CS237 (Theory of Computation)
Spring 2006, Carleton College


[Jump to current week]

Basic information:

Announcements:

Overly Ambitious Estimated Rough Tentative Schedule (subject to change):

Course Materials:

Week 0 (Big Bang through 26 March 2006):
There is a form for office-hours scheduling available. Please fill it out by Wednesday, 22 March 2006, and I'll schedule office hours on Thursday or Friday. (Be sure to include your email address!)
Office hours are now scheduled: M 2:00–3:00p, T 2:30p–4:00p, and F 12:00–1:00p.
Week 1 (27 March through 2 April 2006):
Class is cancelled on Friday for the campus-wide Katrina event. There will be a make-up class on Thursday evening at 7:00p in CMC 319.
The survey distributed in class on Monday is due at the beginning of class on Wednesday.
Week 2 (3 April 2006 through 9 April 2006):
PS1, distributed in class on Monday, 27 March 2006, is due at the beginning of class on Monday.
A note on problem sets: you may use (without reproving) anything that I proved in class or that is proved in the book.
Week 3 (10 April 2006 through 16 April 2006):
PS2, distributed in class on Monday, 3 April 2006, is due at the beginning of class on Monday.
As per your request, I'll put a copy of problem sets on the mathcs machines (in /Accounts/courses/cs237/dlibenno). Let me know if you notice that I've forgotten to put a particular assignment there.
Week 4 (17 April 2006 through 23 April 2006):
PS3, distributed in class on Monday, 10 April 2006, is due at the beginning of class on Monday.
The first midterm of the course has been scheduled (by a bitterly divided electorate) for next Wednesday, 26 April 2006. You may bring one 8.5"-by-11" sheet of paper containing handwritten notes. You can write on both sides of the paper, but don't staple/tape/superglue/attach anything to the paper. You will be asked to hand in your crib sheet with your exam.
Update: coverage is through the end of class on Wednesday (i.e., everything about regular languages), and thus anything up to and including Lecture 18 in the book.
Week 5 (24 April 2006 through 30 April 2006):
PS4, distributed in class on Monday, 17 April 2006, is due at the beginning of class on Monday.
Midterm #1 is scheduled for Wednesday.
Week 6 (1 May 2006 through 7 May 2006):
Midterm break is on Monday—enjoy!
PS5, distributed in class on Friday, 28 April 2006, is due at the beginning of class on Wednesday.
Week 7 (8 May 2006 through 14 May 2006):
PS6, distributed in class on Wednesday, 3 May 2006, is due at the beginning of class on Monday.
Week 8 (15 May 2006 through 21 May 2006):
PS7, distributed in class on Monday, 8 May 2006, is due at the beginning of class on Monday.
Week 9 (22 May 2006 through 28 May 2006):
PS8, distributed in class on Monday, 15 May 2006, is due at the beginning of class on Monday.
Update! Because I didn't get as far in class on the 19th as I'd hoped, question #5 from PS8 has been deferred to PS9.
Week 10 (29 May 2006 through 31 May 2006):
PS9, distributed in class on Monday, 22 May 2006, is due at the beginning of class on Monday.
Midterm #2 is Wednesday. You may bring two 8.5"-by-11" sheets of paper containing notes. You can write on both sides of the paper, but don't staple/tape/superglue/attach anything to the paper. You will be asked to hand in your crib sheets with your exam. Coverage for the exam is anything and everything that we have discussed in the course. Here are some practice problems, a practice final, and a practice midterm from a similar course taught elsewhere.
Finals Period (1 June 2006 through 7 June 2006):
The final exam, a take home distributed during class on 31 May 2006, is due on Wednesday, 5:00p.