CS 313K: Logic, Sets and Functions

CS 313K: Logic, Sets and Functions, Fall 2008

Home page: http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/vl/teaching/313K.html

Time and Place: TTh 11-12:30, PAI 3.14

Discussion Section 55540: W 11-12, RLM 5.112
Discussion Section 55555: W 9-10, RAS 215
Discussion Section 55560: W 10-11, JES A218A

Instructor: Vladimir Lifschitz (vl@cs.utexas.edu)
Office Hours: TTh 1-2 and by appointment, TAY 3.150B

TA: Dan Lessin (dlessin@cs.utexas.edu)
Office Hours: M 9-10, W 1-2 and by appointment, ACES 2NEo1A.



This is a mathematically oriented course. It will introduce you to methods of reasoning that play an important role in computer science. You will learn to use these methods by doing homework problems, presenting your solutions in class at the board, and discussing solutions found by others. (This is known as the Moore method.) Although some of the problems are difficult, you should make a serious effort to solve each of them. Try to figure out solutions by yourself or in collaboration with other students, but not by asking someone who already knows the answers, and not by reading books or consulting the Internet.

There will be no textbook; the necessary notation and the statements of problems will be provided in a series of handouts. Do your best to attend every single class meeting. It is important that you spend your time in class listening critically to your fellow students and thinking about their proposed solutions, rather than just recording what is being said.

Syllabus: Three exams will be given on September 30, October 30 and December 4 (the dates are tentative) during regular class time. They will be cumulative, more heavily weighted towards material which has not yet been tested. Quizzes will be given almost every week during discussion sections; the lowest quiz score will be dropped. You may refer to class handouts and to your notes during exams and quizzes, but you should not use any books or any notes written by others. If we have made a mistake in grading your work then you should send the TA an e-mail message describing the problem within a week after we return the graded work to the class.

You are not expected to submit your homework for grading, but you should volunteer to present a solution to a homework problem in class at least once during the semester--that's how you'll get credit for class participation. That should be a problem that you solved by yourself, without help from others.

Your grade will be determined by the exams (25% each), the quizzes (15%) and class participation (10%).