CompSci 334, Spring 2022
Mathematical Foundations of CS
Syllabus

Professor: Susan Rodger

  • Office: Virtual
  • Office Hours: Mon 5:00pm-6:00pm, Tue 2:30pm-3:30pm, Wed 3pm-4pm
    (subject to change).
    The zoom link for office hours will be posted on Sakai and on Ed Discussion.
  • Email:

  • Phone: 660-6595

Graduate TA: Oscar Gomez

  • Office: N007 North
  • Office Hours on zoom: Mon 3-4pm, Wed 4-5pm, Thur 4-5pm
  • Email: oag6 AT cs.duke.edu

Course Meeting Time

  • LECTURE: Tuesdays and Thursdays: 5:15pm-6:30pm

    See the zoom link to connect for lectures posted in a Sakai Announcement until we can meet in person.

Texts

An Introduction to Formal Languages and
Automata, Linz, 6th Edition, 2017. (5th edition is also fine).
JFLAP: An Interactive Formal Languages and
Automata Package, Rodger and Finley, 2006. ( free .pdf)

Reading

In general you should read the text in order to be prepared to ask and answer questions in class. If you've looked at material before it's discussed in class you'll get much more out of the class discussion. This is especially true once class has been going for a while.

There will be reading quizes on Sakai due before each class starting with the second class! They must be completed before class starts, at 5:15pm. You can take them three times up until class time and we use the highest score. You must submit them before class starts or you won't be able to submit them.

Exception: Due to drop/add, the first four quizzes QZ01-QZ04 will all turn off on Jan. 20 at 5:15pm.
You get up to 3 tries on each quiz and we use your highest score. You cannot makeup missed quizzes! We do drop some quiz points at the end of the semester.

Web page

Many of the materials for this course (including this page) are available on http://www.cs.duke.edu/courses/spring22/compsci334/

Bulletin Board

You should regularly read the Ed Discussion bulletin board (on our Sakai site) for this course as it may contain announcements, hints, and information relevant to this class.

Collaboration

Homework and programming assignments should be your own work! You may consult with one or two other students (and as many times as you want with the TA and Prof. Rodger) on homework. Consult means you can discuss the general idea of a homework problem or programming assignment before writing it. Each person should write their own answers/code. For each homework you are expected to include a list of the people with whom you have consulted (including students, TA's, tutors, professors). Finally, you may not consult with the same Compsci 334 students on two consecutive assignments.

Tests must be your own work.

Late Policy on homeworks and computing projects

LATE POLICY on Assignments (homeworks and computing projects): Assignments turned in up to 3 days late are 10% off (Sunday does not count as a late day). Assignments turned in by 1 week are 20% off. They must be turned in within one week late. See Prof. Rodger immediately if you are having difficulty with this.

Everyone gets three free 2-day extensions that can be used for either a project or a homework. You must fill out the extension request form if you want to take that extension. You cannot use them the last week of classes.

Grading

Classwork/participation 5%
Reading Quizes (Sakai) 5%
Programming projects 15%
Homeworks 15%
Tests (3) 45%
Final Exam 15%

Grading is done on an absolute, but adjustable scale. This means that there is no curve. Anyone earning 90% or more of the total number of points available will receive a grade in the A range (A+,A,A-), an earning 94% is an A; 80% = B, 70% = C, 60% = D. This scale may go down, but it will not go up.