CMSC 341 Data Structures Spring 2008
Section 0301 (TuTh 5:30 - 6:45 PM, ACIV015)
Mr. Mitch Edelman
Office: ITE 218
Office hours: TuTh 7:00 - 8:00 PM and by appt.
Announcements
From time to time, I will post notes of special importance, such as class cancellations, in this space. Please
check here frequently. Newest announcements will appear at the top of this list
- I will hold office hours on Tuesday, May 27, from 6:00 - 8:00 in my office, ITE 218. You may pick
up your exams and projects at that time.
- Thursday, May 8 Additional lecture notes for dfs with finish times are available
here
- Wednesday, May 7 Please note review time for final exam is Wednesday, May 14, 6:00 PM in ITE 231
- Wednesday, April 9 EXAM 2 REVIEWS will be held Wednesday, April 9 and Thursday April 10 in room ACIV 015 All students are welcome
to attend.
- Feb 7 Java Generics articles that you may find useful are here
- Sunday, January 27 Welcome to CMSC 341, Section 301!!
Course Description
course content
We will cover the design and implementation of a number of "classical" data structures - lists, stacks, queues, trees, sets, and
graphs, to name a few.
We will also cover techniques for analyzing the performance of our implementations of these data structures, using a technique
known as "algorithm analysis".
course objectives
You will learn how to select an appropriate data structure and implementation based on the problem you are solving.
You will learn some Java - as will the instructor. As we are still in transition, with some of you having had CMSC 202
while it was being taught in C++, we will devote some time to Java essentials.
you will learn how to analyze the performance of code, both in terms of their running time and space requirements.
You will have ample opportunities (in the form of quizzes and coding projects) to practice these skills.
Textbooks
Required: Data Structures and Algorithm Analysis in Java, 2rd Edition, by Mark Alan Weiss, Addison-Wesley, ISBN 0-321-37013-9
Recommended:
- Your favorite Java reference book -- here are some of mine (NOTE: Most of these are rather new. Java is an evolving language, and
release 1.6 includes many language features not described in earlier texts)
- Absolute Java, Third Edition by Walter Savitch Addison Wesley Publishing, ISBN: 0-321-48792-3. This is the text used in CMSC 202
- 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
- Learning Java by Neimeyer & Knudsen, O'Reilly Press, 2005 ISBN 0-596-00873-2
- 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.
- 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.
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).
Projects are due on or before the published due date, and they will not be accepted after that time. Please plan your schedules
accordingly. Note that it's much better for you to turn in a partially-completed project than not to turn anything in.
Makeup exams are generally not given. If your work schedule precludes your taking an exam, please notify me in advance.
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. Similarly, you are responsible for all assigned reading, even if it is not discussed in lecture. You should keep up with
the assigned readings during the semester. Some reading material will be distributed through the course web page.
You must keep up with the work to do well in this course. If the only coding you do is just the projects, and all your studying
is just before the exam, you can reasonably expect a "c". If you want to earn a better grade, you will need to do more than just
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.
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:
- Please do not email program code. If you want me or the TA to help you debug your code 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.
- Please use your your UMBC account to send mail. This will remove any ambiguity about who you are, and my mail filters will
probably not eliminate campus mail.
- 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.
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:
- Observe all the University and Departmental policies regarding the use of the University's and the Department's computer and
laboratory facilities.
- No Food or Drinks Allowed in the Lab. Absolutely Never!
- Do not log in to multiple machines, especially when there are students waiting for access to the lab.
- Be respectful of others working in the lab. DO NOT create disturbances (e.g. don't be noisy, don't play audible music, etc).
- CMSC 421 related activities have priority. This is because they have special requirements that limit them to this lab, while
there are designated OIT Labs across campus that provide general computer access.
- Observe the TA hours in the lab. CMSC 341 students are only allowed to work during the TA lab hours. Sign in with the TA when
you arrive. You must leave the lab by when the TA goes off duty - no excuses, no exceptions!
- When you complete working in the lab, remove all your code from the lab machines. Leaving your code where others may find it
does not absolve you from being charged with cheating, should some other student find and "borrow" your code.
- Report offenders of lab rules to the instructional staff.
- Report any suspicious activity to the instructional staff or the Campus police, as appropriate.
- The lab is provided to you by the University for your benefit. Take good care of it! Do not abuse it!
- Repeated offenses might result in shutting down the laboratory for everybody.
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.
As lab time and resources are limited, you should plan to use them to your best advantage. I suggest that your best use of the
lab is to obtain assistance from the TA on some problems you have, rather than to experiment with code design (or any other
such activity that can be done effectively in one of the regular labs, without the TA's presence). Lab time and space are
limited resources. Please use them when you must, but please try to use them only when you must.
Class Schedule
Class |
Date
|
Topic
|
Reading
|
1
| Tue Jan 29
| Introduction and Java
| MAW 1
|
| Wed Jan 30
| Project 1 Assigned
|
|
2
| Thu Jan 31
| Java and OOP
| MAW 1; tutorial
|
3
| Tu Feb 5
| Java and OOP
| MAW 1; tutorial
|
4
| Thu Feb 7
| Asymptotic Analysis
| MAW 2
|
5
| Tu Feb 12
| Asymptotic Analysis
| MAW 2
|
6
| Th Feb 14
| List ADT and Implementations
| MAW 3
|
| Fri Feb 15
| Project 1 Due
|
|
7
| Tu Feb 19
| Stacks and Queues
| MAW 3
|
8
| Th Feb 21
| Exam 1
| Classes 1 - 7
|
| Mon Feb 25
| Project 2 Assigned
|
|
9
| Tu Feb 26
| Basic UI layout in Java
| Handouts
|
10
| Th Feb 28
| Basic Event Handling in Java
| Handouts
|
11
| Tu Mar 4
| Introduction to Trees
| MAW 4.1 & 4.2
|
12
| Th Mar 6
| Binary Search Trees
| MAW 4.3
|
13
| Tue Mar 11
| Binary Search Trees
| MAW 4.3
|
14
| Th Mar 13
| Splay Trees
| MAW 4.5-6, 11.5
|
| Fri March 14
| Project 2 Due
|
|
| Week of March 17
| Spring Break
|
|
| Mon Mar 24
| Project 3 Assigned
|
15
| Tu Mar 25
| K-D Trees
| MAW 12.6
|
16
| Th Mar 27
| Red-Black Trees
| MAW 12.2 + notes
|
17
| Tu Apr 1 (no foolin' - it's April!)
| Red-Black Trees
| MAW 12.2 + notes
|
18
| Thu Apr 3
| B-Trees
| MAW 4.7
|
19
| Tu Apr 8
| B-Trees
| MAW 4.7
|
20
| Thu Apr 10
| Hashing
| MAW 5
|
| Fri Apr 11
| Project 3 Due
|
|
21
| Tu Apr 15 (A taxing day for us all)
| Exam 2
| Classes 9 - 19
|
| Wed Apr 16
| Project 4 Assigned
|
|
22
| Th Apr 17
| Hashing
| MAW 5
|
23
| Tu Apr 22
| Priority Queues and Heaps
| MAW 6
|
24
| Th Apr 24
| Priority Queues and Heaps
| MAW 6
|
25
| Tu Apr 29
| Skip Lists
| MAW 10.4.2 + notes
|
| Wed Apr 30
| Project 4 Due
|
|
| Wed Apr 30
| Project 5 Assigned
|
|
26
| Th May 1 Mayday, Mayday!!
| Disjoint Sets
| MAW 8
|
27
| Tu May 6
| Graphs
| MAW 9.1, 9.3 + notes
|
28
| Th May 8
| Graphs
| MAW 9.1, 9.3 + notes
|
29
| Tu May 13
| Graphs and Review
|
|
| Tues May 13
| Project 5 Due
|
|
| Thu May 15
|
Final Exam 6:00 - 8:00
| Classes 20 - 29
|
- Dates and topics are subject to change as required by class
progress
- Review Sessions for the exams will be held by Professor Mitch Edelman
- Monday, 2/18 7:15 - 9:15 room TBA
- Wednesday, 4/9 7:15 - 9:15 room TBA
- Wednesday, 5/14 (study day) 6:00 - 8:30 room TBA
- 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
is
www.cs.umbc.edu/courses/undergraduate/341/spring08/index.shtml
Please check the web page frequently. Any changes to the page will be
mentioned in the "Latest News" link.
Last modified on January 27, 2008 by Mitch Edelman
email: edelman AT cs.umbc.edu
Back up to Spring 2008 CMSC-341 Homepage