CS U200 Discrete Structures      Fall 2004        Syllabus

Text:

James L. Hein, “Discrete Mathematics,  Second Edition”, Jones and Bartlett, 2003.

Overview:

What is “discrete mathematics” about?  This course will present the mathematical foundations necessary for computer science.  You will study mathematical facts and how to apply them.  We hope that you will learn to think mathematically about the problems you wish to solve with a computer.  Some of the topics we will cover are listed here.

discrete structures

      Discrete structures are the mathematical structures we will use to represent discrete objects.  In this course, we will study sets, functions, permutations, relations, and perhaps, some graphs, trees, or finite-state machines.

mathematical reasoning

      We will study some logic and methods of proof as tools for reading, understanding, and constructing mathematical arguments. 

combinatorial analysis

      Counting or enumerating objects may sound like something you learned in elementary school but just how many strings are there of 20 decimal digits  that contain two 0s, four 1s, three 2s, one 3, two 4s, three 5s, two 7s, and three 9s?  We will study combinations and permutations to tackle problems like this.

algorithmic thinking

      An algorithm is a finite set of clear instructions that tell how to perform a task.  The design and implementation of algorithms is a major part of computer science.  A good algorithm designer must also be able to verify that an algorithm works properly and determine the memory and time required for it to run.

applications and modeling

We will see many applications of discrete mathematics to solve real problems. 

Grading:

The work for this course will consist of written and on-line homework, quizzes, and a final exam.  Your grade will be computed as follows:

written homework             10%

on-line homework             10%

3 hour exams                     45%

cumulative final exam       35%

We expect that you will study with friends and often work out problem solutions together but you must write up your own solutions, in your own words.  Some of the on-line exercises will be different for each student.

Course url:

http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/fell/CSU200/CSU200.html