CS 3531 - Theory of Automata and Formal Languages (Fall 2021)

Introduction to the theory of computation. Deterministic and nondeterministic finite automata, regular languages and regular expressions. Kleene's Theorem. Context-free languages, context-free grammars and pushdown automata. Turing machines and computability.

Dr. Andrew M. Sutton Email: amsutton@d.umn.edu
Tel: 218.726.7978
Office: 311 Heller Hall
Office Hours: Tue, Thu 13:00-15:00

Amanda Perrey
Email: meint033@d.umn.edu
Office Hours: Mon 10:00-11:00, Wed 14:00-15:00

Monday	11:00 - 11:50	M W Alworth Hall 177
Tuesday	11:00 - 12:15	M W Alworth Hall 177
Thursday	11:00 - 12:15	M W Alworth Hall 177

• Pre-requisites
  • CS 2531 - Discrete Structures or Math 3355 - Discrete Math

Introduction to the Theory of Computation by Michael Sipser. Any edition is acceptable. It is important that you have access to the textbook because the instructor will only provide notes on material not covered by the book.

1. Identify different formal language classes and their relationships
2. Learn and use structural induction
3. Work with models of computing and understand their different powers
4. Understand and formulate regular expressions
5. Understand and formulate context-free grammars
6. Be familiar with Turing machines and computability

Pre-test quizzes (0%)

Before starting a new topic, there will sometimes be a pre-test quiz on Canvas. The quiz has carries no weight (but is required to proceed through the Canvas modules). Please try to do your best. These quizzes will be revisited again toward the end of the semester to assess what you have learned.

Homework (30%)

There will be a homework assignment roughly every week. Each week's assignment will be distributed on Monday and due in class at the beginning of the following Monday's class. Late homework will be deducted 20% and accepted until the beginning of Tuesday's class. Homework will not be accepted more than 24 hours late. This will allow an in-class discussion of homework solutions.

Participation (10%)

We will often have collaborative in-class problem solving sessions. Each class period I will keep track of who participates in these sessions. To receive full credit students must participate during ten different class periods. It is not necessary to give correct answers to receive participation credit, only to make a serious attempt to solve a problem.

Midterm Examinations (30%)

There will be two midterm examinations, in approximately weeks five and ten of the course. The dates of the midterms will be announced at least one week beforehand.

Cumulative Final Examination (30%)

The final exam will take place during finals week. The date and time will be announced beforehand. Please confirm the time before the exam, as the schedule may change. The final exam policy can be found here.

Below is a tentative timetable for the semester.

Week	Topic	Reading
1	Introduction, background and review of material from CS 2531	Syllabus
2	Regular languages and finite automata	1.1 and 1.2
3	Regular Expressions	1.3
4	Nonregular languages and the pumping lemma	1.4
5	Wrap up of regular languages, review, Midterm Exam 1
6	Context-free grammars	2.1
7	Chomsky normal form	2.1
8	Pushdown automata	2.2
9	Non-context free languages and the pumping lemma	2.3
10	Wrap up context free languages, review, Midterm Exam 2
11	Turing machines	3.1 and 3.2
12	Decidability	4.1
13	Undecidability	4.2
14	Reducibility	Chapter 5
15	Wrap up computability theory, review
16	Final Exam

There will be two midterms, each worth 15% of the course grade, and a cumulative final exam worth 30% of the final grade. Exams are closed-book and closed-notes. No electronic devices will be allowed. Exams will not be given early, and makeups must be justified by dire circumstances described to the instructor before the time of the exam. It is departmental policy not to return final exams. However, they will be filed in the instructor's office, and you may request to see them.

Exam	Material	Date
Midterm 1	Chapter 1	Tuesday, October 12
Midterm 2	Chapter 2, 2.1-2.3	Tuesday, November 16
Final	Chapters 1-5	Thursday, Dec 16, 10am

Grades and some course documents, such as an up-to-date copy of this syllabus and a schedule updated weekly, will be available through Canvas. There will not​ be comprehensive course notes or slides available on Canvas. For this reason, students should have the textbook and take notes during lectures.

COVID-19 Information:

• Face Coverings Required All University of Minnesota faculty, staff, students, and visitors (including contractors, service providers, vendors, and suppliers) are required to wear an acceptable face mask that is properly fitted to cover the wearer’s nose and mouth, wrap under the chin, and not have any noticeable gaps at all times when in any enclosed or indoor space on University campuses and properties. Failure to comply with this requirement could result in a Student Conduct Code Violation. More information here.
• Vaccinations As of August 23, 2021, the COVID-19 vaccine has been added to the list of vaccines required for all enrolled University of Minnesota students. Vaccinations are free, easily available, safe and effective against COVID-19 in all its variants. Breakthrough infections are rare, and significantly less serious than the disease in an unvaccinated individual. More information on COVID-19 vaccinations can be found here.
• Be prepared to pivot! A pivot back to online-only delivery is not currently anticipated. However, the state of the pandemic is still in constant flux, and this means there is a large degree of uncertainty about how the situation will evolve. Thus, we should be prepared to make a smooth change to online learning at any point in the semester, should this become necessary.

Student Conduct Code: Appropriate classroom conduct promotes an environment of academic achievement and integrity. Disruptive classroom behavior that substantially or repeatedly interrupts either the instructor's ability to teach, or student learning, is prohibited. Student are expected adhere to the Board of Regents Policy: https://regents.umn.edu/sites/regents.umn.edu/files/policies/Student_Conduct_Code.pdf.

Attendance: Students are expected to attend all scheduled class meetings. In many classes, we will conduct participatory activities. If there is some legitimate and unavoidable exceptional circumstance, please discuss it with the instructor beforehand. Note that COVID-19 falls under the category of exceptional circumstance. Any student who is absent from class for COVID-19 related reasons (as defined below) is excused from class. Such students do not need to request an excused absence and no documentation is required. Students are required to alert the instructor as soon as is reasonably feasible that they will be absent for COVID-19 related reasons. In these instances, it is sufficient for students to communicate with the instructor via email or phone. Alerting the instructor must occur before the class session(s) in question, not after.

COVID-19 related reasons include but are not limited to the following:

The student:

• is subject to a government quarantine or isolation due to COVID-19;
• has been advised by a healthcare provider to self-quarantine due to COVID-19;
• is experiencing the symptoms of COVID-19 and is seeking a diagnosis;
• is caring for an individual ill from COVID-19;
• is caring for an individual subject to or advised to quarantine or isolate due to COVID-19;
• has underlying medical conditions that make them susceptible to COVID-19 infection;
• is stuck in a different state due to quarantine requirements imposed by that state; or
• is caring for one’s own child for a child of an immediate family member whose school or childcare is closed or unavailable due to COVID-19.

Please refer to the University's excused absence policy for further information.

Teaching & Learning: Instructor and Student Responsibilities: UMD is committed to providing a positive, safe, and inclusive place for all who study and work here. Instructors and students have mutual responsibility to insure that the environment in all of these settings supports teaching and learning, is respectful of the rights and freedoms of all members, and promotes a civil and open exchange of ideas. Reference the full policy here: http://d.umn.edu/academic-affairs/academic-policies/classroom-policies/instructor-and-student-responsibilities.

Group Work: All work submitted on homework and exams must be entirely your own. Group work is valuable for learning, and working on homework assignments in groups is encouraged, but you must write and understand your own individual solutions. You are welcome to work on the homework assignments in groups, but you should write your solutions alone to be sure that you understand them. You must be able to explain all your submitted solutions to the professor or the TA if asked. If you are unable to complete homework assignments on your own, you will have difficulty succeeding on the exams.

Extra Credit: There is no extra credit work available beyond that listed in the syllabus and course calendar.

Academic Integrity: Academic dishonesty is taken seriously by the University. Cheating on assignments or examinations, plagiarizing, or any other act which violates the rights of another student in academic work or that involves misrepresentation of your own work may result in a grade reduction on the assignment/quiz/test or a grade reduction in the class (including the possibility of failing the class).

Note that ``outsourcing'' homework effort by posting problems on platforms such as chegg.com is a clear case of academic dishonesty! If you are struggling with the material, contact the instructor or TA instead.

If a student is found responsible for academic dishonesty, a report is filed with the UMD student academic integrity officer and is considered a violation of the Student Conduct Code. The UMD Student Academic Integrity Policy can be found at http://www.d.umn.edu/academic-affairs/academic-policies/classroom-policies/student-academic-integrity. The policy outlines what is considered prohibited conduct.

Final Exams: All 1xxx-5xxx courses offered for undergraduate credit should include a final graded component or end of term evaluation that assesses the level of student achievement of one or more course objectives. All final graded components are to be administered or due at the time and place according to the final exam schedule and not during the last week of class. Reference the full policy here: http://www.d.umn.edu/vcaa/FinalExams.html.

Excused Absences: Students are expected to attend all scheduled class meetings. It is the responsibility of students to plan their schedules to avoid excessive conflict with course requirements. However, there are legitimate and verifiable circumstances that lead to excused student absence from the classroom. These are subpoenas, jury duty, military duty, religious observances, illness, bereavement for immediate family, and NCAA varsity intercollegiate athletics. Find complete information here: http://d.umn.edu/academic-affairs/academic-policies/classroom-policies/excused-absences.

Appropriate Student Use of Class Notes and Course Materials: Taking notes is a means of recording information but more importantly of personally absorbing and integrating the educational experience. However, broadly disseminating class notes beyond the classroom community or accepting compensation for taking and distributing classroom notes undermines instructor interests in their intellectual work product while not substantially furthering instructor and student interests in effective learning. Find additional information here: http://d.umn.edu/academic-affairs/academic-policies/classroom-policies/course-notes-and-materials.

Students with Disabilities: It is the policy and practice of the University of Minnesota Duluth to create inclusive learning environments for all students, including students with disabilities. If there are aspects of this course that result in barriers to your inclusion or your ability to meet course requirements such as time limited exams, inaccessible web content, or the use of non-captioned videos, please notify the instructor as soon as possible. You are also encouraged to contact the Office of Disability Resources to discuss and arrange reasonable accommodations. Call 218-726-6130 or visit the Disability Resources web site at https://umd-general.umn.edu/disability-resources for more information.

Mental Health and Stress Management: As a student you may experience a range of issues that can cause barriers to learning, such as strained relationships, increased anxiety, alcohol/drug problems, feeling down, difficulty concentrating and/or lack of motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may lead to diminished academic performance and may reduce your ability to participate in daily activities. University services are available to assist you. You can learn more about the broad range of confidential mental health services available on campus via the Student Mental Health Website: http://www.mentalhealth.umn.edu.

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The instructor reserves the right to make changes to this syllabus or the course calendar at any time, and without prior notice.

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