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       UW CS
       Theory Group

Course Description

This course provides an undergraduate-level introduction to the theory of computing. The objective is two-fold: first, gaining an understanding of the nature of computation, its capabilities and its limitations, and obtaining the ability to reason rigorously about them; second, acquiring the mathematical foundation for applications of these insights in other areas of computer science.

We will cover elements of automata theory and formal languages, computability theory, complexity theory, and cryptography. These topics have applications in algorithm design, programming languages and compiler construction, artificial intelligence, hardware and network protocols, and security.


Prerequisites

Math 240 (Discrete Mathematics, especially proofs by induction and basic notions of set theory, logic, discrete probability theory, and graph theory), and,
CS 367 (Data Structures, especially familiarity with algorithms and their complexity).


Text & reference books

The main text that we will use is:
Michael Sipser, Introduction to the Theory of Computation, 2nd edition, PWS Publishing Company, 2005.

The following are some other books you may find useful. All except the last one are on reserve at the Wendt library. The last one is available online (follow the link).
Preliminary material:
• Kenneth Rosen, Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications, 5th edition, 2002.
Other books on automata and computability:
• John Hopcroft, Rajeev Motwani, and Jeffrey Ullman, Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation, 2nd edition, 2000.
• Harry Lewis and Christos Papadimitriou, Elements of the Theory of Computation, 2nd edition, 1997.
Advanced material:
• Christos Papadimitriou, Computational Complexity, 1994.
• Sanjeev Arora, and Boaz Barak, Complexity Theory: A Modern Approach, 2007.


Grading & Evaluation

Homework (50%): There will be 5 homeworks, out roughly every other week. The schedule is here. Expect the problems to be challenging so start early. You are allowed to discuss the problems in groups but you should write out the solutions on your own and give credit to your collaborators. No sources other than the course material, the instructor, the TA, and your fellow students in the course are allowed.
Exams (50%): There will be one midterm (20%) on Mar 11, and a final (30%) on May 15.


Contact



Instructor:	Shuchi Chawla
Lectures:	TR 9:30 p.m. - 10:45 a.m. in CS&S 1207
Office hours:	T 11:00 a.m. - noon, and R 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Office:	CS&S 4395
Phone:	890-0027
Email:	shuchi (AT) cs (DOT) wisc (DOT) edu
Teaching Assistant:	Baris Aydinlioglu
Office hours:	M 4:30 - 5:30 p.m., F 1:30 - 2:30 p.m.
Office:	Office hours will be held in CS&S 1304
Email:	baris (AT) cs (DOT) wisc (DOT) edu