Textbook

Introduction to Algorithms, 3rd Edition (The MIT Press) Cormen, Leiserson, Rivest, Stein Online version

Optional Textbook

Discrete Mathematics and Its Application, 8th edition Rosen

Prerequisites:

There are 4 prerequisites for this course:
• CSE 13E or CSE 13S. This prerequisite is needed because we will be using the C programming language.
• CSE 16 for background on sets, graphs, proofs, etc.
• CSE 30 for some background on data structures, etc., and
• some background on Calculus from one of the following courses: MATH 11B, MATH 19B, MATH 20B, AM 11B.

Learning Objectives:

Learn about and use data structures and appropriate algorithms for interesting and practical problems.

Coursework:

• This class will be conducted remotely via zoom. We have both in-person and remote TA-led lab sections.
• There's no final exam!
• Programming Assignments: There will be 6 programming assignments. The first two will have short turnaround times. The rest will be spread out roughly one every two weeks and will solidify what we talk about in class.
• Quizzes: These take the place of traditional midterm and final exams. There are more of them, but each one is shorter. Expect around 5 quizzes. These will be held in class. The duration of each quiz may vary from 30min to an hour.
• Homeworks: These are fairly low value exercises that are meant to be short, supportive components for your programming assignments, or something to help address common questions raised during class, or to reinforce something that might be important. I don't have a pre-determined number of homeworks but will make these up as the need arises. In Spring 2021, we had 5 homework assignments. So, possibly 4-6 homeworks is a reasonable expectation.
• THERE WILL BE NO MAKE-UP QUIZZES, HOMEWORKS, OR PROGRAMS.
• THE ONLY VALID USE FOR INCOMPLETES IS IF YOU ARE DOING WELL, BUT BECOME BADLY ILL DURING THE QUARTER.

Grading Scale:

We have two options for mapping numeric scores to letter grades. The default grading scale which does not take into account how the rest of the class performs is listed below. Grades are rounded to nearest hundredths. The default grading scale is as follows:

A+ = 100-97.00%
A  = 96.99-93%
A- = 92.99-90%
B+ = 89.99-87% 
B  = 86.99-83% 
B- = 82.99-80%
C+ = 79.99-77%
C  = 76.99-70%  
D  = 69.99-60%  
F  = 59.99-0%

Note also that while D is considered passing, it cannot satisfy a prerequisite for another course.

The other option, which the Spring 2021 class voted for (simple majority), is to curve the grades. The mapping is actually pretty close to the default one, but may vary from one quarter to another as it would depend on how the class performed.

In Fall 2021 the class voted similarly. Again, the mapping is pretty close to the default scale.

Attendance:

Attendance in the labs is required. You are responsible for materials covered in the lecture and the labs. Quizzes are held during lecture hours.

Office Hour:

A note about my office hours: office hours end if/when there is no one else waiting to talk to me unless you let me know in advance that you need to come later. Send me an email to schedule something else if you can't make it during my regular office hours.

General Policies:

All course work are intended as individual effort (unless explicitly mentioned otherwise) and are graded as such. It is okay to discuss general approaches and algorithms with other students, but this should be done without writing, looking, or sharing code. Cheating or plagiarism in any form will not be tolerated. Aside from academic sanctions, additional disciplinary sanctions may apply if this is not your first offense. Punishment will match severity of offense. (There has been at least one instance where a student was expelled even though it was a first offense!) You are responsible for protecting your solutions and programs from being copied by others. Refer to the Academic Misconduct Policy for Undergraduates. If anything is not clear, ask me.

IMPORTANT:

Before you submit your work, make sure that your program compiles and runs on the campus server machines e.g. unix.ucsc.edu. This is the environment where your code will be recompiled and tested!

Submitting your work:

Each programming assignment should be placed in its own folder. The folder should contain a makefile and necessary .h and .c files. Your code should have proper documentation including comment blocks for each function, and inline comments as appropriate. Code should be formatted so that it is easy for humans to read.

You can re-submit as often as you want. We will only grade the most recent submission.

Last modified Friday, 17-Dec-2021 09:23:30 PST.