Course Syllabus

This is a highly approximate syllabus. Expect topics, assignments, ordering, and almost everything else to change.

• Week One: Background
• Week Two: Algorithms
• Week Three: Analyzing Algorithms
• Week Four: Introduction to Ethical Issues
• Week Five: Miscellaneous Topics
• Week Six: JavaScript
• Week Seven: JavaScript, Continued
• Week Eight: Reliability
• Break
• Week Nine: Artificial Intelligence
• Week Ten: More Artificial Intelligence
• Week Eleven: What is Computable?
• Week Twelve: Student Presentations
• Week Thirteen:
• Week Fourteen:
• Final

Week One: Background

Class 01 (Monday, January 24, 2000) Introduction to the Course

• Definitions
  • Computer Science
  • Algorithms
  • Social Issues
• Course Issues
• Handouts:
  • Getting Started in the MathLAN
  • Introductory materials

Class 02 (Tuesday, January 25, 2000) Lab: Getting Started in the MathLAN

• Using the MathLAN computers
  • Getting started
  • Netscape
  • Editing files
  • Electronic mail
• Handouts:
  • SamR's quick HTML reference.
  • Outline of class 2.
  • Responses to your questions from the introductory surveys.

Class 03 (Wednesday, January 26, 2000) Markup Languages

• About markup languages
• Physical vs. logical markup
• Some background on HTML
• HTML
• Handouts:
  • HTML lab

Class 04 (Friday, January 28, 2000) Lab: HTML

• Intellectual foundations of hypertext, revisited
• Introduction to HTML
• Laboratory: HTML
• Handouts:
  • Carole Maso, ``Rupture, Verge, and Precipice; Precipice, Verge, and Hurt Not''
  • Vannevar Bush, ``As We May Think''
  • Your answers to question 4 (electronic only)

Week Two: Algorithms

Class 05 (Monday, January 31, 2000) HTML, Experimentation and Reflections

• HTML lab, continued
• Discussion
• Handouts:
  • Your answers to question 5

Class 06 (Tuesday, February 1, 2000) Logical vs. Physical Formatting, Revisited

• What is hypertext, revisited?
  • Why is hypertext?
• Logical formatting, revisited
  • Who should control the appearance of a document?
• Problem: How do you add appearance to HTML?
• Handouts:
  • Styles laboratory
  • Your answers to question 6: Do cascading style sheets better support readers or authors?
  • Raman, T. V. (March 1997) ``Netsurfing Without a Monitor''. Scientific American.

Class 07 (Wednesday, February 2, 2000) The Building Blocks of Computer Programs

• How do we tell the computer to do things? Three models:
  • Low level (circuitry)
  • Medium level (assembly code)
  • High level (algorithms)
• A sample algorithm: building a sandwich
• Handout:
  • Your answers to question 7: Unambiguously describe how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Class 08 (Friday, February 4, 2000) The Parts of an Algorithm

• Algorithm components
• Exercise: square roots
• Finding the smallest value in a list
• Handouts:
  • Your answers to question 8: Describe unambiguously how to find the lowest grade in a list of grades.
  • Your notes on risks 20.77 (not available until later this afternoon).

Week Three: Analyzing Algorithms

Class 09 (Monday, February 7, 2000) Analyzing Algorithms

• Comparing various ``smallest'' algorithms
• Evaluating algorithms
• Formal analysis: Big O notation
• Searching
• Handouts:
  • Your answers to question 9: Suppose you've been given two sets of instructions that solve the same problem. What criteria might you use to determine whether one is better than the other?

Class 10 (Tuesday, February 8, 2000) Searching

• Data structures
• The problem of searching
• Sequential search
• Binary search
• Handouts:
  • Your answers to question 10: Explain unambiguously how to look up a phone number in a phone book given the person's name. Also describe how to look up a person's name in the phone book given their phone number.

Class 11 (Wednesday, February 9, 2000) Sorting

• The problem of sorting
  • By-hand examples
• Handouts:
  • Your answers to question 11: Describe how to put a pile of books in alphabetical order by author.

Class 12 (Friday, February 11, 2000) Sorting, Revisited

• Sorting, revisited
• A divide-and-conquer algorithm for sorting
• Reflection:
  • What are strengths and weaknesses of the emphasis on efficiency?
  • What can computer scientists to to ameliorate these weaknesses?
• Handouts:
  • Your answers to question 12: Computer programmers often emphasize efficiency as the primary criterion for evaluating algorithms. What effects do you think this emphasis has?

Week Four: Introduction to Ethical Issues

Class 13 (Monday, February 14, 2000) Background for Ethical Issues

• Types of social issues
• Some responses to your questions
• Handouts:
  • Your answers to questions 13: What implication of computing do you most want to consider this semester? Why?

Class 14 (Tuesday, February 15, 2000) Computer Crime and Morality

• Computer crime

Class 15 (Wednesday, February 16, 2000) Computer Crime, Revisited

• Computer security
  • Who is responsible?
  • What actions can be taken
• Handouts:
  • Risks 20.79
  • Your responses to Risks 20.78
  • Your responses to question 15: Describe a technique we can use to conceal information.

Class 16 (Friday, February 18, 2000) Detour: Growing a Language

Week Five: Miscellaneous Topics

Class 17 (Monday, February 21, 2000) Open Source Software

Class 18 (Tuesday, February 22, 2000) Class Cancelled

Class 19 (Wednesday, February 23, 2000) Public-Key Cryptography

Class 20 (Friday, February 25, 2000) Computer Viruses

Week Six: JavaScript

Class 21 (Monday, February 28, 2000) Introduction to JavaScript

• Difference between HTML and programming languages
• Why have programming languages for the Web?
• Introduction to JavaScript
  • Background
  • Basics
• Programming Issues
  • Dialog boxes
  • Variables
  • Changing the HTML

Class 22 (Tuesday, February 29, 2000) Lab: Introduction to JavaScript

• Ways of writing Javascript, revisited.
• .js files.

Class 23 (Wednesday, March 1, 2000) Lab: Some Simple JavaScripts

• Some simple applications of yesterday's techniques.
• Your JavaScript programs:
  • Jae's page
  • Kevin's page
  • Liz's page
• My JavaScript programs:
  • Coloring the page
  • A semi-private page (try using HUM101 and CS105 as your favorite classes).
  • A simple madlibs page
  • A tax computer
• Handouts:
  • Your reponses to question 23: Write a short JavaScript program and corresponding Web page using the techniques you've learned.

Class 24 (Friday, March 3, 2000) More Sample JavaScripts

• Using separate scripts
• Building new documents
• Conditionals with if
• Repetition with for
• Handouts
  • Your responses to question 24: Find a useful JavaScript script on the Web. Report on the source and how you might use that script.
  • replace.html and replace.js, a new way to do MadLibs
  • repeatition.html and repetition.js, doing repetition.

Week Seven: JavaScript, Continued

Class 25 (Monday, March 6, 2000) Lab: Control Structures, Reconsidered

Class 26 (Tuesday, March 7, 2000) Reflections on JavaScript

• What we've learned how to do with JavaScript
• Open Source, revisited
• Implications of JavaScript

Class 27 (Wednesday, March 8, 2000) Final Reflections on JavaScript

• Techniques of program development
• How much can Sam and Sarah write in 50 minutes?

Class 28 (Friday, March 10, 2000) No Class

Week Eight: Reliability

Class 29 (Monday, March 13, 2000) Some Reliability Considerations

• How do programs and computers fail?
• Some technical background
• Should we blame anyone? If so, who?
• Other questions?

Class 30 (Tuesday, March 14, 2000) Proving Programs Correct

• What does it mean that a program is correct?
• How do we prove that a program is correct?
  • Example (from the book): GCD
• Can we show that a nontrivial program is correct?

Class 31 (Wednesday, March 15, 2000) The Costs of Reliability

• Can we prove all programs correct?
• How do we balance needs?
• What else can we do to make programs more reliable?

Class 32 (Friday, March 17, 2000) PacMan, Revisited

Break

Break runs from 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 17, 1998 to 8:00 a.m. on Monday, April 3.

Week Nine: Artificial Intelligence

Class 33 (Monday, April 3, 2000) Introduction to Artificial Intelligence

Class 34 (Tuesday, April 4, 2000) Game Trees

• Eliza
• Game trees
• Predicate logic

Class 35 (Wednesday, April 5, 2000) Expert Systems

Class 36 (Friday, April 7, 2000) Expert Systems, Revisited

• Reasoning with predicates, revisited
• Some examples
  • Theatre
  • Meal planning
  • NCAA tournaments
  • Roommate matching
  • ...

Week Ten: More Artificial Intelligence

Class 37 (Monday, April 10, 2000) Neural Networks

Class 38 (Tuesday, April 11, 2000) Genetic Algorithms

• Genetic Programming
  • Evolving solutions
  • Evolving algorithms
• Are these appropriate techniques?

Class 39 (Wednesday, April 12, 2000) AI Experiments

Class 40 (Friday, April 14, 2000) Evaluating AI

• The Turing Test
• Is it enough?
• If not, what is?

Week Eleven: What is Computable?

Class 41 (Monday, April 17, 2000) Models of Computation

• Models of computation
• Relative power of models of computation
• Limits of power

Class 42 (Tuesday, April 18, 2000) Costs of Computing

• Turing machines, revisited
• Nondeterminism
• NP-completeness

Class 43 (Wednesday, April 19, 2000) The Limits of Computing

Class 44 (Friday, April 21, 2000) Planning for the Rest of the Semester

Week Twelve: Student Presentations

Class 45 (Monday, April 24, 2000) Software Piracy

Class 46 (Tuesday, April 25, 2000) Privacy

Class 47 (Wednesday, April 26, 2000) Ethics Overview

Class 48 (Friday, April 28, 2000) Analog Computation

Week Thirteen:

Class 49 (Monday, May 1, 2000) Autonomous Systems

Class 50 (Tuesday, May 2, 2000) Operating Systems (I)

Class 51 (Wednesday, May 3, 2000) Operating Systems (II)

Class 52 (Friday, May 5, 2000) Computerizing the Workplace

Week Fourteen:

Class 53 (Monday, May 8, 2000) Random Numbers

Class 54 (Tuesday, May 9, 2000) Core Wars

• Core wars technology
• Core wars basics
• Related issues: Alife and Viruses

Class 55 (Wednesday, May 10, 2000) Course Evaluation

Class 56 (Friday, May 12, 2000) Course Summary

Final