CMSC 341 Data Structures Fall 2010
Section | Honors | 1342 | 1344 | 1346 |
Instructor | Bergeron | Bergeron | Frey | Frey |
Room | ITE 231 | ACIV 014 | SOND 110 | SOND 112 |
Time | TuTh 2:30-3:45PM | MW 10:00-11:15AM | TuTh 10-11:15AM | TuTh 1:00-2:15PM |
Course Description
We will discuss a number of topics essential to your growth as a computer science student. Data Structures are the primary topic. You will learn to design and analyze core data structures and algorithms that use them.You will also study the relationships among data structures, their utility in various situations, and factors affecting their performance. You will learn to analyze the time complexity of algorithms, and how to choose appropriate data structures and algorithms.
Textbooks
Required: Data Structures and Algorithm Analysis in Java, 2rd Edition, by Mark Alan Weiss, Addison-Wesley, ISBN 0-321-37013-9Recommended:
- Your favorite Java reference book -- here are some of mine
- Java in a Nutshell, 5th Edition by David Flanagan, O'Reilly, 2005, ISBN 0-596-00773-6
- Thinking in Java, edition by Bruce Eckel, Prentice-Hall PTR, 2006, ISBN 0-131-87248-6. Available online at http://www.codeguru.com/java/tij/tij_c.shtml.
- Head First Java, Second Edition by Kathy Sierra and Bert Bates, O'Reilly, 2005, ISBN 0-596-00920-8
- Data structures and algorithms with object-oriented design patterns in Java by Bruno Preiss, Wiley, 1999.
- Data Structures and Algorithm Analysis by Clifford Shaffer, Prentice-Hall, 1996. This book has good coverage of data structures and algorithm analysis in C++. It has excellent descriptions of a number of data structures.
- Data Structures, Algorithms, and Applications in Java by Sartaj Sahni, McGraw-Hill, 1998.
- Data Structures and Algorithms by Alfred Aho, John Hopcroft, and Jeffrey Ullman, Addison-Wesley, 1983. This is one of the all-time classics, written in Pascal.
- Fundamentals of Data Structures in C++ by Ellis Horowitz, Sartaj Sahni, and Dinesh Mehta, 2006. Update of another classic.
- Abstract Data Types by Nell Dale and Henry Walker, D.C. Heath and Company, 1996. A high-level view of data structures and algorithms, with no programming language specified. A very worthwhile and modern text with an alternative viewpoint.
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. We assume prior experience with Java, but will review Java briefly in the first few lectures and will have more intense reviews outside of class hours early in the semester for those who are a little rusty.Grading
Your grade for this course will be based on 4 programming projects, 10 Homework assignments, 2 in-class exams and the final exam.It is a very bad idea not to turn in all homeworks and projects.
Each programming project is 10% of your grade, each exam is 15% of your grade, and each homework will count as 1.5% of your grade.
Note that the due dates for the projects,homeworks, 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). Project regrades must be submitted within 1 Week of the return date to the TA for your section. In some unusual circumstances you may recieve a low project score because of a single, simple error that results in many incorrect outputs or results in a compiler/linker error. The definition of "simple error" is determined by your TA. In such cases, your TA may (at his discretion) allow you to fix the simple mistake and have your project regraded. A 10 point deduction will be assessed during the regrade process. Homeworks will always be assigned on a Thursday and are due in the following Monday. There will be NO regrades for homeworks. All projects and homework will not be accepted past the due date resulting in zero points for that assignment.
Your final letter grade is based on the standard formula:
0 <= F < 60, 60 <= D < 70, 70 <= C < 80, 80 <= B < 90, 90 <= A <= 100These 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 given only for medical illness or other such 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. Please keep up with the assigned readings during the semester. Reading materials 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. In particular, the assigned readings may show up on course quizzes, even though they were not explicitly presented in lectures!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 expected to review and to learn materials from a variety of
sources, including the text and journal articles (which will be posted
online). A prime learning requirement is that you
contribute to class discussions and raise questions about the course
material.
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:- Do not email program code. If you want me or the TA to help you debug your code, check it in via CVS, and then send email about the problem. We will look at the submitted code. Please, do NOT mail code to me or to the TA!
- Note that the Help Center does not offer help with code for this course.
- Please use your your UMBC account to send mail. This will remove any ambiguity about who you are and avoid your mail being trapped by the spam filter
- Include a meaningful subject line, something like "CMSC 341 Project 2 question."
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.
- Dates and topics are subject to change as required by class progress
- MAW = Weiss text "Data Structures & Algorithm Analysis in Java"
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 iswww.cs.umbc.edu/courses/undergraduate/341/fall10/main.phpPlease check the web page frequently. Any changes to the page will be mentioned in the "Latest News" link.
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