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CS 341, Spring 2012

Algorithms

(link to old Winter 2012 web pages)


Instructor:

Timothy Chan (DC2107, x36941, tmchan "at" cs, office hrs: Tue 4:00-5:00 & Fri 1:00-2:30 or by appointment)

Meeting Time/Place:

Section 001: TTh 11:30-12:50, MC 4041
Section 002: TTh 2:30-3:50, MC 4041

TAs:

Nan Hu (DC3550, x37528, n3hu "at" cs, office hrs: Th 1:00-2:00)
Luke Schaeffer (DC3523, x33123, l3schaeffer "at" cs, office hrs: Mon 2:30-3:30)

Course Work:

General Policies
A1 (out May 10; due May 23 Wed 5pm)
A2 (out May 24; due June 6 Wed 5pm)
Midterm (June 13 Wed 7-9pm)
A3 (out June 14; due June 27 Wed 5pm)
A4 (out June 28; due July 11 Wed 5pm)
A5 (out July 12; due July 25 Wed 5pm)
Final exam (scheduled by the registrar's office)

Announcements:

[Important announcements will be posted here.]

Newsgroup:

news:uw.cs.cs341 (for questions and replies from the TAs, etc.)

Textbook:

[CLRS] Cormen, Leiserson, Rivest, and Stein, Introduction to Algorithms, 3rd ed., MIT Press (QA76.6.C662 2009)

Additional books on DC library reserve for 3 hour loan: [DPV] Dasgupta, Papadimitriou, and Vazirani, Algorithms (QA9.58 .D37 2008, see also draft version); [KT] Kleinberg and Tardos, Algorithm Design (QA76.9.A43K54 2006); [BB] Brassard and Bratley, Fundamentals of Algorithmics (QA9.58.B73 1996); [GJ] Garey and Johnson, Computers and Intractability: A Guide to the Theory of NP-Completeness (QA76.6.G35 1979).

Lecture Topics:

[For most of the topics covered in class, I will indicate in brackets the approximate locations in the CLRS book (or the other reference books). Bear in mind that the lectures frequently provide a different (presumably more accessible and tailored) treatment of the same topic, or cover a topic or example not found in the book. CLRS is a wonderful reference to have, but for study purposes, the primary source should be the lectures.]

To summarize: after reviewing some basics on the mathematical analysis of algorithms, we will devote the lectures to designing efficient algorithms for a variety of interesting problems. These problems are chosen to illustrate a number of useful techniques: divide-and-conquer, greedy, dynamic programming, etc. In particular, we will discuss a few favorite graph algorithms. We will also encounter a number of important "hard" problems, and prove that they are hard via the theory of NP-completeness. At the end, we will even see some problems that are not solvable at all...


University Policies:

Academic Integrity: In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of Waterloo community are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility. [Check this link for more information.]

Grievance: A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of his/her university life has been unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70, Student Petitions and Grievances, Section 4. When in doubt please be certain to contact the department's administrative assistant who will provide further assistance.

Discipline: A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity to avoid committing academic offenses and to take responsibility for his/her actions. A student who is unsure whether an action constitutes an offense, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offenses (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about "rules" or group work/collaboration should seek guidance from the course professor, academic advisor, or the undergraduate associate dean. For information on categories of offenses and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy 71, Student Discipline. For typical penalties check Guidelines for the Assessment of Penalties.

Appeals: A decision made or penalty imposed under Policy 70, Student Petitions and Grievances (other than a petition) or Policy 71, Student Discipline may be appealed if there is a ground. A student who believes he/she has a ground for an appeal should refer to Policy 72, Student Appeals.

Note for students with disabilities: The Office for Persons with Disabilities (OPD), located in Needles Hall, Room 1132, collaborates with all academic departments to arrange appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities without compromising the academic integrity of the curriculum. If you require academic accommodations to lessen the impact of your disability, please register with the OPD at the beginning of each academic term.


(Maintained by Timothy Chan)