CS 302 - Data Structures & Algorithms II

Loyola College in Maryland
CS 302.01 - Data Structures & Algorithms II Spring 2008

Loyola College > Department of Computer Science > CS 302

Lectures | Homework Assignments | Programming Assignments | Examples

News

Instructor: Dr. Dawn Lawrie
Office: DS 125b
Work Phone: (410)617-2140
Office Hours: MW 2-3:30, or by appointment (use email)
e-mail: lawrie<at>cs<dot>loyola<dot>edu

Course Home Page: http://www.cs.loyola.edu/~lawrie/CS302/S08/index.html

Class Meeting: Lecture MWF 1-1:50 in SH 102

Prerequisites: CS 301

Required Text: Sedgewick, Robert Algorithms in C, Parts 1-5, Addison-Wesley: Boston, MA, 1998.
Supplemental Reference: Kernighan and Ritchie, The C Programming Language, Prentice-Hall, 1988.

Other Resources

Catalog Description:
An introduction to the study of algorithms, problem solving using imperative programming, and the GNU/Linux programming environment. Tools and techniques for problem-solving using imperative programming, including issues such as memory allocation and pointer variables, are used to develop a better understanding of data abstraction in software development. Done using UNIX software development tools with an emphasis on graph algorithms, software testing, and empirical analysis.

Specific Educational Objectives of the Course:
At the completion of the course, the student will:

be able to program in an imperative language (presently C) and be knowledgeable about
- basic syntax
- pointers (including function pointers)
- memory allocation and deallocation
- file IO calls and random access
understand how data structures are implemented in C including stacks, queues, linked lists, binary trees (searching -- DFS and BFS)
be able to competently use basic Linux utilities and a Linux-based IDE for program development
have an increased understanding of time efficiency issues as they relate to choices of algorithms and data structures
be able to understand and implement graphs
be able to use various graph algorithms on complex graphs

Conduct of the Course:

Your success in this course is my number one priority. Should you need extra help, please visit me in my office.
Lectures will be used to discuss material in the text book and to apply it to problems.
Written assignments will be given via problem sets. Problem sets will be graded. All assignments are due at the start of the regular class period. Late homework will NOT be accepted. Assignments that are not print-outs should be submitted on standard size loose-leaf paper. Please be legible and neat. Illegible and/or sloppy assignments will NOT be graded.
Approximately six projects will be completed during the course of the semester. Some of these projects will build on the previous project so keep this in mind as you design and write code. It will be very important to have a working project at the due date. If you do not complete the project to your satisfaction, I will be happy to help fix any remaining errors so you are not struggling with bug fixes when you start working on the next project.
Two exams and a final exam will also be used to evaluate your progress.
Attendance is necessary for success in this course. You are responsible for material presented and assignments disseminated during absences. Normally, make-up exams are not administered and LATE HOMEWORKS ARE NOT ACCEPTED. If you will miss a class period, please email me with the reason that you will not be in class.
The class web-site will be used to make announcements and post course materials. Be sure to check it regularly.
This is a "hands-on" course. Therefore, besides reading the text, attending classes, taking good notes, completing assignments and studying, to be successful in this course, you will need to spend a substantial amount of time in the lab or at your computer. Many students find they need five to eight such hours per week. Try to avoid pulling "all-nighter" to complete programming assignments. (I can tell when you do.) No one thinks clearly or uses time effectively when he or she is exhausted. Start planning a programming assignment when it is first distributed. Remember the Linux Lab (DS130) is usually quiet and not crowded.
All assignments are to be completed by the student as an individual unless otherwise noted. Collaboration on algorithm design is encouraged. However, sharing code or answers to exercises is NOT allowed. (See below.) It is acceptable to ask another student for help fixing a bug. Sometimes a fresh set of eyes is all that is needed.

Academic Integrity:
Loyola College Honor Code Statement:

"The Honor Code states that all students of the Loyola Community have been equally entrusted by their peers to conduct themselves honestly on all academic assignments.

The students of this College understand that having collective and individual responsibility for the ethical welfare of their peers exemplifies a commitment to the community. Students who submit materials that are the products of their own minds demonstrate respect for themselves and the community in which they study.

All outside resources or information should be clearly acknowledged. If there is any doubt or question regarding the use and documentation of outside sources for academic assignments, your instructor should be consulted. Any violations of the Honor Code will be handled by the Honor Council."

The Honor Code as is pertains to this class:
In general, any copying of an assignment, whether electronically or by hand is considered plagiarism. Students submitting non-trivial projects with identical structure will be considered to have acted dishonestly. Such students may be referred to the Honor Council for disciplinary action. At the very least, two or more students presenting assignments identical in all important aspects will share the points from a single grade.

Homework: May be worked on in small groups. All students in a group must include group members' names on their homework. Although problems may be discussed, copying is forbidden.
Programming Assignments: Programming Assignments will be completed by individuals. All work submitted for the project should be the work of only that student. Discussion among students on how to attack programs is encouraged. However, as soon as code is exchanged, the line between collaboration and plagiarism has been crossed.
Exams: Work on exams should be solely the work of the student whose name appears at the top of the exam. If you cheat on an exam, I reserve the right to fail you in the class.
All tests and assignments must include the following statement with the signature(s) of the student who worked on the assignment:
"I hereby declare that I have abided by the Honor Code during this test/assignment."

Student Athletes:
If you are a student athlete, please provide me with your travel and game schedule indicating when you will need to miss class to participate in athletic events. While travel for athletics is an excused absence, you will need to make up any missed work.

Learning Disabilities:
To request academic accommodations due to a disability, please contact the Disability Support Services Office at (410)617-2062. If you have a letter from their office indicating that you have a disability which requires academic accommodations, please present the letter to me so we can discuss the accommodations that you might need in this class.

Grading:

Homework: 10%
Programming Assignments: 50%
Exams: 10% each (Friday, February 15 and Wednesday, March 26)
Final Exam: 20% (Take-home which will be distributed on the last day of class and due May 5 at 4 PM)

Tests are announced. Consult the class schedule.
Normally, a homework assignment is due at the beginning of each class. Homwork will be collected and you will be given credit if it is done.
Programming assignments will be given periodically. Generally 10 days to 2 weeks are provided for the completion of a programming assignment. Late programming assignments receive a penalty of -20% per class meeting. Electronic versions of programming assignments and hard copy print outs of code are due at the beginning of the following class. See class schedule for dates.

Final Grade Distribution:
Final letter grades will be no worse than the following table.

A A- B+ B B- C+ C C- D+ D

93% 90% 87% 83% 80% 77% 73% 70% 67% 60%

A	A-	B+	B	B-	C+	C	C-	D+	D
93%	90%	87%	83%	80%	77%	73%	70%	67%	60%

Class No.	Date	Topic	Reading	Assignment Due
1	1/14	Introduction to the course C: an imperative language	Syllabus
2	1/16	Pointers
3	1/18	Memory Allocation & Deallocation
4	1/23	Structs and Design
5	1/25	Linear Data Structures
6	1/28	File processing		Design PA 1
7	1/30	Binary Files
8	2/1	Function Pointers
9	2/4	Working with gdb		PA 1
10	2/6	Linux tools: shell scripts
11	2/8	Linux tools: grep, awk, sed
12	2/11	Hash Functions	Chapter 14, Section 1
13	2/13	Resolving Collisions in Hash Tables	Chapter 14, Sections 2-6
14	2/15	Exam 1
15	2/18	Introduction to Graphs	Chapter 17, Sections 1-2
16	2/20	Graph Representations	Chapter 17, Sections 3-6
17	2/22	Introduction to Graph Algorithms	Chapter 17, Sections 7-8
18	2/25	Graph ADT
19	2/27	Graph ADT (Adjacency Matrix)
20	2/29	Graph ADT (Adjacency Lists)
21	3/10	Graph Generators
22	3/12	Non-trivial Graph Algorithms
23	3/14	Depth First Search
24	3/17	DFS Applications
25	3/19	DFS Applications and BFS
26	3/26	Exam 2
27	3/27	Generalized Search and Graph Analysis
28	3/31	Minimum Spanning Trees	20-20.1
29	4/2	Underlying Principles of MST Algorithms	20.2-20.3
30	4/4	Kruskal's and Boruvka's Algorithms	20.4-20.5
31	4/7	Comparisons	20.6-20.7
32	4/9	Digraphs and Connectivity	19-19.1
33	4/11	DFS in Digraphs	19.2
34	4/14	Reachability and Tranisitive Closure	19.3
35	4/16	DAGS and Topological Sorting	19.5-19.6
36	4/18	Shortest Paths	21-21.1
37	4/21	Dijkstra's Algorithms	21.2
38	4/23	All pairs-shortest path	21.3
39	4/25	Balanced Tress	13-13.2
40	4/28	Red-Black Trees	13.4

Exams: Friday, February 15th and Wednesday, March 26th.

FINAL EXAM: Take-home exam. It will be distributed Monday, April 28 and due Monday, May 5 at 4 PM. This will be an individual exam. You may not consult with your classmate or the web beyond the course website. You may use notes, the text, and other material provided by the insturctor during the course of the semester.