CS311H Fall 2024


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    CS 311H: Discrete Math Honors!


Logistical Information:

Instructor: Işıl Dillig
Lecture time: Tuesday, Thursday 5-6:15 pm
Lecture room: GDC 5.302
Discussion sections: Friday 12-1 pm (WCP 5.102) and Friday 1-2 pm (JGB 2.202)
Instructor e-mail: isil@cs.utexas.edu
Instructor office hours: Thursdays 6:15-7pm
TAs: Zeki Gurbuz, Letizia Fazzini, Sneha Ballabh, Noah Schell
Prerequisites: Admission to the CS Turing Scholars program
Textbook (optional): Kenneth H. Rosen, Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications, 7th edition.

Course Description:

This course covers elementary discrete mathematics for computer science. It emphasizes mathematical definitions, logical inference, and proof techniques. Topics include propositional logic, first-order logic, proof methods; sets, functions, relations; mathematical induction, recursion; elementary graph theory; basic complexity theory, recurrences. Please refer to the syllabus for a more detailed description.

Requirements and Grading:

  • This course has three exams; exams collectively count for 60% of the grade
  • There will be weekly problem sets. The problem sets collectively count for 35% of your final grade.
  • Class participation is required and will count for 5% of your grade. Students are expected to attend class and strongly encouraged to ask and answer questions. Students are also expected to be active on Ed Discussion and strongly encouraged to answer each others' questions.
  • The final grades will be curved, so please do not stress out if the mean is low on an exam or problem set!

    • Homework Policies:

  • Each assignment is due by 1 pm on the indicated date.
  • Each homework should be done individually . You can ask for help and pose clarification questions on Ed Discussion; however, the solutions must be your own. You are not allowed to check/compare solutions with other students in class, and you are not allowed to work in groups.
  • You may not use online resources in solving homework problems. In particular, consulting solutions from other similar classes is strictly prohibited. Using AI assistants like ChatGPT, GPT4 etc. is also strictly prohibited.
  • No late assignments will be accepted, but we will drop your lowest homework score for calculating final grades.
  • Solutions to problems sets must be typeset using LaTeX .

    Discussion Forum:

    All course-related discussions should take place on our Ed Discussion page. While you are welcome to discuss any high-level concepts, you may not share (full or partial) solutions to specific homework problems. Furthermore, you may not use any other channels (e.g., Facebook groups, SMS chat, Slack, Discord etc.) to discuss homework problems.

    Announcements:

  • The first class will meet on August 27.
  • This class will make heavy use of Canvas and Ed Discussion, so please familiarize yourself with those platforms.
  • TA office hours and locations will be announced on Ed Discussion.
  • If you need to contact the course staff, please send us a private message on Ed Discussion.

    • Honor Code (Read Carefully!):

  • We take the honor code extremely seriously, and people have faced severe consequences in the past (including failing the class) for not complying with the honor code. So please read this section and the homework policy very carefully.
  • Per the homework policy stated above, problem sets are meant to be done individually and without consulting online resources (including AI assistants like ChatGPT). Discussing high-level concepts, clarifications about homework questions, latex formatting tips etc. are allowed; however, exchanging answers (even partially) is not allowed. Furthermore, any course-related online discussions should take place on Ed Discussion. Using other forums (especially those that TAs or instructors do not have access to) will be considered a violation of the honor code.
  • You may not discuss exam questions until after the exams have been graded and handed back, as some of your classmates may not yet have taken the exam.
  • For general guidance on academic honesty, please refer to the departmental guidelines.
  • If you are ever in doubt about honor-code-related issues, please come and talk to the course staff to avoid getting in trouble down the road.

    • Title IX Reporting

    Title IX is a federal law that protects against sex and gender-based discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual assault, unprofessional or inappropriate conduct of a sexual nature, dating/domestic violence and stalking at federally funded educational institutions. UT Austin is committed to fostering a learning and working environment free from discrimination in all its forms. When unprofessional or inappropriate conduct of a sexual nature occurs in our community, the university can:
    1. Intervene to prevent harmful behavior from continuing or escalating.
    2. Provide support and remedies to students and employees who have experienced harm or have become involved in a Title IX
      3. investigation.
    3. Investigate and discipline violations of the university's relevant policies.
    Beginning January 1, 2020, Texas Senate Bill 212 requires all employees of Texas universities, including faculty, report any information to the Title IX Office regarding sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking that is disclosed to them. Texas law requires that all employees who witness or receive any information of this type (including, but not limited to, writing assignments, class discussions, or one-on-one conversations) must be reported. The instructor is required by law to report any Title IX related incidents that are disclosed in writing, discussion, or one-on-one. Before talking with me, or with any faculty or staff member about a Title IX related incident, be sure to ask whether they are a responsible employee. If you would like to speak with someone who can provide support or remedies without making an official report to the university, please email advocate@austin.utexas.edu. For more information about reporting options and resources, visit http://www.titleix.utexas.edu/, contact the Title IX Office via email at titleix@austin.utexas.edu, or call 512-471-0419. Although graduate teaching and research assistants are not subject to Texas Senate Bill 212, they are still mandatory reporters under Federal Title IX laws and are required to report a wide range of behaviors we refer to as unprofessional or inappropriate conduct of a sexual nature, including the types of conduct covered under Texas Senate Bill 212. The Title IX office has developed supportive ways to respond to a survivor and compiled campus resources to support survivors.

    Syllabus:

    Date Lecture topics Handouts Reading
    08/27 Logic 1 Lecture 1 Rosen 1.1, 1.2
    08/29 Logic 2 Lecture 2 Rosen 1.3
    09/03 Logic 3 Lecture 3 Rosen 1.4, 1.5
    09/05 Logic 4 Lecture 4 Rosen 1.6
    09/10 Proof methods Lecture 5 Rosen 1.7, 1.8
    09/12 Sets Lecture 6 Rosen 2.1, 2.2
    09/17 Sets cont. & functions Lecture 7 Rosen 2.3
    09/19 Functions cont.   Rosen 2.3
    09/24 Exam 1 review    
    09/26 Exam 1    
    10/01 Number theory 1 Lecture 8 Rosen 4.1
    10/03 Number Theory 2 Lecture 9 Rosen 4.3
    10/08 Combinatorics 1 Lecture 10 Rosen 6.1, 6.2
    10/10 Combinatorics 2 Lecture 11 Rosen 6.3, 6.4
    10/15 Combinatorics 3 Lecture 12 Rosen 6.5
    10/17 Induction 1 Lecture 13 Rosen 5.1
    10/22 Induction 2 Lecture 14 Rosen 5.2
    10/24 Induction 3 Lecture 15 Rosen 5.3
    10/29 Exam review    
    10/31 Exam 2    
    11/05 Graphs 1 Lecture 16 N/A
    11/07 Graphs 2 Lecture 17 N/A
    11/12 Graphs 3 Lecture 18 N/A
    11/15 Complexity Lecture 19 Rosen 3.2
    11/19 Recurrences Lecture 20 Rosen 8.2
    11/21 Master theorem Lecture 21 Rosen 8.3
    11/26 Thanksgiving break    
    11/28 Thanksgiving break    
    12/03 Review    
    12/05 Exam 3