CMPUT 272 Formal Systems and Logic, Section A1

Check often. If you have a question send me email.

Fall 2010, CSC B2, TR 12:30-13:50
Instructor: Michael Buro
Office Hours: Mondays 2-3pm, Wednesdays 1-2pm, and by appointment.

Seminars: Sem1 (T 15:30-16:20, CAB 265), Sem2 (W 10:00-10:50, CAB 229)

Teaching Assistants:

Davoud Moulavi [moulavi at ualberta.ca, office hours Thursdays 2:30-3:30 Ath 108]
Shayan Pooya [shayan.pooya at ualberta.ca, office hours Tuesdays 4:30-5:30 Ath 147]
Reza Khani [khani at ualberta.ca, office hours Wednesdays 4-5 CSC 217]

Course material (assignments, lecture notes) id/passwd required. Note: IT IS NOT YOUR CCID, NOR YOUR CSID!
Assignment Tips from the TAs
272 Newsgroup
Check your marks

Section News

Dec.2: To prepare for the final exam, study all lecture notes, assignments, and seminar problem sets. The question format will be similar to the term exam, with the addition of questions regarding the assignments - including the unmarked A6, which is part of S7.
Dec.2: A5,S5,S6 solutions released, S7+A6 released
Nov.19: A4 solution released
Nov.18: A5 released
Nov.5: term exam marked, average 64%. If your current total course marks are < 50%, the likelihood of failing the course is substantial and you may want to consider dropping the course (on or before Nov. 10)
Nov.3: seminar 3 and 4 solutions posted, fixed some errors in part 3 of the lecture notes
Nov.3: bring your OneCard to the exam on Thursday, it will be checked
Oct.30: assignment 3 solutions posted
Oct.29: There will be an extra seminar to prepare you for the midterm exam: Nov. 2, 9-11am, CSC 333
Oct.28: For preparing next week's midterm exam, study notes for lectures 1-15, assignments 1-3, and seminar problem sets 1-4.
Oct.28: assignment 4 released
Oct.25: assignment 2 and seminar solutions posted
Oct.12: assignment 3 and seminar problem set 3 released
Oct.8: assignment 1 solutions released
Oct.5: assignment 2 is due Oct. 14 in class
Sep.28: assignment 2 and seminar problem set 2 released
Sep.28: clarified assignment question 6 (added parentheses)
Sep.16: clarified assignment question 3.
Sep.15: assignment 1 and seminar problem set 1 released here
Sep.8: Added assignment tips
Sep.6: Welcome to the course! I have uploaded the first part of the lecture notes into the material directory. Please note that lecture notes are not finalized yet, and may therefore change. Also note, that I gather lecture material from multiple sources. So, just reading one text book can't replace attending lectures.

Schedule

                 Lectures                 Sem1   Sem2
Wk. Monday  Tues.(+1)  Thurs.(+3)         Tues.  Wednes.
 1. Sep.06    %        L1                  %      %
 2. Sep.13   L2        L3/A1r             S1     S1 
 3. Sep.20   L4        L5                 S1     S1           
 4. Sep.27   L6        L7/A2r/A1d         S2     S2
 5. Oct.04   L8        L9                 S2     S2
 6. Oct.11   L10       L11/A3r/A2d        S3     S3
 7. Oct.18   L12       L13                S3     S3
 8. Oct.25   L14       L15/A4r/A3d        S4     S4             
 9. Nov.01   L16       Midterm            S4     S4
10. Nov.08   L17        % (RD)            S5     S5
11. Nov.15   L18       L19/A5r/A4d        S5     S5           
12. Nov.22   L20       L21                S6     S6
13. Nov.29   L22       L23/A5d            S6     S6
14. Dec.06   L24        %                 S7     S7

Legend: Li         : lecture i
        Si         : seminar problem set i
        Ajr/Ajd    : assignment j released / due
         %         : no class / seminar
        [%]        : makeup seminar, date to be determined
        (TG)       : Thanks Giving
        (RD)       : Remembrance Day
        Midterm    : Nov. 4 in class (closed book)

Final exam: Tentative 17-Dec-2010 (Friday) @ 2:00pm Pavillion

Course Objectives

This course is the first theory course in computing science and its nature is mathematical. You will be exposed to basic tools of logic, set theory, and number theory. You will practice proving theorems and reasoning about some basic algorithms.

Topics

An introduction to fundamental discrete structures used for the design and analysis of algorithms, including:

Propositional and Predicate Logic
Proof Techniques
Sets
Mathematical Induction
Principles of Counting
Relations
Graphs
Functions
Program Verification

Literature and Lecture Notes

The course material is drawn from various textbooks (none of which is mandatory) and past lecture notes. I recommend "Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications" (6th Edition) by K.H. Rosen because it is comprehensive and also provides historical background. Another book I will be using is ``A Transition to Advanced Mathematics'' (6th Edition) by Smith, Eggen, St.~Andre, which contains advanced material, but is a bit expensive. In past courses, the free textbook A Short Course in Discrete Mathematics by Edward A. Bender and S. Gill Williamson was recommended.
I will make lecture notes available during the term. I suggest reading ahead in the course material so that you will come prepared to the lectures - ready to ask questions if things are unclear.

Course Work and Grading

5 Assignments, 8% each
Term exam (80min, closed book), 25%
Final Exam (2hr, closed book), 35%

Assignments

Assignment solutions have to be handed in by 13:50 on the due days in class or slid under my office door (Ath 337). It is important to write ONLY your student id on the front page. Write your name on the second page of your submissions. For assignments that are handed in late by less than 24 hours, 20% of the maximum marks will be deducted. Going beyond one day will result in 0 marks. Assignment marking related questions will be addressed by TAs. You need to contact them within 2 days after the marked assignments have been returned.

Seminars

The purpose of the seminars is to deepen the understanding of the lecture material by interacting with TAs and peers. TAs will present assignment solutions or ask students with good solutions to present them. Moreover, students can ask questions about upcoming assignments and lecture material. Time permitting, new problems will also be discussed. Attendance will be taken.

Midterm and Final Exams

The weight of missed midterm exam will be shifted to the final exam in case an excused absence is granted. You need to send me email within 2 days of the missed exam. Questions or concerns about marking exams must be brought to my attention within 2 days of the return date.

Deferred Final Exam

For a missed final exam the student must apply to the Faculty of Science (not the instructor) for permission to write the deferred exam on Wednesday, Jan. 12, 10:00 to 12:00 (ATH 332).

Final grades

I will use reasonable grade cutoffs in this course. For a discussion of the meaning of letter grades go here. Note, that the chance of failing is high once your course work average drops below 40%.

Collaboration

Students are encouraged to discuss and solve problem sets in small groups to speed up learning and stimulate idea exchange. In the end, however, every student must write down their own solutions and be able to solve similar problems independently. You must give credit to any source that substantially assisted you in completing the assignment. A source includes fellow students, books, papers, the TAs, and me. Failure to give proper credit is considered plagiarism.

Student Responsibilities

Review lectures, identify unclear points, and ask questions right away!
Attend seminars and do assignments - right from the start. Without solving problems on your own, it will be hard to pass this course.
Review solutions to the assignments.
Expect to spend 4h/week on this course in addition to the lectures and seminars.
Forward constructive feedback to the instructor and/or TAs (simply complaining about difficulties, low marks, little study time, etc. does not help at all).
Make yourself familiar with the Code of Student Behavior

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