CS 8803 Formal Methods
Spring 2003

Instructor:

Pete Manolios

Office:
Office hours:
Email:
Phone:
CCB 204
Monday 3PM-5PM or by appointment
manolios@cc
404-894-9219

Class Information

Location:
Meeting times:
Web page:
Oscar info:
CCB 53
Monday/Wednesday, 5:05PM-6:25PM
http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~manolios/courses/Formal-methods/2003-Spring/
CS 8803 B 20573

Class Web Pages

Syllabus
Homework Assignments
Handouts

           
           
           
           

Tools
Announcements
Reading List

Course Description

This course covers the fundamentals of formal methods and can be used as a breadth course for Software Engineering and Information Security. We will examine techniques for modeling and formally analyzing computing systems and will consider applications in software, hardware, and security. Students will learn the fundamentals of classical logic, induction and recursion, program semantics, rewriting, reactive systems, temporal logic, model checking, and abstraction. We will examine how these methods can be used to build reliable software, hardware, and security protocols. Students will learn how to use various tools, including theorem proving and model checking tools, and will work in groups to apply the tools to various domains.

Why would you want to take this class?

Here are three reasons.

Teaching Philosophy

My goal is to help you develop into critical, independent-thinking, and creative scientists. In this course, I will try to do this by selecting material that I expect will be relevant for most of your careers and by giving you opportunities to grapple with and gain technical mastery of some of the most important ideas in formal methods. You gain technical mastery by doing and, for the most part, this occurs outside of the class. My role is to create the opportunity for learning; it is only with your active participation that learning truly takes place.

During lectures I try to explain, clarify, emphasize, summarize, encourage, and motivate. I can also answer questions, lead discussions, and ask questions. In class you have an opportunity to test your understanding, so things work best if you come to class prepared. We can then focus on the interesting issues, rather than on covering material that you could just as easily find in the book.

Questions?

If you have any questions, please come by and see me, call, or send email. My contact information appears above.

Last modified: Sat Jan 25 10:40:18 EST 2003