Prerequisites
CS211 and Math 125 (C or better in both).Content
This course is an introduction to two kinds of formal systems - languages (which are treated as sets of strings) and logics - with important applications to computer science. The study of formal languages underlies important aspects of compilers and other language processing systems, as well as the theory of computation. Various systems of logic and automatic reasoning are put to use in artificial intelligence, database theory and software engineering. The entire course will give you practice in precise thinking and proof methods that play a role in the analysis of algorithms.Objectives
Will understand the concepts and relevance of logic, formal languages and automata theory, and computability.
Will be able to able to do mechanical formal proofs, program correctness proofs and solve problems in first-order logic.
Will be able to solve problems in elementary machine models: designing finite-state, pushdown and turing machines.
Will be able to solve problems in formal languages: writing regular expressions, regular grammars, and context-free grammars.Textbook
Title: Logic and Languages Models for Computer Science, 3rd edition.
Authors: Dana Richards and Henry Hamberger
Available at the campus bookstore
Note that the 3rd edition is substantially different from the 2nd.
Grading
Quizzes -- 10%
Homeworks -- 30%
Exams -- 60%
Of these exams the highest score will count 35%, and the lowest 25%.Homework
Homework will be assigned each week. The lowest homework grade will be dropped.
Suggestions: It will be very hard to do well in this course if you do not do all of the homework by yourself, including any optional problems. You are strongly encouraged to do all of the problems, and to ask questions, in class and in office hours, when you do not understand any of them. Don't start the homework the day before it is due!Quizzes
Quizzes are short: 1-3 questions, multiple choice or fill-in-the-blank. You will need a laptop or phone to answer the questions, as the results will be tallied immediately. Each single quiz is worth < 1% of your grade. They will be given at the start of class (don't be late!), typically every other class period. They will cover the previous 1 or 2 lectures, and mainly serve to help me gauge what the students have understood, and what needs further explanation.Exams
All testing is closed book, and notes are not permitted. The two exams, including the final, each cover about a half of the semester. The final is not cumulative.
The midterm is Wednesday, March 6th.
The final is Wednesday, May 8th at 1:30.Use of electronics in class
You will need either a laptop or a phone in order to complete the quizzes in class. If you don't own either of these devices, you can submit your quizzes on paper. Other than for use with quizzes, I encourage you to leave your devices off. You will find that you learn a lot more, and retain the information better, if you remove the distraction!CS330 Adviser Forms
It is a departmental requirement that students in CS330 must see their adviser and discuss their degree progress. The form can be downloaded here. Be sure to fill out the form before seeing your adviser. Also, if you do it earlier in the semester, you will have a much shorter wait to see your adviser, and you will have more time to correct any problems. Students not fulfilling this requirement will receive an Incomplete grade. (Non-majors and graduate students are not included.)