COT-6405: Analysis of Algorithms (Fall 2017)

Instructor: Ning Xie (office ECS 380)
Location: ECS 235
Time: Tuesday and Thursday 2:00 PM -- 3:15 AM
Office Hours: Tuesday/Thursday 1:00 PM -- 2:00 PM, or by appointments
TA: Yekun Xu (username: yxu040). Office Hours: Wednesday 1:30 PM -- 3:30 PM at ECS 232B



(Disclaimer: All information on this page about the course is tentative and subject to further changes.)

Syllabus:

• Asymptotics, Recurrence
• Divide-and-Conquer (Strassen, FFT)
• Advanced Data Structures
• Graphs & Graph Algorithms
• Dynamic Programming
• Greedy Algorithms
• NP-Completeness
• Network Flow

Textbook: Thomas H. Cormen, Charles E. Leiserson, Ronald L. Rivest, and Clifford Stein, Introduction to Algorithms, Third Edition (MIT Press, 2009).

Grading: Grading will be based on homework assignments, a midterm, and a final exam. The midterm and final exam will be in-class, and all students must attend the on campus exam. Any exceptions must be discussed with the instructor, and approved in advance. The timing will be determined in a manner that avoids conflicts with other classes. The tentative scheme for grading is:

• Homeworks 30%
• Midterm Exam 30%
• Final Exam 40%.

Homework Policy:

• Late homework will generally NOT be accepted. If there are extenuating circumstances, you should make prior arrangements with the instructor.
• You can collaborate on homework problems with other students in the class. However, you must write up each problem solution by yourself without assistance.
• Homework submissions must be typeset. Handwritten submissions will NOT be accepted. These must be uploaded to SCIS Moodle in PDF format only.

Assignments:

• Homework 1: due Sunday September 10, 2017.
• Homework 2: due Sunday October 8, 2017.
• Homework 3: due Sunday October 22, 2017.
• Homework 4: due Sunday November 19, 2017.
• Homework 5: due WEDNESDAY December 6, 2017.

Announcements:

• August 31: Homework 1 is out, due Sunday September 10.
• October 1: Homework 2 is out, due Sunday October 8.
• October 12: The in-class midterm exam is scheduled on Thursday October 26.
• October 15: Homework 3 is out, due Sunday October 22.
• November 12: Homework 4 is out, due Sunday November 19.
• November 27: The final exam is scheduled on Thursday December 14, 12:00 -- 14:00 at ECS 235 (normal classroom).
• November 29: Homework 5 is out, due WEDNESDAY December 6.

Schedule:

• Lecture 1 (Aug. 22): Introduction, Asymptotics (Section 3.1)
• Lecture 2 (Aug. 24): Recurrence, Strassen's Algorithm (Section 4.2, 4.5)
• Lecture 3 (Aug. 29): Polynomial Representations (Section 30.1)
• Lecture 4 (Aug. 31): Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) (Section 30.2)
• Lecture 5 (Sept. 5): Recitation I
• Lecture 6 (Sept. 7): Cancelled due to Hurricane Irma
• Lecture 7 (Sept. 19): Dynamic Programming I (Section 15.1)
• Lecture 8 (Sept. 21): Dynamic Programming II (Section 15.2, 15.3)
• Lecture 9 (Sept. 26): Dynamic Programming III (Section 15.4)
• Lecture 10 (Sept. 28): Dynamic Programming IV
• Lecture 11 (Oct. 3): Recitation II
• Lecture 12 (Oct. 5): Greedy Algorithms I (Section 16.1)
• Lecture 13 (Oct. 10): Greedy Algorithms II (Section 23.1, 23.2)
• Lecture 14 (Oct. 12): Greedy Algorithms III (Section 16.2, 16.3)
• Lecture 15 (Oct. 17): Greedy Algorithms IV
• Lecture 16 (Oct. 19): Greedy Algorithms V
• Lecture 17 (Oct. 24): Amortized Analysis I (Section 17.1, 17.2)
• Lecture 18 (Oct. 26): Midterm Exam
• Lecture 19 (Oct. 31): Review of Midterm Exam
• Lecture 20 (Nov. 2): Amortized Analysis II (Section 17.3, 17.4)
• Lecture 21 (Nov. 7): NP-completeness I (Section 34.1)
• Lecture 22 (Nov. 9): NP-completeness II (Section 34.2, 34.3)
• Lecture 23 (Nov. 14): NP-completeness III (Section 34.4)
• Lecture 24 (Nov. 16): NP-completeness IV (Section 34.5)
• Lecture 25 (Nov. 21): NP-completeness V (Section 34.5)
• Lecture 26 (Nov. 28): NP-completeness VI (Section 34.5)
• Lecture 27 (Nov. 30): Recitation III
• Lecture 28 (Dec. 5): Binomial Heaps (CLRS 2nd edition: Section 19.1, 19.2)
• Lecture 29 (Dec. 7): Fibonacci Heaps (Section 19.1, 19.2)