TuTh 2:30pm - 3:45pm, C29 PC
Prof. Cesare Tinelli
201D MLH
335-0735
tinelli(AT)cs(DOT)uiowa(DOT)edu
Office hours: Mon 3:30-5:00pm, Thu 4:00-5:30pm, and by appointment.
22c:019 or equivalent, or consent of instructor.
Most of the information about the class, including handouts and assignments, will be available thtough the class web site:
Students are expected to check the web site's main page on a regular basis (at least every other day) for announcements regarding the course.
The main objective of this course is to expose undergraduate and beginning graduate students to symbolic logic. Symbolic logic is a powerful tool for modeling and reasoning formally about computation and computational devices. It provides a unifying foundational framework for several areas of computer science such as databases, artificial intelligence, hardware design, programming languages, software engineering, and concurrent systems.
This course introduces several logics (propositional, predicate, temporal, ...), differing in their expressive power and focus, and discusses some of their uses in computer science. Main themes are how to represent knowledge in these logics, what represents a valid argument, and how to prove or disprove, possibly automatically, the validity of a logical statement.
Students should be prepared to put in considerable time and effort into reading to become familiar with the course's topics, and into homeworks and exercises to gain experience with the techniques seen in class.
Michael Huth and Mark Ryan. Logic in Computer Science. Cambridge University Press, 2004 (2nd edition). Required.
Additional reading material and handouts will be available from the course web site.
Several small assignments will be given, covering the material from the textbook and the lectures, and to be done individually or in pairs as specified in each assignment. All assignments will be collected and graded.
Homework submission and grade posting will use the ICON system.
There will be two midterm exams, during class time, and one final exam on December 14, 2010 at 2:15pm. All exams will be in the course's classroom.
The weighting of items in grade determination will be the following:
| Participation | 05% |
| Homework assignments | 25% |
| Midterm I | 20% |
| Midterm II | 20% |
| Final Exam | 30% |
The following cutoffs will be used to determine letter grades. In the ranges below, x stands for your total score at the end of the semester. Final scores near a cutoff will be individually considered for the next higher grade. Plus(+) and minus(-) grades will also be given; their cutoffs will be determined at the end of the semester.
| Score | Grade |
|---|---|
| 88 <= x < 100 | A |
| 75 <= x < 88 |
B |
| 60 <= x < 75 | C |
| 50 <= x < 60 | D |
| 00 <= x < 50 | F |
Grades are not curved in this course. It is theoretically possible for everyone in the class to get an A (or an F). Your final grade depends only on your own performance and not on that of others.
Assigned readings: Students are expected to study all the material in the required readings, even if that material is not explicitly discussed in class or in the homeworks.
Optional readings and discussions: Students are urged to consult sources other than our textbook, including both reserve books and on-line material, even if there is no directed outside reading assignment. Students are also encouraged to discuss the course topics with their classmates. It is a genuinely helpful learning activity having to formulate one's own thoughts about the material well enough to express them to others.
Attendance: Students are expected to attend all classes. Their knowledge and therefore their grade depends on it. They are responsible for all announcements and material covered during class even if they did not attend.
Homework assignments:
Students (or teams) are allowed and encouraged to discuss the homework assignments
with other students (or teams) in the course, but are not allowed to share solutions with them.
(The following rule of thumb will help you not to cross the line:
discuss the assignment together
but do not take any written notes;
go home and write the solution yourself.)
Cheating: Sharing solutions of graded assignments or copying someone else's work, including posted solutions from previous editions of the course, is not allowed. Doing that will result in a 0 on the assignment for the first offense and an F in the course for the second offense. All cheating incidents will be reported to the CS department's head and may be go into the student's records.
Late submissions: Any late submission must be authorized by the instructor in advance. Unauthorized late assignments will be graded according to the following policy:
Extra credit: No extra-credit assignments or tests will be given on an individual basis (although they maybe given to the whole class).
Make-up exams: Make-up exams will be offered only if there is a serious, documented reason for not being able to attend a scheduled exam, and if the request is made at least a week before the scheduled exam.
Regrading: Students thinking a graded assignment or a test has been misgraded and deserves a regrading are invited to let the instructor know. The instructor welcomes and will give full consideration to all well motivated regrading requests.
Administrative Home: The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is the administrative home of this course and governs matters such as the add/drop deadlines, the second-grade-only option, and other related issues. Different colleges may have different policies. Questions may be addressed to 120 Schaeffer Hall or see the Academic Handbook. (http://www.clas.uiowa.edu/students/handbook/)
Academic Fraud: Plagiarism and any other activities when students present work that is not his or her own are academic fraud. Academic fraud is reported to the departmental DEO and to the Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Services who enforces the appropriate consequences. (http://www.clas.uiowa.edu/students/handbook/x/)
Making a Suggestion or a Complaint: Students with a suggestion or complaint should first visit the instructor, then the course supervisor and the departmental DEO. Complaints must be made within six months of the incident. (http://www.clas.uiowa.edu/students/handbook/x/)
Accommodations for Disabilities: A student seeking academic accommodations should register with Student Disability Services and meet privately with the course instructor to make particular arrangements. (www.uiowa.edu/~sds/)
Understanding Sexual Harassment: Sexual harassment subverts the mission of the University and threatens the well-being of students, faculty, and staff. (www.sexualharassment.uiowa.edu)
Reacting Safely to Severe Weather: In severe weather, the class members will seek shelter in the innermost part of the building, if possible at the lowest level, staying clear of windows and free-standing expanses. (Operations Manual 16.14.i.)