TTh 10:50a-12:05p, DH 1042
To all staff & students: comp280-discussion-l@
John Greiner, greiner@, Office hours: T 1:30-3:30pm (or pretty much whenever I'm around), DH 3118, x3838
Mitchell Koch, mkoch@, Office hours: T 7-9pm, Jones College Commons
Travis Martin, tbm@, Office hours: W 7-9pm, Wiess College Commons
An introductory CS course (e.g., COMP 140, 160, 170, or the now-defunct 210). In particular, I will generally assume that you have either taken or are in COMP 211 (or the old 210).
Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications (6th edition) by Kenneth Rosen, (McGraw Hill, ISBN 0072880082). We'll cover most of the material in this. While not perfect, it's pretty good and has lots of exercises, solutions, and online supplementary material. Plus, it's the closest to how I organize the course.
You don't need any of these for the course, but they are good supplementary sources. In addition, there are gobs of other textbooks on discrete math and logic.
The course home page links to the homeworks and indicates their due dates. You will have 1-2 weeks to finish each assignment.
You have 3 slip days. Any number of remaining slip days may be used on any assignment. Slip days may be used in integral amounts only — no partial slip days. Each calendar day used, including weekends and holidays, counts. To use a slip day, simply note its use on the front of the assignment.
Otherwise, late assignments are not accepted without exceptional reason, e.g., family emergency, unless you previously arrange an extension with the instruction. Having "too much work" is not sufficient reason. Early requests for extensions are much more likely to be granted than last minute requests.
Homework is due on paper in class and is returned in class.
You are encouraged to discuss the homeworks with your fellow students and the class staff. However, you must write your own solutions. If you worked through a problem in detail with somebody else or with a published source, please acknowledge this at the start of each problem's write-up (or at the top of the entire assignment, if the bulk of the work was done with another).
Typing, or at least good handwriting, is greatly appreciated by the graders. If you type, I recommend using LaTeX, LyX, or Microsoft Word with Equation Editor.
Do not copy homework, or knowingly allow someone to copy your homework. Do not refer to previous years' solutions or solutions found online from other courses unless they are posted on this semester's web page (~comp280/08spring/).
There will be two take-home exams.
You may not give or receive help from anyone or any publications aside from any course-provided materials, including the textbook, notes, and homework solutions, as well as your own class notes and graded homework.
The assignments will total to 60% of your grade, with each assignment varying in weight. Each exam will be worth 20%. Problems will be graded for correctness, style, and clarity.
Good style means giving a sound logical argument and a clear presentation, sufficient to convince someone who knows the same background material, but not the answer, that your answer is correct. Consider your audience to be a skeptical classmate. Good style also implies that an answer should be reasonably thorough, but reasonably concise.
If you feel that a problem was graded incorrectly, please contact the original grader first. Contact the instructor if there is still a disagreement. For best results, please attach a short note stating what you want regraded and why.
Any student with a disability requiring accomodations in this class is encouraged to contact the instructor after class or during office hours. Additionally, students should contact the Coordinator for Disabled Student Services in the Ley Student Center.