13a

28 Apr (Tu)

  7.3

Class NP (by ND-TM in P-time);
P-time Verifier Examples; P vs. NP

#11 (Ch. 7)

 

Exam 2

13b

30 Apr (Th)

  7.4

P-Time Reducibility; NP-Completeness.

 

 

#10 (Ch. 6)?

14a

5 May  (Tu)

  7.5

Cook-Levin Thm;  More examples 

 

#11 (Ch. 7)

 

14b

7 May (Th)

  8.1-8.3?

Space Complexity; Savitch's Thm.; P-Space Completeness; (Survey)

 

 

#11 (Ch. 7)

15a

12 May (Tu)

Chptrs    1--5 & 7

Review

 

 

 

15b

14 May (Th)

N/A

Reading Day

 

 

 

16

    TBA

 

Final exam  (Location TBA)
(Chapters 0 - 5 and 7)