CS 454, Section 001 Sonoma State University Spring, 2026
 
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, some details may be adjusted from semester to semester.
In particular, the Signature Project for this course satisfies SSU's Upper Division GE Area B Requirement for CS Majors, but details of this project likely vary from instructor to instructor and from semester to semester.
In particular,

Tentative Class Schedule

Tuesday Thursday
January 27
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 Preliminaries
  • Mathematical Notations
  • Definitions, Theorems, and Proofs
  • What qualities should be included in a well-written, mathematical proof?
Reading:
  • Sipser: Section 0.1-0.2

Finite Automata
  • 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 29
  • Proofs by Construction
Reading:
  • Sipser: Section 0.2-0.4

Regular Languages
  • Deterministic and Nondeterministic Automata (DFAs and NFAs)
Reading:
  • Sipser: Section 1.2

Assignment on Proofs, DFAs, and NFAs
Due: Thursday, February 5
February 3
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
February 5
Introduction: Proofs and Techniques
  • Proofs by Induction
Reading:
  • Sipser: Section 0.3-0.4

Regular Languages
    Regular Expressions
Reading:
  • Sipser: Section 1.3

The Signature Project: Getting Started
  • Part 1: Current Event Report
Reading:

Assignment on DFAs/NFAs and Regular/Non-regular Expressions
Due: Tuesday, February 12
February 10
Regular Languages
  • Nonregular Expressions
Reading:
  • Sipser: Section 1.4

In-class Quiz #1 		February 12 Regular Languages
  • Wrap-up
Reading:
  • Sipser: Sections 1.1-1.4


Context-Free Languages
  • Context-free Grammars
Reading:
  • Sipser: Sections 2.1-2.2

Due: Current Events: Email Topics, with citations

Assignment on Context-free Grammars and Pushdown Automata
Due: Thursday, February 26
February 17

In-class Quiz #2 		February 19
No Class Today
  • Use this time to
    • read and organize thoughts
    • write your complete Current Events Draft
Work on: Current Events: Complete Draft Write-up
February 24
Context-Free Languages
  • Pushdown Automata
  • Non-context-free Languages
  • Wrap-up
Reading:
  • Sipser: Sections Sections 2.1-2.3

Due: Current Events: Distribute Draft Write-up to Small Groups
February 26
Church-Turing Thesis
  • Turing Machines
Reading:
  • Sipser: Section 3.1

Due: Current Events: Small Group Feedback on Draft Write-ups
Assignment on Context-free Languages
Due: Thursday, March 5
March 3
Church-Turing Thesis
  • Variants of Turing Machines
Reading:
  • Sipser: Section 3.2

Due: Current Events: Final Versions/Write-ups 		March 5
Church-Turing Thesis
  • Enumerators
  • Algorithms
Reading:
  • Sipser: Sections 3.2-3.3

Assignment on Turing Machines
Due: Thursday, March 12
March 10
Church-Turing Thesis
  • Wrap-up


In-class Quiz #3 		March 12
Decidability
  • Decidable Languages
  • The Halting Problem
Reading:
  • Sipser: Sections 4.1-4.2


Assignment on Turing Machines and Algorithms
Due: Thursday, March 19
March 17
Decidability
  • Wrap-up
Reading:
  • Sipser: Sections 4.1-4.2
March 19
Test 1
(March 19)

Assignment on Decidability
Due: Thursday, April 2
March 24
Spring Break (Tuesday, March 24) 		March 26
Spring Break (Thursday, March 26)
March 31
Cesar Chavez Birthday (Tuesday, March 31)
 (No class session today) 		April 2
Reducibility
  • Undecidable Problems from Language Theory
  • A Simple Undecidable Problem
Reading:
  • Sipser: Sections 5.1-5.2
April 7
Reducibility
  • Mapping Reducibility
Reading:
  • Sipser: Section 5.3

In-class Quiz #4 		April 9
Time Complexity
  • Measuring Complexity
Reading:
  • Sipser: Section 7.1

Assignment on Reducibility
Due: Thursday, April 16
April 14
Time Complexity
  • The Class P
Reading:
  • Sipser: Section 7.2
April 16
Time Complexity
  • The Class NP
Reading:
  • Sipser: Section 7.3

Assignment on Algorithm Complexity and Class P
Due: Thursday, April 23

Due: (Extra Credit) Email Optional Current Event Topics (with Citations)
April 21
Time Complexity
  • NP-Completeness
Reading:
  • Sipser: Section 7.4

In-class Quiz #5 		April 23
Time Complexity
  • Wrap-up
Reading:
  • Sipser: Sections 7.1-7.4

NP-completeness Paper, Introduced
  • Introduction and Discussion

Assignment Class NP and NP Completeness
Due: Thursday, April 30

Due: (Extra Credit) Optional Current Events Write-up
April 28
NP-completeness Paper, Continued
  • Questions, further discussion
  • Small groups established
Due by 10:00 pm today: Email Proposed NP-Complete Problems 		April 30
Test 2
(May 5)
May 5
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 7
NP-Completeness Paper, Continued
Due: Small Groups Feedback on Draft NP-complete Papers
May 12
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 14
Last day of class: Thursday, May 14
  • Questions, comments
  • Class Wrap Up
  • Perspectives on Current Events, NP-Completeness Assignment, Self Reflection
  • Highlights and Feedback on Course

Due: Self-Reflection Paper
May 19
No Final Exam for this course 		May 21
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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