COMPSCI 513/613: Logic in Computer Science, Spring 2026

Instructor: Marius Minea (marius at cs), office: LGRC A341
Lectures: TuTh 11:30am - 12:45pm, LGRC A301
Staff: Mohammadreza Daneshvaramoli (TA), Ian McGregor (grader)
Textbook: Uwe Schöning, Logic for Computer Scientists, Birkhäuser, 2008. Available through UMass subscription
Logistics: The course uses Canvas, Campuswire for communication, Gradescope for homework submission.

Undergraduate Prerequisites: COMPSCI 250 (discrete math) and COMPSCI 311 (algorithms).
Course Objectives: This course is a rigorous introduction to mathematical logic from an algorithmic perspective. Topics include: Propositional logic and SAT solvers; First Order Logic: soundness and completeness of resolution, compactness theorem, automatic theorem proving, model checking. We will learn about and use the Coq theorem prover, Datalog, model checkers, and SAT and SMT solvers.
Learning Outcomes: As a successful student, by the end of this course, you will understand how to define
• syntax and semantics of various logics; truth and relations between logics and various types of games
• soundness, completeness/incompleteness and their implications for trying to solve various problems
You will be able to work with these notions and solve problems modeled in various logics. You will understand the foundations of formal verification using theorem proving and model checking, and become familiar with several tools for checking program correctness. You will gain an introduction to descriptive complexity, relating complexity classes to the richness of the logic used to describe the problems.

Topics:

Introduction. Propositional Calculus
Compactness of Propositional Calculus
Resolution for Propositional Calculus
First-Order Logic: Syntax and Semantics
Prenex Normal Form and the Truth Game
Ehrenfeucht-Fraissé Games
Skolemization and First-Order Resolution
Herbrand's Theorem
Unification and Completeness of First-Order Resolution
Consequences of Completeness
Decidability and Undecidability
Undecidability of First-Order Logic and Gödel's Incompleteness Theorem
Inductive Definitions, Least Fixed Points, Datalog and Prolog
Model Checking. Linear Temporal Logic (LTL)
Computation Tree Logic: CTL, CTL*
Ordered Binary Decision Diagrams. Symbolic Model Checking
SAT Solvers
Descriptive Complexity
The Alloy Analyzer
The Coq Proof Assistant
Project Presentations

See also: COMPSCI 513/613 Fall'21, taught by Prof. Neil Immerman

Grading, exam schedule and make-up policies

Your grade for this course will be composed of:

Homework (48%):
There will be six homework assignments, usually due every two weeks.
Students in CS613 will also do a project, counting with the weight of two additional homeworks. You will investigate a Logic-and-CS topic more extensively than we cover in class, or a topic that we don’t cover. This can be practical: learning and demonstrating the workings of a tool, or a pair of tools to compare. It can involve writing code, or it can involve checking the correctness of programs or system models. It can be theoretical: reading several technical papers and explaining what you have learned. You should discuss your project idea with the instructor and decide on a topic by the end of the first course month. The final lectures will be devoted to project presentations.
Participation (2%): Most lectures will include a few quick multiple-choice questions, graded 80% for attempt and 20% for correctness. The lowest four lecture scores will be dropped.
Exams (50%): This course will have two midterm exams and one final exam.
- Midterm 1 (16%): Wednesday, March 11, 7-9pm
- Midterm 2 (16%): Wednesday, April 15, 7-9pm
- Final Exam (18%): Monday, May 11, 1-3pm

You must notify the instructor in advance if you are unable to take an exam at the scheduled time (e.g., due to illness). If a severe accident prevents you from communicating (or asking someone else), you must notify the instructor as soon as you are able to. Failure to do this and missing the exam results in a grade of zero.

Letter grade thresholds:
90: A
86: A-
82: B+
78: B
74: B-
70: C+
66: C
62: C-
58: D+
54: D

These thresholds are tentative and may be adjusted based on the overall performance in the course, but will not be more strict.

Attendance, late submission and exemption policies

You are expected to attend lectures. This is the best way to engage in discussion and understanding of the material. If you cannot attend (e.g., for medical reasons), you are expected to watch the lecture recordings.
Turning homework in late helps no one. When you turn homework in late, you cannot receive feedback on time and risk falling behind, as the course has moved on to the next topic. Instructors cannot detect what material needs to be reviewed or discussed again, etc. Because of this, the general rule is that late homework will not be accepted. The only exception to this are justified medical or personal situations that fall outside the ordinary. In these cases, you must notify the instructors ahead of time and request an extension. We will review your request and decide if an extension is warranted. You should start homework early. A sudden happening on the due date, when you had planned on doing most of the work is not a reason for an extension.
All homework will be due in Gradescope at 11:59 PM on the due date. You may use one late day each on two homeworks of your choice, without penalty.

Academic Honesty and Collaboration Policy

University Statement: UMass Amherst is strongly committed to academic integrity, which is defined as completing all academic work without cheating, lying, stealing, or receiving unauthorized assistance from any other person, or using any source of information not appropriately authorized or attributed. As a community, we hold each other accountable and support each other’s knowledge and understanding of academic integrity. Academic dishonesty is prohibited in all programs of the University and includes but is not limited to: Cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, lying, and facilitating dishonesty, via analogue and digital means. Sanctions may be imposed on any student who has committed or participated in an academic integrity infraction. Any person who has reason to believe that a student has committed an academic integrity infraction should bring such information to the attention of the appropriate course instructor as soon as possible. All students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have read and acknowledged the Commitment to Academic Integrity and are knowingly responsible for completing all work with integrity and in accordance with the policy: (https://www.umass.edu/senate/book/academic-regulations-academic-integrity-policy)

Course specifics: You are encouraged to form study groups, learn and discuss the course material jointly with others. This includes discussing and clarifying subject matter which is directly relevant to homework questions. However, please do not discuss direct solution ideas.
If you use a printed or online source for the homework, other than specific course materials such as the textbook or web site, please mention it in your writeup.
This course assumes that all work submitted by students will be generated by the students themselves, working individually or in groups. Students should not have another person/entity do the writing of any portion of an assignment for them, which includes hiring a person or a company to write assignments and using artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT.

As members of the College of Information and Computer Sciences at UMass Amherst we expect everyone to behave responsibly and honorably. In particular, we expect each of you not to give, receive, or use aid in examinations, nor to give, receive, or use unpermitted aid in any academic work. Doing your part in observing this code, and ensuring that others do likewise is essential for having a community of respect, integrity, fairness, and trust.
If you cheat in a course, you are taking away from your own opportunity to learn and develop as a professional. You also hurt your colleagues, and this will hurt people you will work with in the future, who expect an honest and responsible professional.
As faculty, we pledge to use academic policies designed for fairness, avoiding situations that are conducive to violating academic honesty, as well as unreasonable or unusual procedures that assume dishonesty.

Academic dishonesty as defined by the University's Academic Honest Policy includes but is not limited to:

Cheating - the intentional use or attempted use of trickery or deception in one's academic work.
Fabrication - intentional falsification and/or invention of any information or citation
Plagiarism - knowingly representing the words or ideas of another as one's own work
Facilitating Dishonesty - knowingly helping or attempting to help another commit an act of academic dishonesty

Any violation of the Academic Honesty Policy could result in a failing grade in COMPSCI 220 and initiation of the formal Academic Honesty Procedures of the University. Students are expected to be familiar with these policies, if you have any questions please email the course instructors for clarification.
The College of Information and Computer Sciences explicitly forbids any redistribution (including publicly available posting on an internet site) of any CICS course materials (including student solutions to course assignments, projects, exams, etc.) without the express written consent of the instructor of the course from which the materials come. Violations of this policy will be deemed instances of “facilitating dishonesty” (since a student making use of such materials would be guilty of plagiarism) and therefore may result in charges under the Academic Honesty Policy.

Accommodation Statement

The University of Massachusetts Amherst is committed to making reasonable, effective, and appropriate accommodations to meet the needs of students with disabilities and help create a barrier-free campus. If you have a disability and require accommodations, please register with Disability Services, meet with an Access Coordinator in Disability Services, and send your accommodation letter to your faculty. Information on services and registration is available on the Disability Services website (https://www.umass.edu/disability/).

Title IX Statement

In accordance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 that prohibits gender-based discrimination in educational settings that receive federal funds, the University of Massachusetts Amherst is committed to providing a safe learning environment for all students, free from all forms of discrimination, including sexual assault, sexual harassment, domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, and retaliation. This includes interactions in person or online through digital platforms and social media. Title IX also protects against discrimination on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, false pregnancy, miscarriage, abortion, or related conditions, including recovery. There are resources here on campus to support you. A summary of the available Title IX resources (confidential and non-confidential) can be found at the following link: https://www.umass.edu/titleix/resources. You do not need to make a formal report to access them. If you need immediate support, you are not alone. Free and confidential support is available 24 hours a day / 7 days a week / 365 days a year at the SASA Hotline 413-545-0800.

Inclusivity

At the Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences, we believe that you belong in computing. We welcome and value all individuals, regardless of previous computer science experience, age, citizenship, disability, sex, gender identity, military experience, political views, race, religion, or sexual orientation, while maintaining an environment that celebrates, welcomes, and honors those differences.

We’re committed to supporting all our students through their journeys in computer and information sciences–especially students from identities and backgrounds that are still underrepresented in our field. Diverse perspectives on the challenges our society faces animate our vision of Computing for the Common Good. Your insight, talents, and skills are needed to protect and improve an ecosystem that relies on the combined efforts of the greatest technical minds, and we believe your place is here.

Chosen names and pronouns

Everyone has the right to be addressed by the name and pronouns that they use for themselves. Students can indicate their preferred/chosen first name and pronouns on SPIRE, which appear on class rosters. Please let me know what name and pronouns I should use for you if they are not on the roster. A student’s chosen name and pronouns are to be respected at all times in the classroom.

Communication policy and response frequency

We use Campuswire for communication. We attempt to answer all questions within 24 hours, often much sooner, but you should not rely on last-minute questions for help on homework. When needed, use private instructor-only posts rather than e-mail, this makes them more readily seen, and any of the staff team can answer. For sensitive private matters, email the instructor.

Last modified: Wed Jan 28 16:22:30 EST 2026