CS 583 Spring 2015
Analysis of Algorithms I

Lecture time: Tuesday 7:20 pm - 10:00 pm
Location: Planetary Hall 206
Course webpage: http://www.cs.gmu.edu/~lifei/teaching/cs583spring15
Credit: 3 

Instructor: Fei Li, Room 5326, Engineering Building, email: lifei@cs.gmu.edu
Office hours: Tuesday 1:00pm – 3:00pm

Teaching assistant: Indranil Banerjee, email: ibanerje@masonlive.gmu.edu

Office hours: Monday 2:00pm – 4:00pm

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News:

- January 20: Assignment 1 is released. The due date is January 27.

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Course overview:

In this course, a thorough examination of several well-known techniques that are used for the design and analysis of algorithms will be covered. Topics to be covered include theoretical measures of algorithm complexity, sorting and selection algorithms, greedy algorithms, divide and conquer techniques, dynamic programming, graph algorithms, search strategies, and an introduction to the theory of NP-completeness. Additional topics may be covered if time permits. Students are expected to have taken prior undergraduate courses in data structures, as well as calculus and discrete mathematics.

Prerequisites:

CS 310 and CS 330 Calculus (MATH 113, 114, 213) and MATH 125. Please contact with the instructor if you are not sure.

Textbook:

Introduction to Algorithms by T. H. Cormen, C. E. Leiserson, R. L. Rivest, and C. Stein, 3rd Edition (2009)

Course materials:

Lectures	Dates	Topics	Lecture notes	Scopes	Assignments	Note
1	January 20	Introduction		Chapters 1, 2	Assignment 1: page 11, Exercise 1.1-4, page 22, Exercise 2.1-3, page 29, Exercise 2.2-3, page 41, Problem 2-3
2	January 27			Appendix A Chapters 3, 4		Assignment 1 is due
3	February 2			Appendix C Chapter 5
4	February 9			Chapters 6, 7
5	February 16			Chapters 8, 9
6	February 23			Appendix B Chapters 10, 11, 22
7	March 3			Chapters 12, 13, 14
Spring break	March 10
8 Midterm exam	March 17			Chapter 15
9	March 24			Chapter 16
10	March 31			Chapter 17
11	April 7			Chapters 18, 19, 20
12	April 7			Chapters 21, 23
13	April 7			Chapters 24, 25
14	April 28			Chapter 26
15 Final exam	May 12 (7:30pm – 10:15pm)

Topics:

In this course, we will consider the algorithm design and analysis techniques of various problems coming from the following areas:

Function growth: O, theta, omega notation (CLRS 3)

Recurrence relations (CLRS 4)

Probabilistic analysis; randomized algorithms (CLRS 5)

Amortized analysis (CLRS 17)

Dynamic programming (CLRS 15)

Greedy algorithms (CLRS 16.1-3)

Sorting: heapsort, quicksort, mergesort (CLRS 2, 6, 7)

Non-comparison-based (CLRS 8)

Selection/order statistics (CLRS 9)

Data structures balanced binary search trees (CLRS 12, 13)

Graph algorithms: BFS/DFS (CLRS 22)

Minimum spanning tree (CLRS 23)

Shortest paths (CLRS 24, 25)

Maximum flow (CLRS 26.1-3)

Time complexity, NP-Complete (CLRS 34)

Course outcomes:

An understanding of classical problems in Computer Science

An understanding of classical algorithm design and analysis strategies

An ability to analyze the computability of a problem

Be able to design and analyze new algorithms to solve a computational problem

An ability to reason algorithmically

Grading policy:

Midterm exam (30%)

Final exam (40%)

Assignments and quizzes (30%)

[100; 95] : A+; (95; 90] : A; (90; 85] : A-; (85; 80] : B+; (80; 75] : B; (75; 70] : B-; (70; 65] : C+; (65; 60] : C; (60; 0] : F

No make-up exams for missed tests.

No late assignments graded.

Policies:

Hand in hard copies of assignments in class. Please note that all coursework is to be done independently. Plagiarizing the homework will be penalized by maximum negative credit and cheating on the exam will earn you an F in the course. See the GMU Honor Code System and Policies at http://www.gmu.edu/catalog/acadpol.html and http://www.cs.gmu.edu/honor-code.html. You are encouraged to discuss the material BEFORE you do the assignment. As a part of the interaction you can discuss a meaning of the question or possible ways of approaching the solution. The homework should be written strictly by yourself. In case your solution is based on the important idea of someone else please acknowledge that in your solution, to avoid any accusations.

Academic honesty:

The integrity of the University community is affected by the individual choices made by each of us. GMU has an Honor Code with clear guidelines regarding academic integrity. Three fundamental and rather simple principles to follow at all times are that: (1) all work submitted be your own; (2) when using the work or ideas of others, including fellow students, give full credit through accurate citations; and (3) if you are uncertain about the ground rules on a particular assignment, ask for clarification. No grade is important enough to justify academic misconduct. 

Plagiarism means using the exact words, opinions, or factual information from another person without giving the person credit. Writers give credit through accepted documentation styles, such as parenthetical citation, footnotes, or endnotes. Paraphrased material must also be cited, using MLA or APA format. A simple listing of books or articles is not sufficient. Plagiarism is the equivalent of intellectual robbery and cannot be tolerated in the academic setting. If you have any doubts about what constitutes plagiarism, please see me.

Disability statement:

If you have a learning or physical difference that may affect your academic work, you will need to furnish appropriate documentation to the Disability Resource Center. If you qualify for accommodation, the DRC staff will give you a form detailing appropriate accommodations for your instructor.

In addition to providing your professors with the appropriate form, please take the initiative to discuss accommodation with them at the beginning of the semester and as needed during the term. Because of the range of learning differences, faculty members need to learn from you the most effective ways to assist you. If you have contacted the Disability Resource Center and are waiting to hear from a counselor, please tell me.