Assignments

THEORY OF COMPUTING
Com S 331

Assignments

All solutions will be available in PDF format. Points for each individual problem is in the PDF solution. All homeworks are weighted equally in the final tabulations. Questions about homework solutions should be directed to the CS331 Staff.
 

Homework Guidelines

• Homework is generally posted every Friday (except for exam weeks), and, unless otherwise specified, due in class on the following Friday.
• Homework should be handed in before lecture starts on the due date. Otherwise, it will be considered late.
• The solution to each homework will be made available approximately one week after the due date.
• Late homework is accepted only up to one class period after the deadline. The penalty for a late submission is 25%, and it will be applied immediately after the deadline. As the homework is due in class on Friday, late submission will be accepted up to before class on Monday for a penalty of 25%.
• Put your name (last name first, then first name, as it appears in ISU's official records) and your section letter at the top of the first page.
• Staple your pages together, with the problems in order. If you omit a problem, indicate clearly which one you have skipped. Do not paperclip or fold over a corner.
• Leave plenty of whitespace for the TAs to write comments on. In general, unless a problem is very short, put one solution on a page.
• Write neatly. Illegible responses will get an automatic zero. Unless you write very neatly and can figure out the solution in one pass, plan on spending time recopying your solutions after you've figured them out. If you have very bad handwriting, you may need to use a word-processor.
• Write in complete sentences. Use correct English grammar.
• For problems that involve proofs, you will be trying to convince a skeptical TA. Be wary about assuming that the TA will find something to be "obvious" or "clearly it is the case that...".
• If you use a definition, axiom, or theorem that was discussed in class or in your text, give a short citation (book and page number or date of class). If you use a proof that you found elsewhere, give a full citation (title, author(s), publisher, etc. as applicable).
• If proving by induction, clearly indicate what variable you are inducting on, your induction hypothesis, your basis or base case, and your induction step.
• If you are asked to do a proof similar to one that you have seen in class or in recitation, remember that the proof you saw demonstrated had an audio component (explanations that were said) and a visual component (pointing and gesturing) along with the written component (the stuff that was actually written on the blackboard). Proofs that are submitted as homework solutions will need to be written down in much more detail to get full credit, as you have only a written component to convey the proof to the TAs.

Iowa State University - Computer Science Department - Top of this page