CISC 5835: Algorithms for Data Analytics

General information

Faculty: Dr. A. G. Werschulz
Office: Rm LL610D.
Phone: (212) 636-6325
Office Hours: Wednesdays and Thursdays, 4:00 pm to 5:25 pm, or by appointment.

Teaching Assistant: Ming Chen
Office: Rm LL612.
Office Hours: Mondays, 3:00 to 5:00.

Class meetings: Thursdays, 5:30pm to 7:45pm, Room LL311A.

Class email list: algs-da STRUDEL dsm.fordham.edu (STRUDEL is a thinly-disguised @, to thwart the amount of spam that your instructor receives in his guise of list manager). This can be used for both announcements and discussion.

Text and Readings

Our main text will be Dasgupta et al., Algorithms, McGraw-Hill, 2006 (ISBN-13: 978-0073523408). Please resist the tempation to find a free PDF version online and download same, since you are enabling somebody who has violated copyright law.

The Dasgupta text does not cover all the topics mentioned in the catalog description, and so we will present additional material as needed.

Here is a fuller list of topics that we hope to cover.

Grading

• homework assignments: 50%
• one midterm exam: 25%
• one final exam: 25%

Protocol

• Examinations: The midterm exam will be given on Thursday, October 17, and will take up roughly one half of the regular class time period. The final exam will be given on Thursday, December 19, taking up the entire class time period.
• Homeworks will be assigned on a regular basis; the assignments will be posted on the class website. Unless otherwise specified, they will be due at the beginning of the next class session. Homework assignments may involve theoretical work (such as determining the worst-case run-time of some algorithm) or programming, perhaps both. Late homework will not be accepted, barring serious illness or unavailability of the Departmental computing facilities.
• Electronica: You may not use laptop computers, tablets, or mobile phones, neither during the lecture nor during the lab. If you're wondering why, read this article from the New York Times.

Additional Remarks

• Some resources:
  • The class syllabus.
  • PDF "handout-style" versions of the overhead slides for the course.

  • The original version of the Big-O Cheat Sheet, as well as a printable version. Need I say more?

    Speaking of Big-O and algorithm behavior, take a look at the sort animation page for a bit of fun.

  • A good chunk of the homework assignments will involve math, rather than programming. It's generally agreed that the best way to produce high-quality documents containing mathematics is to use LaTeX.
  • There is an online introduction on using the Linux computer systems at Lincoln Center that belong to the Computer and Information Sciences Department. Please take some time to read this. It has the answers to a lot of questions.
  • Many websites have material on Unix and Linux. I have collected a sample of same. You should especially look at the material for beginners.
  • We strongly encourage you to use the emacs editor for creating programs. Your instructor thinks that it's the best programmer's editor, with many handy features (but not so many as to overwhelm you).
• Academic integrity statement
• Makeup exam policy
• If you believe that you have a disabling condition that may interfere with your ability to participate in the activities, coursework, or assessment of the object of this course, you may be entitled to accommodations. If so, please schedule an appointment to speak with me immediately or you may go to the Office of Disability Services (x26282). Under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973, all students, with or without disabilities, are entitled to equal access to the programs and activities of Fordham University.