This course presents fundamental techniques for designing efficient computer algorithms, proving their correctness, and analyzing their performance. Topics to be covered include graph algorithms, greedy algorithms, divide-and-conquer algorithms, dynamic programming, network flow algorithms, computational intractability, approximation algorithms, randomized algorithms, and quantum algorithms.
Note that two other sections of 451 are being offered this semester. All three sections will cover generally similar material, but will not be synchronized, and their content will vary somewhat. You are responsible for the material covered in the section in which you are registered.
| Office hours (Zoom links on Canvas) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Aditya Acharya | adach@umd.edu | Tuesday, 11 am–noon, Zoom Wednesday, 11 am–noon, Zoom |
| Quinten De Man | deman@umd.edu | Monday, 2–3 pm, AVW 4160 Wednesday, 10–11 am, AVW 4160 |
| Ben Sela | benjsela@umd.edu | Monday, 10–11 am, AVW 4160 Thursday, 10–11 am, Zoom |
Primary: Jon Kleinberg and Éva Tardos, Algorithm Design, Pearson (2006).
Supplemental: Thomas H. Cormen, Charles E. Leiserson, Ronald Rivest, and Clifford Stein, Introduction to Algorithms, MIT Press (1990).
| Assignments | 40% |
| Midterm exam | 20% |
| Final exam | 40% |
Your lowest assignment grade will be dropped. If you are unable to complete an assignment by its deadline due to a documented excused absence (as per the UMD course policies), the remaining assignments will be reweighted.
There will be five homework assignments during the course. Assignments will be made available on Canvas and should be submitted using Gradescope. Please check that you are able to upload solutions by making a test submission well in advance of the first assignment deadline, and make sure your account is associated with the correct section of the course. Please submit completed assignments as PDF files, either as a typeset document or a clear scan of handwritten solutions, by the deadline stated on the assignment. Gradescope will not accept submissions after the deadline, and late assignments will not be accepted under any circumstances so that solutions can be made available promptly. You can replace a submission as many times as you like before the deadline (only the final version will be graded), so you are encouraged to make early submissions.
Your answers to the assignment problems should be written neatly and concisely, and you should always aim to present the simplest possible solution. Your assignment grades will be based on both correctness and clarity. Graded assignments will be available on Gradescope. If you think a problem has been graded incorrectly, you may submit a regrade request on Gradescope. Regrade requests must be submitted within three business days after an assignment is returned and should include a detailed justification.
You are encouraged to discuss homework problems with your peers, with the TAs, and with the course instructor. However, your solutions should be based on your own understanding and should be written independently. You should not read solutions for the same or similar problems to the ones you are assigned until after your assignment has been submitted. For each assignment, you will be asked to state that you have followed these guidelines, and to include a list of students in the class with whom you discussed the problems. You should also acknowedge any sources you consulted, other than the primary textbook, that informed your solutions.
The class will include a midterm exam and a comprehensive final exam. You may consult textbooks and notes during the exams, but you cannot use electronic devices or any other resources.
You will take the midterm exam during the scheduled class time on Tuesday, October 8. You will take the final exam at the registrar-scheduled time of 10:30 am–12:30 pm on Saturday, December 14. Both exams will be held in the regular lecture room, IRB 0318.
We will follow the standard University of Maryland course policies. You should be familiar with them.
Any student eligible for and requesting reasonable academic accommodations due to a disability is asked to provide, to the instructor by email, a letter of accommodation from the Accessibility and Disability Service office within the first two weeks of the semester.
If you plan to observe any holidays during the semester that are not listed on the university calendar, please provide a list of these dates by the end of the first two weeks of the semester.
As a faculty member, the instructor is designated as a “Responsible University Employee,” and must report all disclosures of sexual assault, sexual harassment, interpersonal violence, and stalking to UMD’s Title IX Coordinator per University Policy on Sexual Harassment and Other Sexual Misconduct.
If you wish to speak with someone confidentially, please contact one of UMD’s confidential resources, such as CARE to Stop Violence (located on the ground floor of the Health Center) at 301-741-3442 or the Counseling Center (located at the Shoemaker Building) at 301-314-7651.
You may also seek assistance or supportive measures from UMD’s Title IX Coordinator, Angela Nastase, by calling 301-405-1142, or emailing titleIXcoordinator@umd.edu.
To view further information on the above, please visit the website of the Office of Civil Rights and Sexual Misconduct.