CS353 - Theory of Computation (Spring 2011)

Syllabus: detailed syllabus in pdf
less detailed syllabus in html
Professor: David Zuckerman
Email: diz@cs.utexas.edu
Phone: 471-9729
Office: CSA 1.120A
Useful Pointers: Theory of Computing Blog Aggregator
P vs. NP poll
List of many NP-complete problems
Certificate definition of NL is Definition 4.17 (Chapter 4) in Arora & Barak's graduate-level textbook Computational Complexity: A Modern Approach.
Complexity of various games and puzzles
Manuel Blum's lecture notes (pages 3 and 4) contain a counting argument showing the existence of functions with exponential circuit complexity. Note that he allows arbitrary gates on 2 inputs, whereas we allow only AND, OR, and NOT.
Homework: Posted on Blackboard.
Exams: The three exams will be held in class on the following dates: Exam 1 on Thursday, February 17; Exam 2 on Thursday, March 24; and Exam 3 on Thursday, May 5. No make-up exams will be given, so plan accordingly. You may bring a single, 8.5x11 inch, handwritten sheet of paper (you may use both sides). No calculators are allowed (they won't be necessary).

Last modified: April 16, 2011