COMP 200 Elements of Computer Science Fall 2007 MWF, 10AM, Sewall 101PC Lab

Comp 200 is an introduction to Computer Science, as opposed to an introduction to programming computers. The course provides a broad overview of computation. It focuses on the conceptual underpinnings of Computer Science rather than the detailed art of programming. Comp 200 is intended for students who want to understand what Computer Science is and why people study it, without necessarily majoring in it.

Because much of the work in Computer Science finds its expression in a program, students in Comp 200 will develop some programs as part of their homework. However, the amount of programming practice in the course will not be sufficient to turn a novice into a skilled programmer. Students who want to develop additional skill in programming should also take one of the programming courses: Comp 201, Comp 210, Comp 110, or Caam 210.

Comp 200 is a Group III Distribution course and an optional core requirement for the Cognitive Sciences major. While the course will differ somewhat in content from previous years, you can see how it went last threw times it was taught by looking at the following web pages:

• Fall 2002
• Fall 2004
• Fall 2005
• Fall 2006
   

Teaching Staff

• Instructor: Dung "Zung" Nguyen

• TA: TBA

• Labbies:

  • Dave Eng (dke5185@)
  • Hubert Lee (hkl4487@)
     

Course Materials

• Textbooks:
  • Turing (A Novel About Computation), by Christo H. Papadimitriou, ISBN 0-262-66191-8 (paperback version)
     

• Lecture notes and handouts The  lecture notes and handouts serve to elucidate the materials discussed in the above textbooks.  I post lecture notes and accompanying handouts soon after class.

  You are responsible for the contents of the lectures. Of course, the best way to learn this material is to attend lecture. The notes are not a substitute for attendance. In particular, they may be incomplete.

• OWLSPACE: All announcements, homework assignments, exam schedules will be posted on the class OWLSPACE.  This is the main form of communication between the teaching staff and the students.  It is the students' responsibility to check this class OWLSPACE daily.
• General Information on the administration of Comp 200 (hours, homework policy, etc.)

• You can download DrScheme for your personal computer.
• Download the latest version of DrJava (Beta version is fine).