Coordinates

M, W 2:50PM - 4:30PM, Ryder Hall 296
Instructor: Pete Manolios
Office hours: M, W 10:30-11:30 and by request
Email:

Books

• Required: Sipser. Introduction to the Theory of Computation Hardcover 3rd Edition. Cengage Learning.
  
  
• Recommended (Optional): Hopcroft, Motwani, and Ullman. Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation 3rd Edition. Prentice Hall.

Academic Integrity

Read and intimately familiarize yourselves with the Northeastern Academic Integrity policy.

Grading

• Midterm1 (25% of your grade). March 2, in class.
• Midterm2 (25% of your grade). April 20, in class.
• Class Presentations (35% of your grade).
• Class Participation (15% of your grade).

Notes

• I will do very little lecturing. I will introduce topics and I will cover material that the class finds challenging, but most of the class time will consist of students presenting solutions to homework problems. Why? Because it is not enough to understand the material. As PhD students, you have to be able to communicate complex concepts in a clear way. So, read the material and do the homework assignments before class.
• You can work on the homework assignments with any other students in this class and you can consult any external sources, but you have to write up solutions on your own. Any significant insights into assignments gained from any source should be cited and you should also indicate who else you discussed problems with. I strongly encourage you to try solving all the problems on your own, before seeking external help.
• The reason I give you homework is to help you understand the material and yourself. Sometimes things that seemed obvious in class or in the textbook turn out to be more subtle than you expected. Homework gives you the opportunity to show, yourself primarily and me secondarily, that you understand the concepts and their implications.
• During class, I will select homework problems and I will randomly select students to go to the board and show us their solutions. Bring two copies of your solutions to class. One you give me (this has to happen before class starts) and one you keep in case you are called to present solutions. Your class presentation grade will depend on the correctness of your solutions, your ability to present and explain solutions (expect lots of questions), and your homework submissions to me. Your class participation grade will depend on your contribution to the discussion of solutions. For example, if you ask insightful questions and if you find errors in presented proofs, then you will get class participation credit.
• My teaching method is based on the Moore method. Look it up. Here is an appropriate quote by Halmos:
  Can one learn mathematics by reading it? I am inclined to say no. Reading has an edge over listening because reading is more active -- but not much. Reading with pencil and paper on the side is very much better -- it is a big step in the right direction. The very best way to read a book, however, with, to be sure, pencil and paper on the side, is to keep the pencil busy on the paper and throw the book away.