CS 321
Theory of Computation

Lecture Topics and Reading
Fall 2008

Date

Topics

Reading

Announcements/Notes

Sept. 29

Introduction; Languages

Sections 1.2 (part on Languages)

Homework 1 due October 8

Oct. 1

Languages; Decision Problems

Sections 1.2 (part on Languages)


Oct. 3

 Deterministic Finite Accepters (DFAs)
 Section 2.1


Oct. 6

 DFA examples; Non-deterministic Finite Accepters (NFAs) Section 2.2


Oct. 8

 NFAs Section 2.2

Homework 2 due October 15

Oct. 10

NFA Examples;
Begin Equivalence of DFAs and NFAs;
Quiz 1 (Solutions)

  Section 2.3

Oct. 13

continue DFAs = NFAs

  Section 2.3

Note on NFA-TO-DFA.

Oct. 15

 Regular Expressions (REs)
 Section 3.1

Homework 3 due October 22

Oct. 17

Equivalence of REs and NFAs; Quiz 2 (Solutions)

 Section 3.2


Oct. 20

 REs = NFAs
 Section 3.2


Oct. 22

 Closure Properties of Regular Languages
 Section 4.1, 4.2


Oct. 24

Pumping Lemma; Quiz 3 (Solutions)

 Section 4.3


Oct. 27

Exam 1


Homework 4 due November 5

Oct. 29

 Pumping Lemma Examples
Pumping Lemma Do's and Don'ts

Oct. 31

 Pumping Lemma Examples; Proving non-regularity w/ Closure Properties

The Usefulness of Closure Properties

Nov. 3

 Context-Free Grammars
(CFGs)
 Section 5.1


Nov. 5

 CFG Derivation Trees and Parsing
 Section 5.2

Homework 5 due November 12

Nov. 7

Parsing and Ambiguity;
Quiz 4 (Solutions)


Nov. 10

 Ambiguity and Nondeterministic Push Down Automata (NPDA)
 Section 7.1


Nov. 12

 NPDAs

Homework 6 due November 19

Nov. 14

Equivalence of CFGs and NPDAs
Quiz 5 (Solutions)

 Section 7.2


Nov. 17

 Context-Free Closure Properties; Turing Machines
 Section 8.2

Error in Book

Nov. 19

 Turing Machines
 Section 9.1

Homework 7
This is an optional assignment due on Dec. 3. If you do turn it in, the assignment will factor into your HW percentage. Otherwise only the first 6 assignments will factor in.

Nov. 21

 Turing Machines; Turing Computability; Quiz 6 (Solutions) Sections 9.2, 9.3


Nov. 24

 Universal Turing Machines; Undecidability and the Halting Problem 10.4 (pg. 266-267),
12.1


Nov. 26

Exam 2

Homework 8 assigned (will not be collected)

Nov. 28

Thanksgiving Break



Dec. 1

Showing Undecidability via Reductions

 12.1

Example Reduction

Dec. 3

Showing Undecidability via Reductions

 12.1


Dec. 5

Review, Q/A

Dec. 8

Final Exam

9:30


.