Computer Science 456/656: Automata and Formal Languages
Spring 1998

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Instructor:
Dr. Larmore
Office, TBE A214. Telephone, 895-1096
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Graduate Assistant: At the present time, there is no graduate
assistant assigned to assist with this course.
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Room and Time: TBE B178, Mondays and Wednesdays, 4:00 PM to 5:15 PM.
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Days of Instruction: January 21, 1998 -- May 6, 1998.
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Holidays: February 16, April 6, April 8.
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Final Examination: Wednesday, May 13, 6:00 P.M.
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Midterm Examinations: February 18, March 18.
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Textbook: ``Introduction to Languages and the Theory of
Computation," by John C. Martin.
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Prerequisites: CSC 269 (Introduction to Data Structures)
and MAT 351 (Discrete Mathematics II).
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Postrequisite: CSC 478/678 (Compiler Construction)
This course is arguably the most interesting in the Computer Science core
curriculum. During this Semester, you will learn the accurate meanings of
a number of terms that you have probably heard. In some cases, you will
have to unlearn what you previously believed! For example, you will learn
the following concepts:
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Automaton.
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Language. (You may have thought you knew this one!)
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Grammar. (You probably thought you knew this one, too!)
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Turing Machine.
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Universal Turing Machine. The machine that can do anything that any
machine in this or any other universe could possibly do. But, rather
slowly!
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NP-complete. Almost everyone in computer science has heard this
term. You will learn the precise meaning.
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Undecidability. There are problems that are undecidable. There are
propositions that are true but for which there is no proof. I don't mean
no one has found a proof yet, I mean that no proof can exist at all!
There are problems, such as the halting problem, which cannot be solved
by any algorithm. No future genius, with a finite intellect, will ever
find one, not in this (or any other) universe, ever.
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P = NP? The most famous open question in all of computer
science. What does this mean? What does it mean in practical terms?
Written Homework
will be assigned, collected, and graded.
You are permitted to discuss homework. The first assignment
will be handed out on Wednesday, January 15, and will be collected
in class Wednesday, January 22. (If you cannot attend class that day,
leave your homework, in an envelope, with one of the office staff,
on or before that day.)
Homework and
tests from prior semesters are available.

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