CSCI 4900 HOME PAGE FALL 2006
FORMAL LANGUAGES

TENTATIVE SYLLABUS

CATALOG COURSE DESCRIPTION: An introduction to the basic theoretical models of computability. Finite automata, Turing machines, computability, decidability, and Gödel's incompleteness theorem. Prerequisite: CSCI 3250, 3310, or 3700.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: To introduce the student to the need for and the working of mathematical proofs; to develop facility with the concepts, notations, and techniques of the theories of automata, formal languages, and Turing machines; to provide historical perspective on the creation of the computer, along with its capabilities and limitations.

TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS: All correspondence (assignments, test information, etc.) will be via e-mail. Each student will be expected to provide an e-mail address to the instructor by the end of the first week of class. Students will be expected to check their e-mail on a daily basis. Cell phones and audible pagers must be turned off in class unless there is a prior arrangement with the instructor.

ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS: The Bulletin says, "A student is expected to attend all classes, including labs, for all courses for which he/she is registered. The student is solely responsible for accounting to his/her instructor for any absence. An instructor may recommend that the Academic Dean drop from class with grade of W or U any student whose absences are interfering with satisfactory performance in the course."

Each student is allowed two unexcused absences; any other absence must be excused by the instructor. I will excuse a maximum of 4 absences. Anyone with more than 7 absences (including excused and unexcused) will be penalized 6 points per absence, regardless of excuse. The instructor reserves to right to assign an F to any student with too many absences. Your daily grade is influenced by your attendance.

The student is responsible for all material covered, assignments and test dates announced, and any other announcements made on the day the student is absent. Makeup tests are not automatic; they may only be expected under unusual, documentable circumstances (and at the discretion of the instructor) and, in such a situation, normally only if arranged with the instructor in advance of the test or exam. Absence from class is not an excuse for late or no homework.

READING ASSIGNMENTS: The instructor will assume that the student reads those sections of the text corresponding to what is covered in class, as well as any assigned readings.

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS: Homework will be assigned regularly and should be turned in by class time on the date specified. Five points will be deducted if submitted late on the due date. Ten points per day for the first two days of lateness will be deducted; after two days, the instructor reserves the right not to accept the assignment.

TESTS: will be three tests tentatively on September 28, October 26, and November 16, and a final exam on December 12 at 8:00 AM.

GRADING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES: The homework assignments will count a total of 11% of the course grade. Homework will be collaborative in nature. You may work with as many other students as you desire as long as (a) you and they indicate the collaborators’ names with the homework, (b) you do not just copy someone else’s homework, and (c) you understand what you are submitting well enough to correctly answer questions on the material on a test. If a student does well on the homework but poorly on related material on a test, the instructor reserves the right to assign a grade of zero to that homework, report the incident to the Honor Council, and suspend the collaboration policy for all students.

Each test will count 21% of the course grade, the exam 21%, and the daily grade 5%. The grading scale is as follows: 98 to 100 A+, 92 to 97.9 A 90 to 91.9 A-, 88 to 89.9 B+, 82 to 87.9 B 80 to 81.9 B-, 78 to 79.9 C+ 72 to 77.9 C 70 to 71.9 C-, 66 to 69.9 D+, 60 to 65.9 D, and 0 to 59.9 F.

The daily grade will be computed as follows: 0-2 unexcused absences: 5 points; 3 unexcused absences: 3 points; 4 unexcused absences: 1 point; 5 unexcused absences: 0 points; 6-7 unexcused absences: 1 point deducted from your grade; 8-9 unexcused absences: 2 points deducted from your grade; etc.