CS 483 Syllabus (Fall 2010)

CS 483 Fall 2010
Design and Analysis of Algorithms

Lecture Time: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3:00 pm - 4:15 pm
Location: Art and Design Building L008
Course webpage: http://www.cs.gmu.edu/~lifei/teaching/cs483_fall10
Credit: 3

Instructor: Fei Li, Room 5326, Engineering Building, email: lifei@cs.gmu.edu
Office hours: Thursday 4:15pm - 6:15pm; Teaching Assistant: TBD; Office hours: TBD
NEWS:

Course Overview:: In this course, a thorough examination of several well-known techniques that are used for the design and analysis of efficient algorithms will be covered. Topics to be covered include theoretical measures of algorithm complexity, greedy algorithms, divide and conquer techniques, dynamic programming, graph algorithms, search strategies, and an introduction to the theory of NP-completeness.

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

Textbooks:

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

Algorithms by S. Dasgupta, C.H. Papadimitriou, and U.V. Vazirani, The McGraw-Hill Companies (2008). A draft of the book can be found at http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~vazirani/algorithms.html (Strongly Recommended)

Course Materials:

Lecture	Date	Topic	Lecture Notes	Scope	Assignments	Note
1	August 31	Introduction		CLRS 1, 2
2	September 2	Growth of Functions		CLRS 3
3	September 7	Divide and Conquer		CLRS 4
4	September 9	Divide and Conquer		CLRS 4
5	September 14	Divide and Conquer		CLRS 4
6	September 16	Probabilistic Analysis		CLRS 5
7	September 21	Probabilistic Analysis		CLRS 5
8	September 23	Dynamic Programming		CLRS 15
9	September 28	Dynamic Programming		CLRS 15
10	September 30	Greedy Algorithm		CLRS 16
11	October 5	Greedy Algorithm		CLRS 16
12	October 7	Amortized Analysis		CLRS 17
Columbus Day recess No class	October 12
13	October 14	Amortized Analysis		CLRS 17
14	October 19	Review + solutions
15	October 21	Midterm
16	October 26	Graph Algorithms		CLRS 22
17	October 28	Graph Algorithms		CLRS 22
18	November 2	Minimum Spanning Tree		CLRS 23
19	November 4	Minimum Spanning Tree		CLRS 23
20	November 9	Single Source Shortest Path		CLRS 24
21	November 11	Single Source Shortest Path		CLRS 24
22	November 16	All-Pairs Shortest Paths		CLRS 25
23	November 18	All-Pairs Shortest Paths		CLRS 25
24	November 23	Maximum Flow		CLRS 26
Thanksgiving recess No class	November 25
25	November 30	Maximum Flow		CLRS 26
26	December 2	Maximum Flow		CLRS 26
27	December 7	Advanced Topics
28	December 9	Review + solutions
29	TBD	Final exam

Topics:

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

• Analysis of Algorithm Efficiency (asymptotic notation, amortized analysis)
• Brute Force Techniques (sorting, search, traveling salesmen)
• Divide and Conquer (merge sort, quicksort, matrix multiplication, polynomial multiplication)
• Graph decomposition and search (connected components, shortest path problem)
• Greedy Techniques (minimum spanning tree, Huffman trees)
• Dynamic Programming (edit distance,matrix chainmultiplication, knapsack, all pairs shortest paths)
• Linear Programming (network flows, matching, simplex, duality)
• Randomized Algorithms

Course Outcomes:

1. An understanding of classical problems in Computer Science
2. An understanding of classical algorithm design and analysis strategies
3. An ability to analyze the computability of a problem
4. Be able to design and analyze new algorithms to solve a computational problem
5. An ability to reason algorithmically

Tentative Grading:

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.