CSC 351 Theory of Computation

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CSC 351 Theory of Computation
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Course Description

• In this introduction to theoretical computer
  science and analysis of discrete mathematical
  structures which find application in computer
  science, topics may include predicate calculus,
  groups, coding theory, graphs, trees, formal
  languages, grammars, finite state automata,
  Turing machines, complexity theory.

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Course Goals

• Examine the mathematical models of machines that
  act as acceptors for the principal classes of
  grammars and languages. 
•  Study the closure and decidability properties
  that pertain to each class and through formal
  proofs using the Myhill-Nerode theorem and
  various pumping lemmas, reach an understanding of
  language structure that cannot be encompassed in
  the class.
• Learn about the historical background of the
  theory of computation, about the ideas of
  computability and NP-completeness.

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Topics

•  Regular expressions and languages, deterministic
  and non deterministic finite automata.
• Kleene's theorem, closure and decidability
  properties of regular languages.
• Pumping lemma for regular languages.
• Context-free grammars, Chomsky normal form,
  pushdown automata.
• Closure and decidability properties of
  context-free languages.
• Self-embeddedness, pumping lemma for context-free
  languages.
• Turing machines and variants, recursively
  enumerable languages, Minsky's theorem.
• Non recursive enumerable languages, the Chomsky
  hierarchy.
• Computability, complexity, NP-completeness,
  Cooke's theorem.

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Miscellaneous

• Software JFLAP, not required
• Hardware None
• Project Required None
• Presentation Required None
• Expected knowledge/topics from previous course
  Sets, functions and relations, graphs, proof
  techniques from MTH 241.

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ACM Model Curriculum

• Textbook Proposed Introduction to Computer
  Theory by Daniel Cohen 2nd Edition.
  Wiley.Current An Introduction to Formal
  Languages and Automota, Peter Linz
• Chapters and Sections Covered Ch 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
  6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
• ACM Topics
• AL5 - Basic computability (6)
• AL6 - The complexity classes P and NP
• AL7 - Automota theory