\ 15110 Principles of Computing

15110
Principles of Computing

SPRING 2012

SCHEDULE & EXAMS

Fast Links: Exam Information | Course Schedule & Readings

Click HERE for a calendar showing all relevant dates for assignments, labs, exams, and holidays.

Exam Information

Written Exam 1: Monday, February 20
Practice Exam (Fall 2011), Sample Answers
Sample Answers: Version A (white), Version B (yellow)

Lab Exam 1: Thursday, March 8
Ruby Reference Sheet, Lab Exam 1 Instructions

Written Exam 2: Friday, March 23
Practice Exam (Fall 2011)
Sample Answers, Circuit for problem 4b
Sample Answers: Version A (yellow), Version B (white)

Written Exam 3: Monday, April 23
Practice Exam (Fall 2011)
Sample Answers
Sample Answers: Version A (white), Version B (yellow)

Lab Exam 2: Thursday, May 3
Ruby Reference Sheet - Version 2 with Canvas operations, Lab Exam 2 Instructions

Final Exam: Thursday, May 10, 8:30-11:30AM
DH 2210: sections A, C, G, H, I, J
DH 2315: sections B, D, F, M, N
DH 2302: sections E, K, L
Students with confirmed extra time accommodations should go to DH 2105.
Students who are taking a makeup will be contacted by Jeff von Ronne with the makeup time and location.

You must take all exams at the times they are given. NO MAKEUPS FOR EXAMS will be allowed except for acceptable documented circumstances (e.g. major illness, death in immediate family, university-sanctioned event with verification from advisor/coach, etc.).

Course Schedule & Readings (subject to change)

All readings are from the textbook Explorations in Computing. Additional readings will be assigned as necessary.

DATES TOPICS CHAPTER

1/16-1/20* A Brief History of Computation
from Babbage to the World Wide Web 1

1/23-1/27 An Introduction to Programming using Ruby
variables, types, statements, functions 2

1/30-2/3 Algorithms
loops, conditionals, GCD, Sieve of Eratosthenes 3

2/6-2/10 Computation using Iteration
using arrays, linear search, selection sort, order of complexity 4

2/13-2/17 Recursive Thinking
binary search, merge sort, fractals, and other recursive algorithms 5

2/20-2/24 Data Organization
lists, stacks, queues, hash tables, trees and graphs 6

2/27-3/2 Data Representation
integers, text, images, sound and compression 7

3/5-3/9** Computer Organization
Boolean logic, CPU layers as abstractions, instructions as data and data as instructions 8

3/19-3/23 Randomness in Computation
random number generators, shuffling, games with random numbers, cellular automata 9

3/26-3/30 Concurrency
sorting networks, pipelining, and mulitasking

4/2-4/6 The Internet
design of the Internet, network layers as abstractions, security/RSA

4/9-4/13 Simulations
graphics in Ruby, N-body simulation 11

4/16-4/27*** Artificial Intelligence
ELIZA and the Turing Test, games (search space and heuristics), Watson and machine learning 10

4/30-5/4 Computability: The Limits of Computation
Map coloring and the traveling salesperson, P vs. NP, The halting problem 12

*No classes 1/16 after 12:30PM (Martin Luther King Day events)
**No classes 3/9-3/16 (Midterm Break and Springn Break)
***No classes 4/19-4/20 (Spring Carnival)

DATES	TOPICS	CHAPTER
1/16-1/20*	A Brief History of Computation from Babbage to the World Wide Web	1
1/23-1/27	An Introduction to Programming using Ruby variables, types, statements, functions	2
1/30-2/3	Algorithms loops, conditionals, GCD, Sieve of Eratosthenes	3
2/6-2/10	Computation using Iteration using arrays, linear search, selection sort, order of complexity	4
2/13-2/17	Recursive Thinking binary search, merge sort, fractals, and other recursive algorithms	5
2/20-2/24	Data Organization lists, stacks, queues, hash tables, trees and graphs	6
2/27-3/2	Data Representation integers, text, images, sound and compression	7
3/5-3/9**	Computer Organization Boolean logic, CPU layers as abstractions, instructions as data and data as instructions	8
3/19-3/23	Randomness in Computation random number generators, shuffling, games with random numbers, cellular automata	9
3/26-3/30	Concurrency sorting networks, pipelining, and mulitasking
4/2-4/6	The Internet design of the Internet, network layers as abstractions, security/RSA
4/9-4/13	Simulations graphics in Ruby, N-body simulation	11
4/16-4/27***	Artificial Intelligence ELIZA and the Turing Test, games (search space and heuristics), Watson and machine learning	10
4/30-5/4	Computability: The Limits of Computation Map coloring and the traveling salesperson, P vs. NP, The halting problem	12