Discrete Structures (CSCI 2824, Spring 2015)

Assignments

There are two components: weekly written assignments (posted below) and weekly Moodle assignments (posted on Moodle).

• Each written assignment consists of 3 questions and occasionally 1 bonus question.

  Each Moodle assignment consists of 10-15 multiple choice questions.

• Written assignments are due on Fridays @ 10 AM in class (starting from Jan 23).

  Moodle assignments are due on Tuesdays @ 4 PM Wednesdays @ 11.59 PM .

No late submissions will be accepted for any reason other than documented medical emergencies.

We will omit two assignments with the lowest scores while computing the overall grade.

Quizzes and Final Exam

There will be 4 20-minute quizzes throughout the semester, held on Fridays in class. (And on those Fridays there will not be any written assignment due.) The topics covered in each quiz will be available two weeks ahead.

No alternate exams will be offered unless there is a very compelling and documented personal or medical emergency. If you need special accommodations of any nature, you are expected to inform the instructor well in advance.

The lowest quiz will be omitted when computing the overall grade.

Again, the final examination date is: Sunday May 3, 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM. One needs at least 25% grade from the final exam to pass the course.

Lecture Schedule and Notes

This course covers the following topics:

• Logic: Propositional and Predicate Logic, Quantifiers.

• Proofs: Primer on writing proofs, inductions, proof by contradiction.

• Sets, Relations and Functions: Basic properties. Infinite sets. Cardinality.

• Recursion: Recursive functions and recursively defined structures.

• Combinatorics: Counting, binomial theorem, counting with recursion.

• Probability: probability of discrete events, expectation.

• Trees and graphs: Definitions and properties.

• Interesting Applications: Cryptography (rsa) and Networks (social network analysis).

Pre-Lecture Work

Before you attend each lecture, we hope that you will spend 10-15 minutes to prepare, by reading the relevant portion of the book stated on the lecture schedule (at least skimming through the book or notes provided).

Some lectures may contain a small 5-10 minute tutorial problem that we will solve as a class. After solving the problem, you are expected to submit it to the instructor. The resulting grade will count for your course participation.

Lecture Schedule

The schedule of lectures shown below is subject to change. We will post notes for most topics before each lecture. Please take a look through them, and come prepared for class.

Course grading

In summary of the course work listed above, the final course grade consists of the following components:

• Weekly written assignments (30% of the final grade).

• Weekly Moodle assignments (10% of the final grade).

• In-class quizzes (30% of the final grade).

• Final exam (20% of the grade).

• Participation (10% of the grade). Class participation is awarded based mainly on your class preparation, as judged by your general attendance, classroom behavior, interaction in class, willingness to answer questions in class and at the on-line forums, and demonstrating knowledge of weekly reading during problem solving time.

The instructor may make minor modifications to this breakup as the semester progresses.

Note: To obtain a passing grade, the student has to appear for the final exam and obtain a score of at least 25/100 or above.

We will omit two assignments with the lowest scores while computing the overall assignment grade, and omit one quiz with the lowest scores while computing the overall quiz grade.

The final grades will be based on the cumulative score from all these factors (out of 100).

Collaboration Policy

• Inspiration is free: you may discuss homework assignments with anyone. You are especially encouraged to discuss solutions with your instructor and your classmates.

• Plagiarism is forbidden: the assignments that you turn in should be written entirely on your own. While writing the assignment you are not allowed to consult any source other than the textbook(s) for the class, your own class notes or the lecture notes for the class. Copying/consulting from the solution of another classmate constitutes a violation of the course's collaboration policy and the honor code.

• Do not search for a solution on-line: You may not actively search for a solution to the problem from the internet. This includes posting to newsgroup or asking experts at other universities.

• When in doubt, ask: If you have doubts about this policy or would like to discuss specific cases, please ask the instructor.

Honor Code

We will expect strict adherence to our our honor code. Please read and understand the code thoroughly. If in doubt, ask the instructor. At the end of the day, honor code violators hurt themselves by sacrificing their integrity and risking hard-earned reputation for a few measly grade points.