CMSC 341 Data Structures
Spring 2005 Section 0401
Monday/Wednesday 2:00 - 3:15pm SS 109
Dr. Yun Peng

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 C++, 2nd Edition, by Mark Alan Weiss, Addison-Wesley

Recommended:


Prerequisites

We will assume that you have mastered the material from CMSC 201, CMSC 202, and CMSC 203, including mastery of the C++ language. We will not review material that has been covered in the prerequisite courses. We do cover a few of the data structures from CMSC 202, but from a deeper point-of-view. A few advanced C++ topics such as templates and exceptions will be reviewed. 

Grading

Your grade for this course will be based upon 5 projects, 2 in-class exams and the final exam. The projects are worth 40% of your grade, each project weighted equally. Each in-class exam is worth 20 percentage points; the final is worth 20 points. 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.


BlackBoard Discussion Board

A BlackBoard site has been created for this course. This site is used primarily to support discussion boards, but announcements are also posted there. A discussion board will be established for each programming project. Students are encouraged to post general project questions, answer questions posted by other students or just browse the discussion board to find answers to project questions. Your instructors and TAs will also be posting questions and answers. Your questions may be posted anonymously. Other discussion boards for topics such as general C++ questions will also be established. The course BlackBoard is accessed by logging on to my.umbc.edu and clicking on the BlackBoard tab at the top of the page.

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. 


Syllabus

Class
Date
Topic
Reading
1
Mon Jan 31
Introduction and C++ 
MAW 1
2
Wen Feb 2 C++ and OOP
MAW 1

Mon Feb 7
Project 1 Assigned
3 Mon Feb 7
Asymptotic Analysis MAW 2
4 Wen Feb 9 Asymptotic Analysis MAW 3
5 Mon Feb 14 List ADT and Implementations MAW 3
6 Wen Feb 16 List Implementations MAW 3

Sun Feb 20 Project 1 Due at 11:59pm
7
Mon Feb 21 Stacks, Queue, Dequeue ADT MAW 3
8 Wen Feb 23 Stacks, Queue, Dequeue ADT MAW 3
9
Mon Feb 28 Exam 1 classes 1 - 8

Wen Mar 2
Project 2 Assigned
10
Wed Mar 2 Recursion class notes
11
Mon Mar 7 Binary search trees MAW 4
12 Wed Mar 9
Binary Search Trees MAW 4
13 Mon Mar 14 Balanced Search Trees MAW 4

Tue Mar 15
Project 2 Due at 11:59pm

Wen Mar 16 Project 3 Assigned
14 Wed Mar 16 Balanced Search Trees MAW 4

Mon Mar 21
Spring Break


Wed Mar 23
Spring Break

15 Mon Mar 28 Balanced Search Trees MAW 4
16 Wed Mar 30 Balanced Search Trees MAW 4 & 12
17 Mon Apr 4 Balanced Search Trees MAW 4 & 12

Tue Apr 5
Project 3 Due at 11:59pm
18 Wed Apr 6
Hashing MAW 5
19
Mon Apr 11
Exam 2
Classes 9 - 17

Wed Apr 13
Project 4 Assigned
20
Wed Apr 13 Hashing MAW 5
21 Mon Apr 18 Hashing MAW 5
22 Wed Apr 20 Priority Queues and Heaps MAW 6
23 Mon Apr 25 Priority Queues and Heaps MAW 6

Tue Apr 26 Project 4 Due 11:59pm
24 Wed Apr 27 Skip Lists MAW 10 + notes

Mon May 2 Project 5 Assigned
25 Mon May 2
Skip Lists MAW 10 + notes
26 Wed May 4
Disjoint Sets MAW 8
27
Mon May 9 B - Trees MAW 4 + notes
28
Wen May 11
B - Trees MAW 4 + notes

Sun May 15
Project 5 Due 11:59pm
29
Mon May 16
Review

Mon May 23
1:00 - 3:00
Final Exam
Classes 18 - 28

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/spring04/index.shtml
Please check the web page frequently. Any changes to the page will be mentioned in the "Latest News" link. 
Last modified on Wednesday January 14, 2004 by Yun Peng

email: ypeng@cs.umbc.edu
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