CS1800 ACC Discrete Math - Overview, Fall 2023

CS1800 ACC Website

Instructor and TAs

• Virgil Pavlu, instructor; email "v.pavlu@northeastern.edu" but I strongly prefer Teams chat
• Jayantha Nanduri, TA , nanduri.j@northeastern.edu
• Ameya Rane, TA, rane.am@northeastern.edu

Meetings

• Lectures: Mon & Wed, 2:50-4:30, KA 309, attendance mandatory
• Recitations (1802): Fri 3:25-4:30 / 4:40-5:45 WVH 212, attendance mandatory
• Office Hours in campus Virgil + TA : Mon SL049 6:25 - 8:25; Thu RY141 6:15pm-8:15
• Office Hours online / Teams Tue 6pm Jayantha
• Office Hours online / Teams Sat 4pm Ameya

Logistics

• Gradescope : submit all HW, Recitation, Exams on Gradescope. HWs can be typed in Latex, or scanned handwritten. 1800ACC-Gradescope ( code: RZNP5Y)
• Piazza : use Piazza for all math/content/HW related questions. Use direct Teams chat for personal issues (being late, sick, stuck etc)
• Teams : Khoury - CS 1800 1 (Fall 2023), you should be already a member. We might use this for any online meetings and OH, but only if we have to. Lectures are not streamed.

CS1800 Regular section

• Students are expected to cover the regular 1800 material, fast-paced in class and/or via video modules in Canvas. Materials can be supplemented by reading the textbooks, or class notes, or previous lectures recorded live.
• Topics: Binary representation, Sets, Counting, Combinatorics, Probabilities, Sequences, Induction, Algorithms, Graphs, Recurrences, Function Growth.
• CS 1800 is effectively recap of basic discrete math that you should already know. Although some students might have seen most/all topics in high school, it is not an easy course for the average student, because it more rigorous than high school math, some new concepts, and especially because it is faster paced. Students who are particularly good at math can often test out.
• Students in Accelerated section should have an easy time with the regular-1800 material. If you are struggling with regular video and homeworks, or not genuinely interested in math, then the Acc section can be very difficult to keep up to, and not the best use of time; the regular section would be better suited in such case.

CS1800-ACC VS Regular Section

• Accelerated section requires a placement math test, or provable math background, or strong reference.
• In-campus lectures! It spends about 1/2-2/3 of time covering all 1800 material, and 1/3-1/2 doing advanced math.
• It is a college level math course, the same difficulty as you would expect in a math major freshmen intro course.
• A lot of proofs. Students are expected to follow these in class, and to be more rigorous on their proofs than regular 1800.
• More complex reasoning. An idea in regular 1800 takes one or two steps, but most advanced problems in Acc section can take up to five steps.
• About 4 "project problems" assigned are difficult, typically unreachable for regular students. But they are not to be solved alone (as a HW), rather to be discussed over 2-3 weeks each before submission. Also they require simple programming in Python or Matlab

CS1800-ACC Grading Schema

• the main intention is not to screw up your grade simply because you took the more difficult Acc section. We are aware that you would probably score an easy A in the 1800-regular section.
• HW*0.30 + PROJ*0.20 + REC*0.10 + MIDTERM*0.20 + FINAL *0.20
• about 10 HWs with weekly deadlines
• weekly 65 min recitation on Fridays, graded as one of "full" / "half" / "missing"
• 4 Projects, about every 3 weeks, require discussion, coding, and demo to TA
• 2 exams (midterm, final) in class, on paper, about 4 hours each
• up to -20% for missing attendance
• up to +10% for being active (piazza, OH)
• no credit for solving optional/EC difficult problems, but these are useful for future collaboration, reference letters etc.

Academics

• Feedback: Your thoughts and concerns about this course are important. You are encouraged to give feedback to the instructors and teaching assistants throughout the term. Students will be asked to fill out a course evaluation at the middle and end of the term.
• Academic Misconduct: Writing proofs, algorithms, and mathematical arguments is a creative process. Individuals must reach their own understanding of problems and discover paths to their solutions. During this time, discussions with friends and colleagues are encouraged—you will do much better in the course, and at Northeastern, if you find people with whom you regularly discuss problems. But those discussions should take place verbally. If you share written work, you're breaking the rules. When you begin writing up your solutions, discussions are no longer appropriate. Each problem solution must be entirely your own work. Do not, under any circumstances, permit any other student to see any part of your written solution, and do not permit yourself to see any part of another student's written solution. This is a direct violation of the course collaboration policy. If any student does not understand these terms or any material outlined in Northeastern University Academic Integrity Policy (http://www.northeastern.edu/osccr/academichonesty.html) it is their responsibility to talk to the professor. All cases of suspected plagiarism or other academic dishonesty will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution (OSCCR).
• Inclusive Class: Northeastern University values the diversity of our students, staff, and faculty; recognizing the important contribution each makes to our unique community. Respect is demanded at all times throughout this course. In the classroom, not only is participation required, it is expected that everyone is treated with dignity and respect. We realize everyone comes from a different background with different experiences and abilities. Our knowledge will always be used to better everyone in the class. We strive to create a learning environment that is welcoming to students of all backgrounds. If you feel unwelcome for any reason, please let us know so we can work to make things better. You can let us know by talking to anyone on the teaching staff. If you feel uncomfortable talking to members of the teaching staff, please consider reaching out to your academic advisor. Northeastern is committed to providing equal access and support to all qualified students through the provision of reasonable accommodations so that each student may fully participate in the learning experience. If you have a disability that requires accommodations, please contact the Disability Resource Center http://www.northeastern.edu/drc/, DRC@northeastern.edu, 617-353-2675. Accommodations cannot be made retroactively and to receive an accommodation a letter from the DRC or LDP is required.