Date: Tue, 26 Nov 1996 19:06:21 GMT Server: NCSA/1.4.1 Content-type: text/html Last-modified: Wed, 20 Nov 1996 20:36:50 GMT Content-length: 13108 CS101 - Introduction to Computer Science

CS101 - Introduction to Computer Science

Syllabus for CS101 -- section 1

DateLec.TopicChapter
Aug 261.Overview, grading, syllabus. Group discussion about the limitations of computing, what computers can't or shouldn't do and why.
Aug 282.As we consider computing - What can go wrong? and what are the limits?
The steps involved in problem solving.
Chpt 1
Aug 303.What are some of the other limitations of computing.
Hardware: it is limited by physics and it can break or wear out.
Software: it lasts forever and it is generally limited only by our imagination.
A preview of human factors, security, and ethics.
Quiz 1.
Discuss how to get a student account and where the computer labs are.
An introduction to several computer concepts such as the lab menus, logon/off, windows/mouse, and beginning email and WWW.
Chpt 1
Sep 44.World Wide Web (WWW): WWW is a collection of information resources that are contained within the Internet. The WWW reader is netscape.
email: mail readers and senders (pine and pegasus) and the editors they use (pico).
Assignment 1. We will all email after today.
Sep 65.Writing specifications (discussion of example on pg 17 of Walker). Discussion of some problems with specifications, such as assumptions, inconsistencies, and omissions. Chpt 2
Sep 96.CASE tools and formal specifications.
Quiz 2.
Assignment 2.
Chpt 2
Sep 117.Netscape. Description of hypertext and how to explore the Internet and the World Wide Web (WWW) using netscape. Introduction to HTML, the formating language used within the WWW.
Sep 138.Creating your own Home Page. Description of the process necessary to create a personal home page. Introduction to pico, the editor.
Assignment 3.
Sep 169. Algorithms. Sorting problems and the Tiling problem.
Quiz 3.
Assignment 4.
For an example of using Pico, look here.
Chpt 3
Sep 1810.Defining algorithms, infinite loops, and the halting problem.
A list of the students in section 1 of this class and their home pages.
A list of the students in section 4 of this class and their home pages.
Chpt 3
Sep 2011.Proving that halting problem is unsolvable. Since sometimes one proof is just not enough, here is a second proof that the halting problem is unsolvable. Chpt 3
Sep 2312.Logical file structure, editing, and some unix commands.
Quiz 4.
Sep 2513. Combinatorial explosion and why some solutions are not feasible. Chpt 4
Sep 2714. Discussion of examples of algorithms that are order n, n2, 2n, n!, and nn. Polynomial and exponential example expressions. Chpt 4
Sep 3015.Investigate Class P, with many examples.
Quiz 5 for Section 01 (Dickinson).
Quiz 5 for Section 04 (Foster).
Assignment 5.
Chpt 4
Oct 216. Investigate Class NP by looking at problems in Class NP. Chpt 4
Oct 417. NP-complete. Summary of complexity classes. Chpt 4
Oct 718.Reading network news using newsreaders such as nnr, tin, and netscape.
Studying for Exam #1
Oct 919. Covers chapters 1-4, email, and the World Wide Web.
Oct 1120. Hardware and software, gates, CAD, RAM, ROM.
Assignment 6.
Chpt 5
Oct 1421. Truth tables, logical description of computer hardware, NAND and NOR gates with more than two inputs.
Quiz 6.
Chpt 5
Oct 1622.More on the NAND, NOR, and NOT gates and logic circuits, showing some real circuits. Limitations caused by physical phenominon. Chpt 5
Oct 1823.Data representations for integers, characters, real numbers, sound, images, movies. (See also lecture notes from Foster's section.)
Oct 2124.Reliability, redundancy. Error detecting and correcting codes (see also Section 04 notes on Hamming codes).
Quiz 7.
Chpt 5
Oct 2325. Assignment 7.
  • (Section 01, Dickinson) Large software development projects such as the NASA Space Shuttle
  • (Section 04, Foster) More on data representation.
Oct 2526.
  • No class on this day for section 1, John Dickinson is out of town. work on your assignment.
  • Section 4 (Foster) will talk about Hamming codes.
Oct 2827. Chpt 6
Oct 3028. Testing software, Maintenance, Verification.
Chpt 6
Nov 129.Two additional methods to access information in the Internet: telnet and ftp.
Nov 430.
Nov 631.
Nov 832. Simulation and Modeling. Limits of simulation and its roles and uses.
Studying for Exam #2
Chpt 7
Nov 1133. Covers chapters 5-7, telnet, news, and ftp.
Nov 1334.Operating systems. Functions of an operating system: resource sharing, process management and user interface. Some examples of operating systems. DOS, Unix, and Windows.
Nov 1535.How a computer gets started -- the boot process.
Nov 1836. Computer viruses.
Assignment 9.
Quiz 10.
Nov 2037.A discussion of the Internet, what it is.
Name services and routing of packets.
Nov 2238.
Dec 239.Human factors: data entry, operator error, techniques to reduce errors.
Quiz 11.
Assignment 10.
Questions for the Final, suggested by the class.
Chpt 8
Dec 440.Other issues within human factors. Error checking codes, e.g. the ISBN scheme. Chpt 8
Dec 641.Security, ciphers, and encryption. Chpt 9
Dec 942.Security between machines on the Internet. Also, security within our local UI network.
Quiz 12.
Chpt 9
Dec 1143.Computers and society. Chpt 10
Dec 1344.What computers are good at and some limitations. Some thoughts about the final Examination. Chpt 10