Administrative Information
- Time/Place: Tuesday and Thursday 9:30-10:45 PM in 251 Mercer Room 312
- Final: TBD
- Instructor: Marshall Ball, Office Hours: TBD
First class is Tuesday, Jan 20 at 9:30 - 10:45 PM in CIWW 312. Please read up to Section 1.2.4 in Chapter 1 of Cole's Theory of Computing before class to familiarize yourself with notation. You should be able to complete exercises 1-29 (not required to hand-in).
This course provides an introduction to the theory of computation. We will see how to mathematically model computation and how to rigorously reason about these models can and cannot do. Specific topics include: finite automata and regular languages; pushdown automata, context free grammars, and context free languages; Turing machines, recursive and recursively enumerable languages; P, NP, and NP-completeness.
Disclaimer:This is a class about theoretical computer science. A critical aspect of this is learning how to read and write mathematical proofs in a computer science context. For those unfamiliar with mathematical proofs, I recommend reading Velleman's "How to Prove It."
Homework (30%), Midterm (30%), Final Exam (40%). Additionally, active participation in lecture is expected and will impact final grades that are on thresholds.
The primary prerequisite is mathematical maturity. You should be comfortable reading and writing proofs. Some familiarity with the basics of algorithms, the theory of computation, and probability is expected.
If you are unsure about whether this class is suitable for you, please contact the instructor via email.
A textbook is not required for this class, however a number of excellent ones are available.
| Class | Date | Topic | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sept 4 | Intro, Finite Automata | COMING |
Homework should be submitted in PDF form in Gradescope. We prefer homework submissions typeset in LaTex. If you are not familiar with LaTex, it is a great skill to learn. Overleaf provides a simple web interface for writing and compiling LaTex (as well as extensive documentation). We will provide LaTex source for you to edit. You are encouraged to insert scanned figures or illustrations where appropriate. Scanned handwritten submissions will only be graded if perfectly legible. If you are unsure about your handwriting, I strongly suggest you type your solutions.
An important part of this class is about learning to communicate your mathematical ideas and proofs clearly and concisely. Accordingly, you will be graded not simply for correctness, but also clarity. If you do not understand how to solve a question, you may write "I don't know how to do this," and you will receive 15% credit for that question.
We strongly encourage you to discuss assignments with your peers, but you must (a) list the names of your discussion partners on your submission, and (b) you must write up your solution on your own. You may not look at the written solutions of any other student before submitting your own solution. If you do not not list the names of your collaborators, you will be penalized.
You will be allotted a total of a single late day for the semester to use on any 1 homework assignment. Otherwise, late homework will not be accepted.
You must explicitly acknowledge any external resources consulted in your homework.
However, you are not allowed to consult any resource for the purpose of finding homework solutions. For example, you may not consult homework solutions for a previous version of this class or ask an LLMViolations to this policy is plagiarism and will not be tolerated.
Your work should be your own. Students are should be aware of the CS Department's Policy on Academic Integrity. Violations of academic integrity will not be tolerated.
As a nonsectarian, inclusive institution, NYU policy permits members of any religious group to absent themselves from classes without penalty when required for compliance with their religious obligations. The policy and principles to be followed by students and faculty may be found in the University Calendar Policy on Religious Holidays.
Academic accommodations are available to any student with a chronic, psychological, visual, mobility, learning disability, or who is deaf or hard of hearing. Students should please register with the Moses Center for Students with Disabilities.