Schedule

This page is a schedule of topics and readings (including lecture notes) and will be updated as the semester progresses.

Java review, testing and debugging

04 Sep

01: Welcome and Java Review

Topics:

• course overview
• computers and memory
• variables and values
• primitive types
• arrays
• scope
• the (call) stack

Suggested reading (This is a lot of reading that I expect you to skim as you need to, and/or to read over several days, not all at once before the first lecture! Later I’ll give less reading but expect you to read it more closely.):

• OpenDSA http://lti.cs.vt.edu/LTI_ruby/Books/COMPSCI186/html/, chapters 1 and 2
• Sestoft, pages 1–8
• Downey and Mayfield, chapters 1, 2, 4
• Niemeyer and Leuck, chapters 1 and 4 (focus on subheadings related to the topics above)
• the A Closer Look at the “Hello World!” Application lesson
• the Language Basics lesson

06 Sep

02: Java Review: Control Flow

Topics:

• expressions, statements, and blocks
• control flow constructs in Java (if/else; while; for)

Suggested reading:

• Sestoft, chapters 11 and 12
• Downey and Mayfield, chapters 5 (first half), 6, 7
• Niemeyer and Leuck, chapter 4 (focus on subheadings related to the topics above)
• the Language Basics lesson

11 Sep

03: Developing with Eclipse

Topics:

• more on developing with Eclipse
• intro to the debugger

Suggested reading:

• Burnette, chapters 1 – 5
• Niemeyer and Leuck, appendix A
• http://tutorials.jenkov.com/java-unit-testing/simple-test.html

13 Sep

04: Developing, continued, and classes, objects, and methods

Code for start of class:

• tictactoe-student.zip

Code from the end of class:

• tictactoe.zip

Topics:

• more on developing with Eclipse
• introduction to the debugger

Suggested reading:

• OpenDSA, chapter 3
• Sestoft, chapter 9
• Downey and Mayfield, chapters 4, 6, 10, 11
• Niemeyer and Leuck, chapter 4 and 5
• the Classes and Objects lesson

17 Sep

Discussion! You’re going to do a POGIL lab to further explore the idea of testing. The code you need to download is here: [Anagrams.zip]

18 Sep

05: Aliasing, Namespaces, Packages and the CLASSPATH; Intro to Lists

Topics:

• aliasing
• namespaces
• packages
• the CLASSPATH / build path
• intro to lists

Suggested reading:

• OpenDSA, chapter 4
• Sestoft, chapters 16 and 17
• Niemeyer and Leuck, chapter 6
• the Packages lesson
• the Arrays trail
• the List interface
• Downey and Mayfield, chapters 8, 12
• Niemeyer and Leuck, chapter 4 (section on arrays), 8 (first few sections)
• Sestoft, chapter 22 section 2

The List Abstract Data Type (ADT)

20 Sep

06: Array-backed lists

Topics:

• more on list usage
• implementing array-based lists

Suggested reading (in addition to last class’s):

• OpenDSA, chapter 5

25 Sep

07: Linked lists

Topics:

• implementing linked lists

Suggested reading:

• OpenDSA, chapter 6

27 Sep

08: More linked lists; Generics

Topics:

• finishing up linked lists
• generic lists
• using lists

Suggested reading:

• the Generics lesson
• the List interface
• the List docs
• Java doc for wrapper types, such as java.lang.Integer
• Niemeyer and Leuck, chapter 8 (first few sections)
• Sestoft, chapter 21

01 Oct

Discussion! You’re going to do a POGIL lab to further explore the idea of linked structures. The code you may want to download is here: [linked.zip]

02 Oct

09: More on using lists; Comparators

Topics:

• another worked example of using lists
• methods that objects must implement to participate in the Collections framework
• Comparable and Comparator

Suggested reading:

• Java doc for Object, Comparable, Comparator
• Sestoft, chapter 22.9, 22.10
• How to Write an Equality Method in Java (Only read this if you want to start going down the rabbit hole. Odersky is a developer of Scala, a language that’s been used in COMPSCI 220.)

The Set ADT

04 Oct

10: Introducing Sets

Topics:

• introduction to sets
• the Set abstract data type
• HashSet and hash tables

Suggested Reading:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Set_(mathematics)
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venn_diagram
• Sestoft, chapter 22.3
• http://docs.oracle.com/javase/8//docs/api/java/util/Set.html
• http://docs.oracle.com/javase/8//docs/api/java/util/HashSet.html
• hashCode

11 Oct

11: Hashsets and Treesets

Topics:

• more on HashSets
• trees (and an introduction to graphs)
• binary search trees
• TreeSet

Suggested Reading:

• OpenDSA, chapter 13
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binary_search_tree
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_(graph_theory)
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graph_(discrete_mathematics)
• https://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/api/java/util/TreeSet.html
• Sestoft, chapter 22.9

The Map ADT

16 Oct

12: Santa and Maps

Topics:

• Santa’s little helper
• the Map ADT
• Java’s Map interface (and HashMap implementation)

Suggested Reading:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Associative_array
• http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/collections/interfaces/map.html
• https://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/api/java/util/Map.html
• https://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/api/java/util/HashMap.html
• Sestoft, chapter 22.5

18 Oct

13: Maps, Multimaps, Anagrams

Topics:

• Another worked Map example: anagrams
• BufferedReader for reading lines from a file

Suggested Reading:

• https://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/api/java/io/BufferedReader.html
• https://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/collections/interfaces/map.html (Multimaps are described about 2/3 down this page)

Introduction to algorithms

23 Oct

14: Introduction to Running Times

Topics:

• Introduction to running time and related concepts
• constant vs linear time
• linear vs quadratic time
• early escape from loops
• binary search and log_2 time

Suggested Reading:

• OpenDSA, Chapter 7
• Downey and Mayfield, chapter 12.8–12.10
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analysis_of_algorithms
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_complexity

25 Oct

15: Searching and Sorting

Topics:

• more on runtime
• binary search
• sorting
• selection sort, bubble sort

Suggested Reading:

• OpenDSA, Chapter 11
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binary_search_algorithm
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorting_algorithm
• https://www.toptal.com/developers/sorting-algorithms

29 Oct

Discussion! You’re going to do a POGIL lab to introduce the idea of graphs and search. Please download and familiarize yourself with: [hex.zip]

30 Oct

16: More Sorting; Graphs and Search

Topics:

• insertion sort
• graphs and graph terminology
• introduction to graph search
• finding paths in graphs

Suggested Reading:

• OpenDSA, Chapter 12
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binary_search_tree
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_(graph_theory)
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graph_(discrete_mathematics)
• Open Data Structures, Java Edition, chapter 12
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breadth-first_search
• http://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/api/java/util/Queue.html

Graphs and search

01 Nov

17: More on Graph Search

Topics:

• finding paths in graphs
• BFS, DFS, and the search tree
• “greedy” search and priority queues
• A*

Suggested Reading:

• Grids and Graphs
• Introduction to A* (also includes information on BFS and greedy BFS)
• http://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/api/java/util/Queue.html
• http://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/api/java/util/Stack.html
• http://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/api/java/util/PriorityQueue.html

06 Nov (Election Day!)

18: Graph Representation

Topics:

• graph implementations

Suggested Reading:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adjacency_matrix
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adjacency_list

Implementing ADTs (Stacks and Queues)

08 Nov

19: Introducing Stacks and Queues

• linear (and not-so-linear) data structures, general and specialized (lists, stacks, queues, deques, priority queues)
• implementing an array-based stack
• implementing a linked-list-based stack

Suggested Reading:

• OpenDSA, Chapter 9
• http://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/api/java/util/Stack.html

13 Nov

20: Building Queues

Topics:

• implementing a linked-list-based queue
• implementing an array-based queue

Suggested Reading:

• OpenDSA, Chapter 10
• https://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/api/java/util/Queue.html

15 Nov

No class meeting today. Marc will be at a CICS Alumni Event. Maybe I’ll see you at one in a few years!

Introduction to Recursion

27 Nov

21: Intro to Recursion

Topics:

• hints for Assignment 12 (War)
• recursion, baby steps only!

Suggested Reading:

• OpenDSA, Chapter 8
• Downey and Mayfield, Chapter 5.8, 6.8–6.10

29 Nov

22: More Recursion

Topics:

• more recursion

04 Dec

23: (No) More Recursion

Topics:

• binary search trees, again
• tower of hanoi
• bad recursion jokes
• dad recursion jokes
• to make it stop
  • if it’s stopped, then stop
  • otherwise, make it stop

Course wrap-up

06 Dec

24: Variety is the spice of life

• Markov Models for random text generation
• Python
• OCaml

11 Dec

25: Wrap-up and Review

Topics:

• course review
• wrap-up
• questions and answers
• enthusiastic applause is mandatory for passing
• as is filling out your SRTI
• just kidding about the SRTI thing
• I can’t believe you actually read all of this, you maniac!

Final exam

Our exam is scheduled for:

12/14/2017
Friday
3:30–5:30pm
Integrated Learning Center, room S331