Instructor | Textbook | Assignments | Schedule (.dvi format) | Schedule (postcript format) |
Course Work | Deadlines | Collaboration | Grading |
Models of Computation: finite and pushdown automata; nondeterminism; recursive functions; regular expressions
Chomsky Language Hierarchy: regular languages, context-free languages, Turing-decidable (recursive) languages, Turing-recognizable (recursive enumerabale) languages, context-sensitive languages
Solvable and Unsolvable Problems: Turing machines; Church's thesis and universal Turing machines; the halting problem; unsolvability
P and NP Complexity Classes the classes P and NP; NP-complete problems; intractable problems; approximate, nonoptimal solutions to NP problems
While some applications may be discussed from time to time, this course will emphasize the formal underpinnings and theory of computer science.
Office: Science 2420
Michael Sipser,
Introduction to the Theory of Computation, PWS Publishing
Company, 1997, ISBN: 0-534-95651-3.
The class is scheduled to meet at 8 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays,
and Fridays, from January 25 to March 19 and from April 5 to May 14.
While the schedule for this course is expected to evolve, a
Tentative Class Schedule is available in both
.dvi and postscript formats.
Also, if you are logged into the departmental network and want a copy
printed, click duerer to
have a copy printed on the printer duerer, and click pacioli to
have a copy printed on the printer pacioli
This course will involve written assignments and tests.
Papers are due at the start of a class. Late papers will not be
accepted (without a written excuse from the Health Center or from the
Student Affairs Office), as grading late papers requires a disproportional
of time and interferes with work on other parts of the course.
Late Work will not be accepted, as it interferes with normal grading
and with preparation for other parts of this course. As homework may be
handwritten, exceptions will not be granted for computer system
malfunctions.
Exception: Allowances may be made for students with special
circumstances, subject to written verification by the Health Center or the
Student Affairs Office.
Telephone: extension 4208
E-mail: walker@cs.grinnell.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.