CPT S 317: AUTOMATA AND FORMAL LANGUAGES
Spring 2011, 3cr.
(JAN 10 - May 6)
MWF 9:10 - 10:00
SLOAN 9
Current announcements Instructor & TAs contact Course details Grading and other course policies Course online resources
Lecture notes Homeworks Course schedule Gradiance Gradiance (how to?)
ACTIVE ANNOUNCEMENTS
Course Evaluations: http://skylight.wsu.edu/s/2c6076c0-e1ae-4542-9d73-03ccded551c1.srv
INSTRUCTOR
ANANTH KALYANARAMAN
EME 237
Weekly office hours: Every Monday 1:30-2:30pm
Teaching assistants:
INNA RYTSAREVA, Sloan 326, Office hours: Every Wednesday 3-4pm
HAO LU, Sloan 326, Office hours: Every Tuesday 1-2pm
Course objectives:
Introduce concepts in automata theory and theory of computation
Identify different formal language classes and their relationships
Design grammars and recognizers for different formal languages
Prove or disprove theorems in automata theory using its properties
Determine the decidability and intractability of computational problems
Prerequisites:
Required textbook:
"Introduction to automata theory, languages and computation"
# Authors: JE Hopcroft, R Motwani and JD Ullman
#
Publisher:
8 homeworks (60%) - best 7 out of 8 will be used toward final grade.
2 midterms (20%)
1 final exam (20%)
Gradiance (5% extra credit)
Homework policy:
Homeworks must be submitted in class as hardcopy on the due date mentioned in the homework. Early submissions are allowed, if you think you cannot make it to class on the due date.
All homeworks must be done individually. Anyone cheating will receive a zero for that assignment and will be subject to the university's academic dishonesty/integrity policy. Cheating involves giving assistance to or receiving assistance from another individual. Academic Integrity Policy (please read)
Exam policy:
COURSE WEBSITE, ANGEL & GRADIANCE
The course will use three different web resources for different purposes:
Angel login page: https://lms.wsu.edu/
Angel home: http://angel.wsu.edu/
Angel "Getting Started" link: http://angel.wsu.edu/GetStarted.asp
3. Gradiance: This is a free online self-learning resource custom designed specifically for this course. The way it works is as follows:
First time registration: Go to http://www.aw.com/gradiance. Then click on Register and follow the instructions to register yourself using the "access code" that came with your book. As part of the registration you will also be required a create a new Pearson Education account.
Enrolling into class: Then go back to http://www.aw.com/gradiance and click on Log In as a returning user. Once you login using your Pearson account, you will see a textbox for "Sign up for a new class". In that input the following class token: 5D07E5E4
This will take you into the "Cpt S 317, Spring 2011" course space. From the next time you login you should be able to see this class listed directly under "Your Classes" on the main page after login.
Inside the course space, navigate to all the pending assignments and that will show you all the Gradiance problem sets with different due dates. Each "assignment" is a problem set of objective questions covering a certain topic. I have made all the Gradiance assignments for this class already active so that you can start solving them right away (preferably after the corresponding topic is covered in class). All assignments however need to be submitted before their corresponding due date. (I will NOT be sending any separate email announcements for any Gradiance related assignment due dates.) And the tool will not let you "submit" unless you get all questions right. You can take as many attempts as you would want for submitting each assignment. After the due date, you will see the correct answers with explanations.
Gradiance assignments vs. Class homeworks: Note that the Gradiance assignments are NOT intended to substitute the 8 homeworks that will be given in class through the course of this semester. The class homeworks are the ones which will be graded and returned, and they are the ones that count for 60% of your final grades. On the other hand, Gradiance is strictly a self-learning tool and the assignments you work out on Gradiance will NOT be graded (anyway you cannot submit until you get all questions right). But students seen to be attempting these assignments are eligible to receive 5% extra credit at the end of the semester. You don't have to do anything to let me know of your successful submissions or attempts. I, as the class administrator, will be able to see and monitor that on my end. Also, the number of attempts you make at each submission does not really matter.
SAFETY ON CAMPUS
WSU Campus Safety Plan: http://safetyplan.wsu.edu/
Get familiar with the emergency procedures from the above links.
DRC website: http://www.drc.wsu.edu
Reasonable accommodations are available for students with a documented disability. If you have a disability and may need accommodations to fully participate in this class, please visit the Disability Resource Center (DRC). All accommodations MUST be approved through the DRC (Admin Annex Bldg, Room 205). Please stop by or call 509-335-3417 to make an appointment with a disability specialist.Visit the DRC website for more information.