CS 454, Section 001 Sonoma State University Spring, 2024
 
Theory of Computation
Instructor: Henry M. Walker

Lecturer, Sonoma State University
Professor Emeritus of Computer Science and Mathematics, Grinnell College

Although much of this course has been well developed in recent semesters, the SSU CS faculty recently have approved an updated course description. Also, the required SSU Signature Project for SSU's Upper Division GE Area B Requirement for CS Majors has been rethought for this course. Currently, the Web site is reasonably stable, but modest refinements are likely. Check these pages regularly for adjustments.

Contract Negotiations Have Yielded a Tentative Agreement

Since May, 2024, the California Faculty Association (CFA) – the labor union of professors, lecturers, librarians, counselors, and coaches across the 23 California State University campuses – has been in negotiations with the management of the California State University System. After a one-day strike on Monday, January 22, the two sides have reached a tentative agreement, and the strike has been called off. Effective Tuesday, January 23, SSU classes (including CS 454) will be held as scheduled.

Tentative Class Schedule

Tuesday Thursday
January 23y
Getting Started
  • Start of classes
  • Introductions
  • Quick Course Overview
  • Home Page / Syllabus / Schedule
  • Class format and expectations
  • Academic honesty: the need for careful citations and complete references/common outcomes for dishonesty
  • Clicker set up
  • Status Check—where are we really?

Introduction: Mathematical Prelminaries
  • Mathematical Notations
  • Definitions, Theorems, and Proofs
  • What qualities should be included in a well-writen, mathematical proof?
Reading:
  • Sipser: Section 0.1-0.2

  • Regular Languages: Deterministic Finite Automata (DFAs)
Reading:
  • Sipser: Section 1.1

Assignment on Proof Review
Due: Thurs., Jan. 25; Tues., Jan. 30; Thurs., Feb. 1 		January 25
  • Proofs by Construction
Reading:
  • Sipser: Section 0.2-0.4

Regular Languages
  • Deterministic and Nondeterministic Automata (DFAs and NFAs)
Reading:
  • Sipser: Section 1.2
January 30
Introduction: Proofs and Techniques
  • Proofs by Contradiction
  • Proofs by Induction
Reading:
  • Sipser: Section 0.3-0.4

Regular Languages: Continued
  • Deterministic and Nondeterministic Finite Automata
Reading:
  • Sipser: Sections 1.1-1.2

Assignment on Proofs, DFAs, and NFAs
Due: Tuesday, February 6 		February 1
Introduction: Proofs and Techniques
  • Proofs by Induction
Reading:
  • Sipser: Section 0.3-0.4

Regular Languages
    Regular Expressions
Reading:
  • Sipser: Section 1.3
February 6
Regular Languages
  • Nonregular Expressions
Reading:
  • Sipser: Section 1.4

In-class Quiz #1

Assignment on DFAs/NFAs and Regular/Non-regular Expressions
Due: Tuesday, February 13 		February 8 Regular Languages
  • Wrap-up
Reading:
  • Sipser: Sections 1.1-1.4

The Signature Project: Getting Started
  • Part 1: Current Event Report
Reading:
Context-Free Languages
  • Context-free Grammars
Reading:
  • Sipser: Section 2.1
February 13
Context-Free Languages
  • Pushdown Automata
Reading:
  • Sipser: Sections 2.2

Assignment on Context-free Grammars and Pushdown Automata
Due: Tuesday, February 20 		February 15
Context-Free Languages
  • Non-context-free Languages
Reading:
  • Sipser: Sections 2.3
February 20
Context-Free Languages
  • Wrap-up
Reading:
  • Sipser: Sections Sections 2.1-2.3

In-class Quiz #2

Assignment on Context-free Languages
Due: Tuesday, February 27 		February 22
Church-Turing Thesis
  • Turing Machines
Reading:
  • Sipser: Section 3.1

Due: Email Current Events Topics, with citations
February 27
Church-Turing Thesis
  • Variants of Turing Machines
Reading:
  • Sipser: Section 3.2

Assignment on Turing Machines
Due: Tuesday, March 5 		February 29
Church-Turing Thesis
  • Enumerators
  • Algorithms
Reading:
  • Sipser: Sections 3.2-3.3

Due: Distribute Draft Current Events Write-up to Small Groups
March 5
Church-Turing Thesis
  • Wrap-up


In-class Quiz #3

Assignment on Turing Machines and Algorithms
Due: Tuesday, March 12

Due: Small Group Feedback on Draft Current Events Write-ups 		March 7
Decidability
  • Decidable Languages
  • The Halting Problem
Reading:
  • Sipser: Sections 4.1-4.2
March 12
Decidability
  • Wrap-up
Reading:
  • Sipser: Sections 4.1-4.2


Assignment on Decidability
Due: Tuesday, April 2

Due: Current Evemts 		March 14
Test 1
(March 14)
March 19
Spring Break (Tuesday, March 19) 		March 21
Spring Break (Thursday, March 21)
March 26
Reducibility
  • Undecidable Problems from Language Theory
Reading:
  • Sipser: Section 5.1
March 28
Reducibility
  • A Simple Undecidable Problem
Reading:
  • Sipser: Section 5.2
April 2
Reducibility
  • Mapping Reducibility
Reading:
  • Sipser: Section 5.3

In-class Quiz #4

Assignment on Reducibility
Due: Tuesday, April 9 		April 4
Time Complexity
  • Measuring Complexity
Reading:
  • Sipser: Section 7.1
April 9
Time Complexity
  • The Class P
Reading:
  • Sipser: Section 7.2

Assignment on Algorithm Complexity and Class P
Due: Tuesday, April 16 		April 11
Time Complexity
  • The Class NP
Reading:
  • Sipser: Section 7.3

Due: (Extra Credit) Email Optional Current Event Topics (with Citations)
April 16
Time Complexity
  • NP-Completeness
Reading:
  • Sipser: Section 7.4

In-class Quiz #5

Assignment Class NP and NP Completeness
Due: Tuesday, April 23 		April 18
Time Complexity
  • Wrap-up
Reading:
  • Sipser: Sections 7.1-7.4

NP-completeness Paper, Introduced
  • Introduction and Discussion

Due: (Extra Credit) Optional Current Events Write-up
April 23
NP-completeness Paper, Continued
  • Questions, further discussion
  • Small groups established
Due by 10:00 pm today: Email Proposed NP-Complete Problems 		April 25
Test 2
(April 25)
April 30
NP-completeness Paper, Continued
  • Questions, discussion of topics
  • Small groups established
  • Expectations for small-group feedback

Due: Draft NP-complete Papers Distributed to Small Groups 		May 2
NP-Completeness Paper, Continued
  • on
     NP-Complete Problems
  • Small groups introduced to Draft Papers

Due: Small Groups Feedback on Draft NP-complete Papers
May 7
NP-completeness Paper, Continued
  • Discussion of NP-completeness Assignment
  • Questions, clarifications of Self-reflection Assignment

In-class Quiz #6
Due: Revised NP-completeness Paper 		May 9
Last day of class: Thursday, May 9
  • Questions, comments
  • Class Wrap Up
  • Perspectives on Current Events, NP-Completeness Assignment, Self Reflection
  • Highlights and Feedback on Course

Due: Self-Reflection Paper
May 14
No Final Exam for this course 		May 16
No Final Exam for this course  
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For more information, please contact Henry M. Walker at walker@cs.grinnell.edu.
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