CMSC 341 Data Structures Fall 2007

Section 0301 (Tues/Thurs 1:00 - 2:15pm, ITE 227)

Mr. Dennis Frey

Course Description

Data Structures are the paramount concern of this course. The principle objective of the course is to help you learn how to design and analyze a wide range of data structures.

The course covers data structures and associated algorithms. Relationships among data structures, their utility in various situations, and factors affecting their performance in algorithms will be considered. You will learn to analyze the demands of algorithms, how to choose appropriate data structures, and how to integrate data structures into algorithms.


Textbooks

Required: Data Structures and Algorithm Analysis in Java, 2rd Edition, by Mark Alan Weiss, Addison-Wesley, ISBN 0-321-37013-9

Recommended:


Prerequisites

We will assume that you have mastered the material from CMSC 201, CMSC 202, and CMSC 203. We will not review material that has been covered in the prerequisite courses. We do cover a few of the concepts from CMSC 202, but from a deeper point-of-view. Since Java has not been covered in the prerequisite courses, for this semester we will assume no prior knowledge of Java.

Grading

Your grade for this course will be based on 5 programming projects, 2 in-class exams and the final exam.

Each programming project is 8% of your grade, each exam is 20% of your grade.

Note that the due dates for the projects and the dates of the exams are already set (q.v., the syllabus and project policy handout). Please plan your schedules accordingly. Makeup exams will be given only under the most dire circumstances (almost never).

Your final letter grade is based on the standard formula:

0 <= F < 60, 60 <= D < 70, 70 <= C < 80, 80 <= B < 90, 90 <= A <= 100
These levels may be adjusted slightly in your favor, but grades will not be ``curved'' in the conventional sense.

Your grade is given for timely work done during the semester; incomplete grades will only be given for medical illness or other such dire circumstances.

Attendance and Readings

You are expected to attend all lectures. You are responsible for all material covered in the lecture, even if it is not in the textbook. You should keep up with the assigned readings during the semester. Some reading material will be distributed through the course web page. You are responsible for the material in the readings, even if it is not covered during lecture.

You must study to do well in this course. It will not be enough to attend lectures and do the homework. As advanced undergraduates, you will be responsible for learning material that is not necessarily covered in lectures. A prime learning requirement is that you contribute to class discussions and raise questions about the course material.


Lab Access and Policies

During TA Lab Office Hours, students enrolled in CSMC 341 will be able to use computers in the CSEE Systems Lab (ITE 240) for their project work. The lab contains 24 high-end Pentium machines with 1 GB RAM, dual-processor Pentium 4 CPUs and a CD-RW drive. Working there, during those times, will give students almost instant access to TA assistance as they work on projects. Students using the lab must observe all the rules below:

Failure to observe all the lab rules will result in suspending your lab access, as well as further disciplinary actions as determined by Departmental and University policy.


Contacting Me or the TAs

Please feel free to visit me or the TAs during our office hours. If you can't make it during the regular hours, please ask for an appointment. We will do everything we can to be available to provide help with this course. Office hours, phone numbers and other contact information is available on-line. If you need to contact any of the course staff outside of lecture and office hours, email is much better than the telephone. You should, however, observe the following etiquette:

Academic Integrity

Cheating in any form will not be tolerated. Instances of cheating will be reported to the UMBC Academic Conduct Committee. These reports are filed by the Committee and can be used for disciplinary action such as a permanent record on your transcript. Academic honesty is absolutely required of you. You are expected to be honest yourself and to report any cases of dishonesty you see among other students in this class. Reports of dishonest behavior will be kept anonymous.
Further details on honesty in doing projects for this course are on-line at the Project Policy link.

Students are welcome and encouraged to study together for exams, but examinations are to be your own work -- not your neighbor's and not your notes. All exams are closed-book, closed-notes. Only pencils (or pens) and erasers are permitted in the exam room unless otherwise indicated. Scratch paper is provided to you, as needed. Having any other materials in your possession during an exam will be taken as evidence of cheating and dealt with accordingly.


Class Schedule


Class
Date
Topic
Reading
1 Thurs Aug 29 Introduction and Java MAW 1
2
Tues Sept 4 Java and OOP MAW 1; tutorial

Wed Sept 5
Project 1 Assigned

3
Thurs Sept 6 Java and OOP MAW 1; tutorial
4 Tues Sept 11 Asymptotic Analysis MAW 2
5 Thurs Sept 13 Asymptotic Analysis MAW 2
6 Tues Sept 18 List ADT and Implementations MAW 3
7 Thurs Sept 20 Stacks and Queues MAW 3

Fri Sept 21
Project 1 Due


Mon Sept 24
Exam 1 review
7:15 - 9:15pm, Room TBA
8 Tues Sept 25
Exam 1
Classes 1 - 7

Wed Sept 26
Project 2 Assigned

9 Thurs Sept 27 Basic UI and Event Handling in Java Handouts
10 Tues Oct 2 TBA
12 Thurs Oct 4 Introduction to Trees MAW 4.1 & 4.2
12
Tues Oct 9 Binary Search Trees MAW 4.3
13
Thurs Oct 11 Binary Search Trees MAW 4.3

Fri Oct 12
Project 2 Due

Mon Oct 15
Project 3 Assigned

14 Tues Oct 16 Splay Trees MAW 4.5-6, 11.5
15 Thurs Oct 18 K-D Trees MAW 12.6
16 Tues Oct 23 Red-Black Trees MAW 12.2 + notes
17 Thurs Oct 25 Red-Black Trees MAW 12.2 + notes
18 Tues Oct 30 B-Trees MAW 4.7
19 Thurs Nov 1 B-Trees MAW 4.7

Fri Nov 2
Project 3 Due


Mon Nov 5
Exam 2 review
7:15pm - 9:15, Room TBA
20 Tues Nov 6
Exam 2
Classes 9 - 19

Wed Nov 7
Project 4 Assigned

21 Thurs Nov 8 Hashing MAW 5
22 Tues Nov 13 Hashing MAW 5
23 Thurs Nov 15 Priority Queues and Heaps MAW 6
23 Tues Nov 20 Priority Queues and Heaps MAW 6

Wed Nov 21
Project 4 Due


Thurs Nov 22
Thanksgiving Break


Mon Nov 26
Project 5 Assigned

25 Tues Nov 27 Skip Lists MAW 10.4.2 + notes
26 Thurs Nov 29 Disjoint Sets MAW 8
27 Tues Dec 4 Graphs MAW 9.1, 9.3 + notes
28 Thurs Dec 6 Graphs MAW 9.1, 9.3 + notes
29 Tues Dec 11
Graphs

Tues Dec 11
Project 5 Due


Tues Dec 11
Final Exam Review
6:00 - 8:00pm, Room TBA

TBA
sometime
Final Exam
Classes 1 - 29

Course Web Page

A few handouts will be provided in paper form at the first class. After that, all handouts will be provided only on the web. The course web page URL is

www.cs.umbc.edu/courses/undergraduate/341/fall07/index.shtml
Please check the web page frequently. Any changes to the page will be mentioned in the "Latest News" link. 
Last modified on Monday Aug 26, 2007 by Dennis Frey

email: frey AT cs.umbc.edu
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