CPS130: Introduction to the Design and Analysis of Algorithms

This course is an introductory undergraduate course on the design and analysis of algorithms building on the concepts from CPS100. It introduces a number of basic algorithms for for a variety of problems such as searching, sorting, selection and graph problems. It discusses analysis techniques, such as recurrences and amortization, as well as algorithm design paradigms such as divide-and-conquer, dynamic programming, and greedy algorithms.

Instructor:

• Laura Toma
  Office: D224 LSRC Bldg
  Email: laura@cs.duke.edu
  Office hours: Mon, Thu, Fri 5-6pm

TA:

• Tammy Bailey
  Office: D343 LSRC Bldg
  Email: tammy@cs.duke.edu
  Office hours: Monday & Tuesday 2:00-3:30
  Problem sessions: Wednesday 5:00-6:00, D106 LSRC

Main Topics:

• Mathematical foundation (growth of functions, summations, recurrences)
• Sorting
• Searching
• Amortized Analysis
• Paradigms (divide-and-conquer, greedy, dynamic programming)
• Graph Algorithms
• NP-Completeness

Course material:

• Cormen, Leiserson, Rivest and Stein, Introduction to Algorithms, 2nd Edition, McGraw Hill, New York, 1990. (bugs).
• Handouts

Other good reference books include:

• D. Kozen, The Design and Analysis of Algorithms, Springer Verlag,1991.
• A. Aho, J. Hopcroft, and J. Ullman, Design and Analysis of Algorithms,Addison Wesley 1974.
• G. Brassard and P. Bratley, Algorithmic - Theory and Practice, Prentice Hall, 1988.
• R. Tarjan, Data Structures and Network Algorithms, SIAM Publications,1983.
• C. H. Papadimitriou, Computational Complexity, Addison Wesley, 1994.

Grades

• Homework assignments (approx. 30%).
• Two in-class exams (20% each) and a final exam (30%).
• Class participation.

Homeworks

Homework assignments will be made available online as the semester progresses. No credit is given for homework problem solutions received late. For special situations contact Laura. Homework rules:

• Write your name on each sheet.
• Write the solutions in the space provided.
• Collaboration is allowed, even encouraged, provided that the names of the collaborators are listed along with the solutions. Solutions must be written up individually.
• Homework should be submitted at the beginning of class on the due date.
• Students are encouraged to type their solutions!