CSCI (Math) 361
Theory of Computation

SCHEDULE (tentative)
Fall, 1997

During the course of the term we will be covering most of Chapters 1 through 6. Because I have not taught this course for a while, I am not sure what pace we will be able to maintain. As a result, the syllabus is likely to be only an approximation to the actual schedule.

Date      Topic                                   Reading   Homework           
Sept. 5   Overview, math preliminaries            1.1-1.7   1 out              
Sept. 8   Proof Techniques, Alphabets, &          1.7-1.8   2 out          
          Languages                                                      
Sept. 10  Languages and Regular Expressions       1.8-1.9   3 out; 1 due  
Sept. 12  Deterministic Finite Automata           2.1       4 out; 2 due  
Sept. 15  Nondeterministic Finite Automata        2.2       5 out; 3 due      
Sept. 17  Equivalence of DFAs & NDFAs             2.3       6 out; 4 due   
Sept. 18* Properties of Finite Automata           2.4       7 out;       
          Languages                                                            
Sept. 19  Finite Automata & Regular Expressions   2.5       8 out; 5 due  
Sept. 29  Pumping Lemma for Finite Automata       2.6       9 out, 6, 7 due   
Oct. 1    Minimization & Simplification                     10 out, 8 due
Oct. 2*   Context-Free Grammars                   3.1       11 out, 12 due 
Oct. 3    Relation between CFGs & Regular         3.2       12 out, 10 due
          Expressions             
Oct. 6    Pushdown Automata                       3.3       14 out, 12 due
Oct. 8    PDAs & CFGs                             3.4       15 out, 13 due
Oct. 10   Catch-up and Review for Exam;                     14 due          
Oct. 13   Reading Period                                                   
Oct. 15   Properties of CFGs (Exam I out )        3.5                         
Oct. 17   More Properties of CFGs (Exam I in)               16 out            
Oct. 20   Parsing                                 3.6       17 out, 15 due    
Oct. 22   More parsing                                      18 out, 16 due    
Oct. 24   Turing Machines                         4.1       19 out, 17 due    
Oct. 27   Computing with Turing Machines          4.2       20 out, 18 due    
Oct. 29   Combining Turing Machines               4.3       21 out, 19 due    
Oct. 31   More Turing Machines                    4.4       22 out, 20 due    
Nov. 3*   Extensions of Turing Machines           4.5       23 out, 21 due    
Nov. 5    More extensions of Turing Machines                24 out, 22 due    
Nov. 7    Nondeterministic TMs                    4.6       25 out, 23 due    
Nov. 10   Universal Turing Machines               5.7       26 out, 24 due    
Nov. 12   Church's Thesis (Exam II out)           5.1-5.2   27 out, 25 due    
Nov. 14   Other formalisms for computability      5.3-5.6   28 out, 26 due    
          (Exam II in)                                                        
Nov. 17   Other formalisms for computability      5.3-5.6   29 out, 27 due   
Nov. 19   The Halting Problem                     6.1       30 out, 28 due   
Nov. 21   Acceptability, Enumerability,           6.2       31 out, 29 due 
          Decidability 
Nov. 24   Unsolvable Problems about Turing        6.3       32 out, 30 due
          Machines & Grammars 
Nov. 26   More unsolvable problems                6.3       33 out, 31 due  
Nov. 28   Thanksgiving Recess                                        
Dec. 1    Unsolvable problems about grammars      --        32 due         
Dec. 3    Catch-up                                          33 due
* I will be out of town the week of September 22. To make up for this evening classes will be scheduled on Thursday, Sept. 18 and October 2 from 7 to 8:15pm. These two 1 1/4 hour classes will make up for 3 50 minute classes.

Back to:

  • CS 361 home page
  • Kim Bruce's home page
  • CS Department home page
    • kim@cs.williams.edu