Computer Science 456/656
Automata and Formal Languages
Spring 2003

Check the Assignments and Lecture Topics Page frequently.

Revised May 6, 2003.

Instructor:
Dr. Larmore
Office, TBE B378B. Telephone, 702-895-1096, larmore@cs.unlv.edu
Office Hours:
10:00 - 11:00 Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Contacting Me:
It's best to send me email at larmore@cs.unlv.edu. Be sure to write "CSC456" (or "CSC656") in the subject field so that I know what the message is about. (I delete lots of messages without reading them, based on the subject fields.)
You may also telephone my office and leave a message.
Please, never try to communicate with me by leaving notes on my door, under my door, or in my mailbox in the department office, as those notes get lost, and I can't retrieve them remotely.
Graduate Assistant:
Doina Bein.
Days of Instruction:
January 21, 2003 - May 7, 2003.
Time of Instruction:
11:30 - 12:45, Tuesday and Thursday.
Place of Instruction:
TBE B170.
Final Examination:
May 13, 10:10 AM.
Textbook:
Introduction to Languages and the Theory of Computation, by John Martin, third edition. McGraw Hill. ISBN 0-07-232200-4.
Prerequisites:
CSC 269 (Introduction to Data Structures)
MAT 351 (Discrete Mathematics II).
Click here if you did not take both CSC 269 and MAT 351 at UNLV and receive a grade of "C" or better in each of those two courses.
Graduate Students:
If you want graduate credit, you must enroll in 656, not 456.
Computer Construction:
CSC 456/656 is a prerequisite for CSC 478/678 (Compiler Construction).
I do not advise you to take that course concurrently.
Written Homework:
will be assigned, collected, and graded. You are permitted to discuss homework.
Examinations:
First examination will be February 20.
Second examination will be April 3.

This course is arguably the most interesting in the Computer Science core curriculum. During this Semester, you will learn the accurate meanings of a number of
terms that you have probably heard. In some cases, you will have to unlearn what you previously believed! For example, you will learn the following concepts:

Detailed description of the CYK algorithm.

Homework and tests from prior semesters are available.