CMSC 37000: Algorithms -- Winter 2006
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What's new
| Course info
| Text
| Grading
| Policy on collaboration
|Assignments, handouts |
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The
last problem session will be held Monday, March 13,
2pm. Meet at Eric's office (Ryerson 165A).
Instructor:
László Babai Ryerson 164 e-mail:
laci(at)cs(dot)uchicago(dot)edu.
Office hours: by appointment (please send e-mail)
Teaching assistants:
Eric Purdy
Ryerson 165A e-mail:
epurdy(at)uchicago(dot)edu.
Raghav Kulkarni Ryerson 178 e-mail:raghav(at)cs(dot)uchicago(dot)edu.
Eric holds problem sessions MWF 5-6pm. These are held in Ryerson 255 Monday and Wednesday, and in Ryerson 165A Friday.
Take advantage of these sessions; bring your own questions.
Your primary text will be your course notes, so please
make sure you don't miss classes. If you do, you should copy
somebody's class notes and discuss the class with them.
There will also be frequent handouts and web postings. Please
always check this website.
Printed text:
Jon Kleinberg - Éva Tardos: "Algorithm Design"
Pearson/Addison-Wesley, Publ. 2005
ISBN 0-321-29535-8
available at the Seminary Co-op Bookstore (5757 S University Avenue)
Grades are based on class participation (10%), homework (30%),
3 quizzes (6% each), a midterm (40 minutes, 12%) and the final
exam (30%). The tests are
"closed book" (no books or notes). Calculators may be used for
basic arithmetic, logarithms and exponentials but not for more
complex calculations such as g.c.d's or modular exponentiation.
Quiz 1: Tuesday, January 24.
Quiz 2: Thursday, February 2.
Midterm (40 min): Thursday, February 23. (Please note CHANGE!)
Quiz 3: Tuesday, March 7.
Final exam: Tuesday, March 14, 10:30--12:30.
Rules on HOMEWORK
Unless otherwise stated, homework is always due the next class
(before class). Please always check the website for updates.
The problems will be posted shortly after class. However, errors
may occur, so please check the website, especially if you suspect an
error.
If you find an error or something that looks suspicious in an
assignment, please notify the instructor (by email). If you are
the first to point out an error, you may receive bonus points.
"DO" problems are meant to check your understanding of the concepts.
Do them but do not hand them in. If you encounter any difficulties,
please check with Eric during his office hours.
Challenge problems don't have a specific deadline except they cease
to be assigned once they have been discussed in class. If you are
working on a challenge problem, please send email to the instructor
so as to avoid the problem being discussed before you handed in the
solution.
Solutions to Challenge problems don't earn you credit toward your grade
but they do earn you the instructor's respect, in addition to giving you
valuable experience.
Studying in groups is strongly encouraged.
Collaboration on current homework is discouraged but not prohibited.
If you do collaborate, state it at the beginning of your solution
(give name of collaborator). DO NOT COPY someone else's solution:
after the discussion, throw away any written records. Understand
the ideas discussed and give your own rendering.
The same applies to other sources such as the Web: give the source
(URL), but DO NOT COPY. Understand; then write your own version
without looking at the source or your notes.