Note: You are looking at a static copy of the former PineWiki site, used for class notes by James Aspnes from 2003 to 2012. Many mathematical formulas are broken, and there are likely to be other bugs as well. These will most likely not be fixed. You may be able to find more up-to-date versions of some of these notes at http://www.cs.yale.edu/homes/aspnes/#classes.

Syllabus for Computer Science 223b, Data Structures and Programming Techniques. Instructor: James Aspnes.

1. Meeting times

Lectures are Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 2:30pm to 3:20 pm in Becton 102.

2. On-line course information

On-line information about the course, including copies of all handouts, can be found using the URL http://pine.cs.yale.edu/pinewiki/CS223. This will also be the main location for announcements about the course, lecture schedules, and so forth. Please check it frequently.

3. Synopsis of the course

Topics include programming in C; data structures (arrays, stacks, queues, lists, trees, heaps, graphs); sorting and searching; storage allocation and management; data abstraction; programming style; testing and debugging; writing efficient programs.

4. Prerequisites

CS 201, or equivalent background. See me if you aren't sure.

5. Readings

There are two required textbooks for this course:

The C Programming Language (2nd Edition), by Brian W. Kernighan and Dennis M. Ritchie. Prentice Hall, 1988. ISBN 0131103628. The definitive reference on C. You should memorize this book.
The Practice of Programming, by Brian W. Kernighan and Rob Pike. Addison-Wesley, 1999. ISBN: 020161586X. Covers aesthetic and practical issues in designing, writing, testing, and tuning programs, with an emphasis on C and similar languages. You should read through this book once you understand the nuts and bolts of C.

6. Course requirements

Ten weekly homework assignments, and two in-class exams. Assignments will be weighted equally in computing the final grade. Each exam will count as three assignments.

7. Use of outside help

Students are free to discuss homework problems and course material with each other, and to consult with the instructor or a TA. Solutions handed in, however, should be the student's own work. If a student benefits substantially from hints or solutions received from fellow students or from outside sources, then the student should hand in their solution but acknowledge the outside sources, and we will apportion credit accordingly. Using outside resources in solving a problem is acceptable but plagiarism is not.

8. Clarifications for homework assignments

From time to time, ambiguities and errors may creep into homework assignments. Questions about the interpretation of homework assignments should be sent to the instructor at <aspnes@cs.yale.edu>. Clarifications will appear in the on-line version of the assignment.

9. Late assignments

Late assignments will not be accepted without a Dean's Excuse.