Algorithms

Instructor Textbook Course Work C++ Introduction Schedule (.dvi format)
Assignments Deadlines Collaboration Grading Schedule (postscript)
CS 301 continues the study of data types and algorithms begun in previous courses. The course has four major emphases:

Instructor

Henry M. Walker

Office: Science 2420
Telephone: extension 4208
E-mail: walker@math.grin.edu
Office hours are posted weekly on the bulletin board outside my office.
Additional hours can be scheduled by appointment.
If you wish, you may reserve a half hour meeting by signing up on the weekly schedule.

Textbook

Nell B. Dale and Henry M. Walker, Abstract Data Types: Specifications, Implementations, and Applications. Revised Manuscript Version of the 1996 text from Jones and Bartlett.

In addition, a reference book on the C++ programming language may be of interest. While many such books exist, students might want to consider the following popular reference:

Stanley B. Lippman and Josee Lajoie, C++ Primer, Third Edition, Addison-Wesley, ISBN: 0201824701, 1998.

Course Work

This course will involve written assignments, programs, and tests.

  1. Written Assignments: Exercises will be assigned regularly throughout the course.

  2. Hour Tests: Following the Tentative Class Schedule, the class will include 3 one-hour tests. The first hour test is scheduled for Friday, September 18. Tentative dates for the other hour tests are Wednesday, October 14, and Friday, November 20. Any changes in dates for hour tests will be announced in class at least two weeks in advance.

  3. Programs: Several programming assignments will be given throughout the semester. Since one of the goals of the course is to introduce C++, some of the early programs will be reasonably short, so that students may become familiar with various elements of the C++ programming language. Later programming assignments will be more substantial.

  4. Exam: Following the published exam schedule, an exam is scheduled for 2:00 pm on Tuesday, December 15, during exam week.
Deadlines

Late Penalty: Work is due at the start of class on the date specified in the assignment. A penalty of 33 1/3 % per class meeting will be assessed on any work turned in late, even work submitted at the end of a class. Thus, work turned in 4 days late will be weighted -33 1/3 %; since a negative score reduces a semester total, it is better not to turn the work in at all.
Exception: Deadlines for programming problems are automatically extended at least one class day if the HP network is down for an unscheduled period of 3 or more hours during the week preceding the assignment due date. (In such cases, however, deadlines for written assignments are not extended.)

Absolute Deadline: All homework must be turned in by Friday, December 11 at 5:00 pm.

Collaboration

The work in this course is split between individual and group work. Each assignment will include specific instructions concerning whether or not collaboration is allowed for that exercise. However, collaboration is not allowed on tests.

Grading

This instructor's grading philosophy dictates that the final grade should ultimately be based upon each student's demonstration of his or her understanding of the material, not on the performance of the class as a whole nor on a strict percentile basis. The following scheme is proposed as a base for how the various assignments, programs, and tests will be counted in the final grade.

Written Assignments: 20% Hour Test: 30%
Programs: 30% Final Exam: 20%

This document is available on the World Wide Web as 

http://www.math.grinnell.edu/~walker/courses/301.fa98/
created August 17, 1998
last revised August 20, 1998