Grades

SCHEDULE CHANGES

Especially, you should note the date change for the exam! In the event of snow cancellation on 2/27, the exam will be pushed back to 3/6.

Course Description

The course covers data structures and associated algorithms. We will study the relationships among data structures, their utility in various situations, and factors affecting their performance. You will learn to analyze the time and space complexity of algorithms, how to choose appropriate data structures, and how to integrate data structures into programs.

Textbooks

Recommended:

• Your favorite C++ reference book -- some suggestions

 
• The C++ Programming Language, Special Edition by Bjarne Stroustroup

(He's the guy who invented the language)
Addison-Wesley, 2000, ISBN 0-201-70073-5
 
• C++ Primer, Third Edition by Stanely B. Lippman, Josee Lajoie

Addison-Wesley, 1998, ISBN 0-201-82470-1
 
• C++ FAQs, Second Edition by Marshall Cline, Greg Lomow, Mike Girou

Addison-Wesley, 1999, ISBN 0-201-30983-1
 
• Effective C++ Second Edition by Scott Meyers

Addison-Wesley
 
• More Effective C++ by Scott Meyers

Addison-Wesley


• Thinking in C++ by Bruce Eckel.
  This book is available in its entirety on the web at
  http://www.mindview.net/Books/TICPP/ThinkingInCPP2e.html

• 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 C++ by Sartaj Sahni, McGraw-Hill, 1998. Covers some material not covered by the Heileman text.
• 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 by Ellis Horowitz, Sartaj Sahni, and Dinesh Mehta, 1995. Another classic. In C++.
• 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

Grading

If you work and have planned travel time around an exam, you need to notify me in advance. If you miss an exam for any reason other than illness requiring medical attention or for an emergency, you will receive a zero on the exam.
An "emergency" is "a situation or occurrence of a serious nature, developing suddenly AND unexpectedly, and demanding immediate action.

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

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. Please note that "timely" means "submitted on or before the announced due date". In particular, due date extensions for projects don't happen.

Attendance and Readings

PowerPoint slides are usually available in advance of the lectures; they are there to support your preparation for class. They are not a substitute for lecture attendance. So, even though I do not take attendance and you are not required to attend lectures, you run a very high risk of severely damaging your grade by skipping them.

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.

You should plan on spending at least 12-15 hours per week outside of the classroom on preparing for and reviewing lecture materials and the projects. Also, if the only code you write in here this semester is for the projects, you can reasonably expect a "C" in the course. To learn this material, you really need to experiment with it. That means writing demonstration code for your individual learning.

BlackBoard Discussion Board

Contacting Me or the TAs

• Please do not email program code. If you want me or the TA to help you debug your code, first submit the code in the usual way, 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.
• I get in the vicinity of 40 or 50 pieces of junk mail daily, and unless you want my mail filters to scrub you immediately, use your real name in email messages to the course staff. Mail from "hormonal and ready for action" aren't DOA - they just never arrive! Also, use your GL account for mail. And if you must send mail from hotmail, please include your umbc return address.
• Include a meaningful subject line, something like "CMSC 341 Project 2 question."

Academic Integrity

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

• Dates and topics are subject to change as required by class progress
• MAW = Weiss text "Data Structures & Algorithm Analysis in C++"

Course Web Page

www.cs.umbc.edu/courses/undergraduate/341/spring03/index.shtml