Department of Computer Science
CS 210 - Data Structures

Spring 1998 Syllabus

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

Solving complex computational problems requires the use of appropriate data structures, such as stacks, priority queues, search trees, dictionaries, hash tables, and graphs. It also requires the ability to measure the efficiency, or "complexity" of operations like sorting and searching, in order to make effective choices among alternative solutions. This course is a study of data structures -- their design, implementation, and effective use in solving computational problems. Laboratory exercises in C++ will provide an opportunity to study the characteristics of these data structures directly.

TEXTS (required):

Mark Allen Weiss, Algorithms, Data Structures, and Problem Solving with C++, Addison Wesley, 1996, and on-line handouts

INSTRUCTOR:

Allen Tucker, 211 Adams Hall
Email address: allen@polar.bowdoin.edu
Web address: http://www.bowdoin.edu/~allen
Office Hours: MTTh 3:30-5:00, or by arrangement

MEETING TIMES:

Class meeting: TTh 12:30-2:00 - Adams 106
Lab meeting: W 2:00-3:15 - Adams 208, and an alternative lab time to be determined

COURSE OUTLINE:

Week of	Topics	Readings	Work Due
Jan 19	Transition to C++: pointers, arrays, and structures	Chapter 1, Appx A, B, C
Jan 26	Objects and classes	Chapter 2	Lab 1
Feb 2	Templates: the Vector class, inheritance	Chapters 3, 4	Lab 2
Feb 9	Formal methods: O notation and complexity analysis	Chapter 5	Lab 3
Feb 16	Overview of data structures; stacks, queues, trees, hash tables	Chapter 6	Lab 4
Feb 23	*** test 1 ***
Mar 2	Induction and recursion	Chapter 7	Lab 5
Mar 9	Sorting algorithms: mergesort, quicksort	Chapter 8	Lab 6
Mar 16-23	*** Spring break ***
Mar 30	Random number generation, simulation	Chapters 9, 13	Lab 7
Apr 6	Application: stacks and compilers	Chapter 11
Apr 13	*** test #2 ***
Apr 20	Application: Index generation and binary trees	Chapter 12	Lab 8
Apr 27	Implementation: balanced binary search trees	Chapter 18	Lab 9
May 4 (1/2 week)	Implementation: hash tables	Chapter 19
May 13	*** final project presentations (2:00pm) ***

WORK FOR THE COURSE: The work for this course includes class participation, readings, two tests, 10 weekly lab assignments, and a final project. Lab assignments can be downloaded directly from this Web page on the Monday of the week when it is assigned. All work will be graded and will contribute to your course grade. Attendance is required for all scheduled classes and lab meetings.

Lab work may be done either individually or in teams of two (your choice), but written lab exercises should be completed individually. Each lab assignment should be turned in on the Monday following the week it is assigned. Students are expected to follow Bowdoin's Computer Use Policy and its Academic Honor Code.

The final project will provide an opportunity to design and implement a complex piece of software for a real-world problem, using the data structures and concepts that you have learned throughout the course.