There are two hard prerequisites (equivalent courses are also acceptable):
COMPSCI 201 Data Structures and Algorithms
COMPSCI 230 Discrete Math for Computer Science
This is a "proof-based" course. The students will be expected to demonstrate mathematical maturity commensurate with having taken the above courses and mastered their material. If you do not satisfy these prerequisites, please contact the instructors.
There will be TEN homework assignments. Each assignment will count for ONE homework unit. Of the TEN units in total, the best NINE units will be considered for the final grade. Each homework unit will carry a weight of 6% of the final grade, for a total of 54%.
There will be TWO midterm exams and ONE final exam. The midterm exams will count for ONE exam unit EACH, and the final exam will count for TWO exam units. Of the FOUR exam units in total, the best THREE exam units will be considered for the final grade. Each exam unit will carry a weight of 12% of the final grade, for a total of 36%.
(Note that each exam unit counts twice as much as a homework unit in the final grade.)
Participation in your recitation section every week will earn 1% of the final grade, up to a cumulative maximum of 10% over the course of the semester. The last recitation will be a review session for which attendance will not be taken. It will not count in the final grade. This leaves 13 other recitations. There are no excused absences for recitation; the three over the 10% cap are intended to cover all absences, excused and unexcused. See below for details regarding which section you should attend.
The course will us relative grading and the final letter grades will depend on overall class performance. But, in choosing the final cutoffs, the following absolute course grade minimums will be ensured.
60% and higher: D- or higher
70% and higher: C- or higher
80% and higher: B- or higher
90% and higher: A- or higher
There will be weekly Homework assignments, typically released on Thursday and due the next Wednesday. Once every few weeks, we will have a Homework Break, which means that no Homework assignment will be released that week and the previous Homework assignment will be due the next week (i.e., in 2 weeks from release). The detailed Homework schedule is given in the course calendar.
Review the detailed guidelines on collaboration. Any violation of these guidelines will be reported without exception to the relevant authorities. This has led to disciplinary action in the past, so better be safe than sorry.
We will use Gradescope for all homework submissions.
Homework solutions must be submitted by 11:59 pm Durham (Eastern) time on the due date. The date of release and submission of homework assignments is given on the schedule. Typically, homework for the material covered in Week x will be released on the Thursday of Week x and will be due on the Wednesday of Week x+1.
A submission will be considered late if the submission website (Gradescope) marks it as late. Submissions submitted between 12:00 am and 12:59 am to Gradescope will be penalized with a 10% deduction of the final grade. A submission received after 1:00 am will not be graded and awarded no credit. This means that it is in your best interest to submit sufficiently early so that there is no possibility of the Gradescope server receiving it after 11:59 pm.
In the event that you have technical difficulties submitting to Gradescope, you may send an email to the course staff with your submission file(s) attached. The lateness penalty described above applies regardless of which platform the homework is submitted to.
In exceptional circumstances, you can contact the instructor before the submission deadline to request an extension. You should send an email to Professor Panigrahi (debmalya@cs.duke.edu) and Kate O'Hanlon (cco9@duke.edu) if you are requesting an extension, with a clearly stated reason for your request. All requests for extensions should be received at least 24 hours before the deadline. Requests received less than 24 hours before the deadline may not be adjudicated on, in which case the original deadline will stand. Extensions are at the discretion of Professor Panigrahi and may be refused. Only the written consent of Professor Panigrahi granting an extension will be considered valid. Nobody else is authorized to grant an extension.
If you are using an official Duke form related to extensions, such as the Short-Term Incapacitation Notification Form, please send it directly to Kate O'Hanlon (cco9@duke.edu).
For both types of extensions, you should expect to get an email with confirmation of your submission deadline by Thursday.
The homework solutions have to be typed. It is strongly encouraged that you prepare your homework submissions in LaTeX.
There will be two midterm examinations and one final examination. All examinations are currently planned as in-class, closed-book examinations.
Most of the time, you must attend the recitation section to which you are assigned. However, if you have one or two times during the semester when you have a conflict, you must inform both sets of TAs in advance and they will be able to transfer your attendance credit.