V22.0310-001 Basic Algorithms (Honors), Fall 2003

Lecturer: Prof. Yevgeniy Dodis, dodis(at)cs.nyu.edu, (212) 998-3084, room 508, WWH. Office hour: Thursday 12:15-1:15
Meeting Time/Place: TR 11-12:15, room 513, WWH.
Midterm: October 14, in class. Final: December 16, 10:00-11:50, room 513, WWH
Mailing list: To subscribe to the class list, follow instructions at

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Course Homepage: http://cs.nyu.edu/courses/fall03/V22.0310-001/index.htm

Lecture Summaries

Additional Handouts:

Notes on 2-3 Trees (.pdf)

Problem Sets:

Brief Course Description:

This is an introductory course in algorithms. We will cover standard topics such as sorting, divide-and-conquer, various data structures, graph algorithms, dynamic programming, greedy algorithms, and - time permitting - NP-completeness and basic approximation algorithms. The emphasis will be given to formal mathematical proofs of algorithms correctness and the rigorous analysis of their running time.

Textbook:

Introduction to Algorithms (Second Edition) by Thomas H. Cormen, Charles E. Leiserson, Ronald L. Rivest, and Cliff Stein, published by MIT Press and McGraw-Hill.

Grading:

There will be one in-class midterm and a final exam, in addition to approximately weekly homework assignments. Tentative grade split is 40% homework, 25% midterm and 35% final exam. I will also entertain the possibility of an optional honors project for those who are interested. The project will involve reading and implementing one of the algorithms not covered in the course.

Homework:

Some of the homework exercises will be routine, but others will be more challenging. I do not expect you to solve all of the homework problems, but I hope that you will benefit from working on the more difficult ones. A few hints on the homework assignments:

Start early. Difficult problems are not typically solved in one sitting. Start early and let the ideas come to you over the course of a few days.
Be rigorous. Each problem has a (sometimes unwritten) requirement that you prove your algorithm correct and analyze its running time. To obtain full credit for a problem, it is necessary to fulfill these requirements. We expect real proofs and real analyses, not "proof by hand waving."
Be concise. Express your algorithms at the proper level of detail. Give enough details to clearly present your solution, but not so many that the main ideas are obscured. English is often a good way to express an algorithm; pseudocode is good for communicating complex control structure.
Collaboration? You are encouraged to solve all the homework questions on your own, but are permitted to brainstorm difficult problems in small groups, as long as each of you writes the solutions individually and honestly acknowledges the cooperation. Needless to say, if you work with others but never come up with the solution on your own, you may do OK in the homework component of your grade, but you will suffer on exams, so be careful.
Bibles? Help? More or less, you are only allowed to use the textbook and your lecture notes. In particular, the use of internet, course bibles, outsiders, and other clearly "cheating" resources is strictly prohibited. Remember, this is an honors section, and I expect you to do well without any cheating. Please talk to me if you are having problems keeping up with the material.