| This page last modified on 2 September 2008. |
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C++, of course, excels at returning complex data types, but then the usual issues associated with returning objects must be dealt with. Who originates the object, who owns it, and where does it get destroyed? Do you copy it from place to place, or pass around a pointer or a reference to a single object?
John Calcote, Rich Error Information
C/C++ Users Journal, March 2005
The prerequisite for this class is CS 305. In particular, you are assumed to be familiar with the basics of C++ dynamic-storage management, recursive programming, and asymptotic estimation (these will be reviewed in the first two weeks of the class).
The course is divided into seven two-week sections.
The class meets in Howard Hall C1 (third floor) on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:30 p.m. to 4:20 p.m. There's no class on Thanksgiving, Thursday, 27 November.
algorithm characterization (How fast is it? Is it correct?),
designing algorithms (What approach best solves a problem?), and
data structures (What best represents the problem and solution?).
All grades are kept with one digit of precision to the right of the decimal point and 0.05 rounded up. No grades are adjusted to a curve; that means, for example, that 89.9 is always a B+, never an A-.
95 ≤ A 90 ≤ A- < 95 86.6 ≤ B+ < 90 83.3 ≤ B < 86.6 80 ≤ B- < 83.3 76.6 ≤ C+ < 80 73.3 ≤ C < 76.6 70 ≤ C- < 73.3 60 ≤ D < 70 F < 60
| 50% | assignment grades |
| 40% | quiz grades |
| 10% | presentation grade |
The test- and assignment-grade averages are straight, unweighted averages.
Mid-term grades are the straight, unweighted averages of whatever assignment and quiz grades have accumulated by the mid-term grade deadline (Thursday, 23 October).
There is no textbook for this course. Or rather, there are many textbooks for this course (see the annotated bibliography for examples); almost any of them will do as long as they cover the course topics, see the syllabus for details. Reading notes for each section will be provided on the syllabus. Each note will contain references to other sources for more information.
This will be a C++ programming course. You should have references handy for both C++ and the standard library.
Mail relevant to the class are stored in a hyper-mail archive. If your message is of general interest to the class, I'll store it, suitably stripped of identification and along with my answer, in the archive.
My attendance policy applies only to lecture attendance; it does not apply to other kinds of attendance which may be required for the course. Repeated failures to meet the attendance expectations set for tests, meetings, projects, labs or other forms of course work will have a bad influence on your grade.
Monmouth University does have a class attendance policy, which you can find in the Academic Information chapter of the Student Handbook. To the extent that I need to keep the record straight, I will take attendance. Attendance lists, however, are entirely for the University's benefit; I will make no use of them in grading.
First, the only complaint that matters is that something got marked wrong when it was actually right. When you come to complain, be prepared to present, in explicit detail, what it is you did and why you think it's right.
Second, complaints about a particular test or assignment are only valid until
the next test or assignment is due; after that point the book is permanently
closed on all previous test or assignment grades.
Late Assignments
Assignments must be turned in by their due date; assignments turned in after
their due date are late. You should contact me as soon as possible if you need
to negotiate a due-date extension. The longer you wait to negotiate, the less
likely it is you'll be successful; in particular, you have almost no chance of
getting an extension if you try for one the day before the due date, and you
have no chance of getting an extention on the due date.
A late assignment is penalized five points a day for each day it's late. I use a 24-hour clock running from midnight to midnight to measure days; note this means that an assignment handed in the day after it's due is penalized ten points: five for the day it was due and five for the next day.
A make-up test must be scheduled to be taken by the date of the test following the missed test (or the final exam if you miss the last test). If a missed test is not made up by the time of the next test, you get a zero for the missed test.
There will be only one make up given per missed test. If more than one person misses the same test, those people will have to coordinate among themselves to pick a mutually agreeable date for the make up.
The NIST dictionary of algorithms and data structures; the Stony Brook repository of algorithms and data structures.
FreeTechBooks’ list of on-line data structures and algorithm books.
Softpanorama's old but wide ranging link page for data structures and algorithms.
Algosort's link page to algorithm pages.
Learn data structures ’n’ algorithms at home, courtesy of MIT.
| This page last modified on 2 September 2008. |
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