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COURSE SYLLABUS COT 4420 Theory of Computation Prerequisites: MAD 3105 Fall Semester 2024 |
Course
Objective:
The
goal of this course is to provide students with an understanding of basic
concepts in the theory of computation. Students will learn about a variety of
issues in the mathematical development of computer science theory, particularly
finitary representations for languages and machines, as well as gain a more
formal understanding of algorithms and procedures. At the end of this course,
the student will:
Be able to construct finite state machines and the equivalent regular expressions.
Be able to prove the equivalence of languages
described by finite state machines, regular grammars
and regular expressions.
Be able to construct pushdown automata and the
equivalent context free grammars.
Be able to prove the equivalence of languages
described by pushdown automata and context free grammars.
Be able to construct Turing machines.
Be able to define the Chomsky Hierarchy.
Be able to have a basic understanding of the P = NP
problem.
Course
Description:
Theory
of automata and formal languages. Finite state automata, Moore and Mealy
machines, regular expressions and languages, deterministic and
non-deterministic pushdown automata, context free languages, context sensitive
languages, normal forms, Turing machines, recursive and recursively enumerable
sets, undecidability, introduction to computability and complexity theory.
Instructor:
Sudhir Aggarwal: 263 LOV
Office hours: Tuesday and Thursday 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm.
Teaching Assistants:
Tania Taami: 0025A LOV (inside
Majors Lab)
Office hours: Monday 9:30 am to 11
am, and Wednesday 3 pm to 4:30 pm.
(could also be via zoom)
Email: taami@cs.fsu.edu Phone: 850-345-1226
Qijin Bao: MCH 104 (certain homework only)
Office hours: Friday 3-3:30 pm
Email: qb24@fsu.edu
Dominic Miller: Majors Lab
Office hours: Wednesday 1pm to
2pm.
Email: dgm21@fsu.edu
Dion Tryban: Majors Lab
Office hours: Friday 1:30 pm to
2:30 pm
Email: dtryban@fsu.edu
Required
Text:
[Linz] Peter Linz. An Introduction to Formal Languages and Automata, Latest Edition, Jones and Bartlett. (Required; however previous editions ok also).
Much of the communication
will be via this website or information given in class. Canvas will be used to
post raw scores of assignments / tests, etc. Most other information related to
grades etc. on Canvas may not be correct. Do not email or text anything via
Canvas for the class instructor as it may not be answered.
|
Lectures |
Tuesdays and Thursdays |
9:45 am - 11:00 am |
MCH 0201 |
|
Week
# |
Meeting
Days |
Reading
Assignments & Information |
Class
Notes & Homework
Assignments |
|
1 |
August 27, 2024 August 29, 2024 |
Read
Chapter 1 in text Start
reading Lecture1 Read
Chapter 11.1 in text. Finish reading lecture 1. Watch
this video. Supplementary
lectures are additional optional readings. |
|
|
2 |
September 3, 2024 September 5, 2024 |
Finish
previous readings Start
reading Lecture2 |
Lecture2-finite state machines |
|
3 |
September
10, 2024 September 12, 2024 |
Continue
reading Lecture2 Finish
reading Lecture2 |
Homework 2:
Due October 1, 2024 |
|
4 |
September 17, 2024 September 19, 2024 |
Review
Lecture2. Start reading Lecture3. Read Chapters 2.1 and 3.1 in text. Continue
reading Lecture3. Read 2.2 through 2.4 in text |
|
|
5 |
September 24, 2024 September 25, 2024 September 26, 2024 |
Review
Hw1. Read 3.2 and 3.3 in text. Continue reading Lecture 3. Due
to Hurricane Due Date Homework 2 changed to October 1, 2024 Finish
reading Lecture 3 and Chapters 2 and 3 in text. |
Homework 3: Due TBD |
|
6 |
October 1, 2024 October 3, 2024 |
Finish
previous readings Start
reading Chapter 4 in text and Lecture4 except pages 60-65 |
Homework
3: Due October 11, 2024 (see
revised Hw3 below) Lecture4-Properties
of Regular Languages |
|
7 |
October 8, 2024 October 10, 2024 |
Cover rest of Lecture 3. Also, Hw2 solutions as
time permits Due to hurricanes Helene and Milton, the midterm
will only cover through Lecture 3 and Chapter 3 in the text. Hence revised
Homework 3 attached removes problems 8 and 9 which will be assigned in a
subsequent assignment. Note that the due date for hw3 has been
extended and there will be no late homework 3s accepted. Review
of Homework 2 as time permits. |
Homework3
revised: Due Date October 14, 2024 |
|
8 |
October 15, 2024 October 17, 2024 |
Review
Hw3 Midterm
1 |
|
|
9 |
October 22, 2024 October 24, 2024 |
Read
Chapter 4 in text and Lecture4 except pages 60-65. Start
reading Lecture 5 and Chapter 5 in text. |
Lecture
4 is in week 6 above. |
|
10 |
October 29, 2024 October 31, 2024 |
Finish
reading lecture 5. Read Chapter 6 in text. Continue
previous readings |
Homework
4:Due date November 12, 2024 |
|
11 |
November 5, 2024 November 7, 2024 November 9, 2024 |
Finish
previous readings Start
reading Lecture6 until page 102. Start
reading Chapter 7 in text, covering similar material. Continue
previous readings Finish
reading Lecture 6. Start
reading Lecture 7 and Chapter 8 in the text. You need not cover the proof for
the pumping lemma. Homework
5 will be due November 18, 2024, with no late credit for that homework. |
Homework 5:
Due November 18, 2024 |
|
12 |
November 12, 2024 November 14, 2024 |
|
|
|
13 |
November 19, 2024 November 21, 2024 |
Review
Homework 4 and 5. Midterm
2 |
|
|
14 |
November 26, 2024 November 28, 2024 November 30, 2024 |
Start
reading Lecture 8 through page 128, and Chapters 9 and 10 in text. Thanksgiving
- No Class Finish reading Lecture8 through page
128 and Chapters 9 and 10 in text. There will be a
short Quiz as an Assessment in class (about 20-30 minutes) on December
3, covering the course material. The assessment is voluntary. Bonus points
for taking the assessment (max 30 pts) will be added to your total homework
points. |
|
|
15 |
December 3, 2024 December 5, 2024 December 8, 2024 |
Assessment Finish all previous readings. Review of Midterm2 and overall course material I will have extra
office hours on Monday, December 9th, from 1 to 2 pm and 3 to 5 pm.
You can also pick up your midterms at that time if you wish. |
|
|
EXAM WEEK |
December 9-13, 2024 |
FINAL EXAM: MCH201 Tuesday December
10, 2024, 7:30 am - 9:30 am |
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Grading Policy
There
will be an Assessment for this course (half-hour)
sometime during the last weeks of class. It is used for various purposes in
support of various accreditations including ABET. It will be announced later in
the semester. The points scored on the assessment will be added as a bonus
to your homework scores. So please plan on doing the Assessment.
There
will be two Midterm tests (30% each); and a Final test
(20%) during final exam week, in class.
The
midterm dates will be announced in class. Students must take the midterms at the announced times unless there is
a university sanctioned reason to miss the test (see Attendance Policy below).
Issues of missing a midterm will be handled on an individual basis. The second
midterm may include material from the first midterm. The Final will cover
material chosen from the entire course.
There will be several graded problem
sets during the semester (20% total). Late policy does
not apply to Hw3. The late homework policy is as follows with an example:
1. Each homework assignment has a due date. That
homework is due (by uploading to Canvas) on that due
date at 11:59 pm.
2. Example: Homework X has due
date September 26. It is due with no penalty if submitted by 11:59 pm on
September 26.
3. Homework X is submitted any time on September 27.
Considered a day late with a penalty of 5 points off from the assignment.
4. Homework X is submitted any time on September 28.
Considered two days late with a penalty of 15 points off from the assignment.
5. Homework X is submitted any time on September 29.
Considered three days late with a penalty of 30 points off from the assignment.
6.
Homework X is submitted any time on September 30 or after.
It will not be accepted, and the penalty is a score of zero for that
assignment. All times in the example
are US Eastern Time.
It is very important
to complete all problem sets and do them by yourself.
You are not to work in groups.
You may talk to me or the teaching assistant to help you get started on a
problem, but you
must do the problems by yourself. You should also check
the Academic Honor Policy below which is applicable in all your academic work
including in this course and is to be followed by all students.
Grading will be on a curve. The initial curve for the class is specified below. The curve may
be changed after each midterm test. Students can always choose to stay with the
initial curve.
Initial Course Curve COT4420 Fall 2024
|
Average Score |
Grade |
|
80 |
A |
|
75 |
A- |
|
70 |
B+ |
|
65 |
B |
|
60 |
B- |
|
55 |
C+ |
|
50 |
C |
|
45 |
C- |
|
Below 45 |
D+, D,
D-, F |
|
|
|
Modified Grade Curve as of 11/30/2024 COT4420 Fall 2024
|
Average Score |
Grade |
|
70 |
A |
|
65 |
A- |
|
60 |
B+ |
|
55 |
B |
|
50 |
B- |
|
45 |
C+ |
|
40 |
C |
|
35 |
C- |
|
Below 35 |
D+, D, D-, F |
University Attendance Policy
Excused absences include
documented illness, deaths in the family and other documented crises, call to
active military duty or jury duty, religious holy days, and official University
activities. These absences will be accommodated in a way that does not
arbitrarily penalize students who have a valid written excuse. Consideration
will also be given to students whose dependent children experience serious illness.
Academic Honor Policy
The
Florida State University Academic Honor Policy outlines the University`s
expectations for the integrity of students` academic work, the procedures for
resolving alleged violations of those expectations, and the rights and
responsibilities of students and faculty members throughout the process.
Students are responsible for reading the Academic Honor Policy and for living
up to their pledge be honest and truthful and [to] strive for personal and
institutional integrity at Florida State University.` (Florida State University
Academic Honor Policy, found at:
http://fda.fsu.edu/Academics/Academic-Honor-Policy
Academic Success
Your
academic success is a top priority for Florida State University. University
resources to help you succeed include tutoring centers, computer labs,
counseling and health services, and services for designated groups, such as
veterans and students with disabilities. The following information is not
exhaustive, so please check with your advisor or the Department of Student
Support and Transitions to learn more.
Americans With Disabilities Act
Students
with disabilities needing academic accommodation should: (1) register with and
provide documentation to the Office of Accessibility Services; and (2) request
a letter from the Office of Accessibility Services to be sent to the instructor
indicating the need for accommodation and what type; and (3) meet (in person,
via phone, email, skype, zoom, etc...) with each instructor to whom a letter of
accommodation was sent to review approved accommodations. This syllabus and
other class materials are available in alternative format upon request. For the
latest version of this statement and more information about services available
to FSU students with disabilities, contact the Office of Accessibility Services
874
Traditions Way
108
Student Services Building
Florida
State University Tallahassee, FL 32306-4167
(850) 644-9566 (voice)
(850) 644-8504 (TDD)
oas@fsu.edu
Confidential campus resources
Various
centers and programs are available to assist students with navigating stressors
that might impact academic success. These include the following:
|
Victim Advocate Program University Center A, Room 4100, (850) 644-7161, Available 24/7/365, Office Hours: M-F 8-5
https://dsst.fsu.edu/vap |
Counseling & Psychological Services Askew Student Life Center, 2ndFloor, 942
Learning Way (850) 644-8255 https://counseling.fsu.edu/ |
University Health Services Health and Wellness Center (850) 644-6230 https://uhs.fsu.edu/ |
FS Approved: 10/21/2020;
Counseling Center name updated 5/3/2021; Dean of Students name change 11/3/2021;