Course Information:

Course Description: The objective of this course is to study general computational problems, with a focus on the principles used to design those algorithms. Efficient data structures will be discussed to support these algorithmic concepts. Topics include: Run time analysis, divide-and-conquer algorithms, dynamic programming algorithms, network flow algorithms, linear and integer programming, large-scale search algorithms and heuristics, efficient data storage and query, and NP-completeness. Although this course may have several programming assignments, it is primarily not a programming course. Instead, it will focus on the design and analysis of algorithms for general classes of problems. This course is not open to Computer Science majors. Crosslisted with 15-650 and 02-613.

What's the deal with the 3 course numbers?

02613: If you are in MSBIC or MSCB program, sign up for this course.
15650: If you are another type of graduate student, sign up for this course.
15351: If you are an undergraduate, sign up for this course.

All the courses have the same structure, same lectures, same TAs, etc. Those who are signed up for one of the graduate numbers (02613 or 15650) will have a few additional assignments. The grading curve will also be computed separately in each of the three courses.

Instructor: Carl Kingsford
Associate Professor, Ray and Stephanie Lane Center for Computational Biology, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University.
carlk@cs.cmu.edu
Office: GHC 7705

Contact information for TAs and graders: will be posted on BlackBoard.

To contact the course staff: use the blackboard discussion board to ask technical questions. Use the BlackBoard "Send Email" function in BlackBoard to email the course staff about other issues.

Estimated Coursework: Coursework will consist of near weekly homeworks that will include algorithm design and analysis problems, 2 midterms, and a final. There may be 1 or 2 small programming assignments, or there may not be.

Textbook: Algorithm Design by Jon Kleinberg and Éva Tardos, ISBN 0-321-29535-8.

Announcements & Assignments

Most future announcements and assignments will only be posted on Blackboard.
The course syllabus.