Department of Computer Science | Institute of Theoretical Computer Science | CADMO
Theory of Combinatorial Algorithms
Prof. Emo Welzl and Prof. Bernd Gärtner
Department of Computer Science | Institute of Theoretical Computer Science | CADMO
Prof. Emo Welzl and Prof. Bernd Gärtner
| Lecturers: |
Emo Welzl (CAB G 39.2), contact person, Mohsen Ghaffari (CAB G 32.1), Angelika Steger (CAB G 37.2), Peter Widmayer (CAB H 39.2). David Steurer (CAB H 36.2), |
|---|---|
| Assistants: |
Jerri Nummenpalo (CAB G 39.3), contact assistant Malte Milatz (CAB G 36.1), Ahad N. Zehmakan (CAB G 39.3), Jara Uitto (CAB G 19.3), Manuel Wettstein (CAB G 19.2). |
| Lectures: |
Mon 13-15, CAB G 51, Tue 14-16, CAB G 51. |
| Exercise: | You are free to choose whichever group suits you best:
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| Credit Points: | 8CP for Informatik Bachelor and Mathematik Bachelor (252-0209-00L, 4V + 2U + 1A) |
| Language: | English |
| Contents: |
Advanced design and analysis methods for algorithms and data structures.
Preliminary list of topics:
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| Literature: |
Reading assignments are Basics of Probabilistic Analysis for the APC-Lecture. Detailed lecture notes will be sold in the lecture. The following textbooks do not cover all topics of the course (neither is every topic treated in these textbooks a topic of the course).
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| Prerequisites: | Basic knowledge of Probability Theory and Theoretical Computer Science as provided by the lectures Probability and Statistics and Theoretical Computer Science of the Bachelor Programme. |
There will be a written midterm exam and a written final exam. Furthermore, there will be two mandatory special assignments (SPAs), the solution of which is due two weeks later. Your solution should be typeset in LaTeX.
The final grade of the whole course will be calculated as a weighted average of the grades for the final exam (60%), midterm exam (20%), and the special assignments (20%).
| Oct 10 – Oct 24 at 2:15 pm. | |
Midterm Exam: |
On Monday, 30 October 2017, instead of the
lecture (13:00-15:00) and at the Hönggerberg campus. No written material will be permitted. The exam covers all material up to the lecture on October 24. You may find previous midterms here: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015. 2016. |
Special assignment 2 (Minor update on 22.11.): |
Nov 21 – Dec 5. |
| Final exam: | Feb 10, 2018 You may find previous finals here: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016. |
Absence. If there are compelling reasons why you cannot attend the midterm or hand in a special assignment on the due date foreseen, please contact us post-haste and we can look for a solution. Note, however, that we will grant requests of this type only in very exceptional cases (doctor's note, military service, funeral, etc.). Private events (vacation, sports, career fairs, etc.) are never sufficient grounds. As far as special assignments are concerned, you can hand them in to the contact assistant by email at any time before the due date, so there is no need to be present in person. As regards the final exam, ETH regulations apply.
Exchange students. Exchange students enrolled for APC in fall might want to return to their home university prior to the date of the final exam. If this applies to you and you nonetheless wish to be evaluated and given credits for APC, then as an alternative to returning to Zurich for the exam, there is the possibility for you to take the exam at your home university at the same time it takes place in Zurich. If you want to make use of this exam mode, you as a student are responsible for finding a professor at your home university who is willing to allocate resources for such a supervision and for establishing contact between us and the other party. At any rate, arrangements of this type have to be made very timely, preferably at the beginning of the semester. If you contact us too late, we cannot help you.
Regular exercises are made available online on a weekly basis. Students are expected to (try and) solve the problems and attend the exercise classes. Your assistant is happy to look at your solutions and correct/comment them. All exercises and their solutions are part of the material relevant for the two exams.
In the table below you can find the lecture dates and the preliminary topics. The exercises and their solutions will be published here.
| Calendar Week | Date | Topic | Exercises and SPAs (by due date) |
Solutions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38 | Mon 18.9.17 |
No class. As a preparation to this week's exercises, please read Basics of Probabilistic Analysis. | ex-KW38.pdf (only in-class exercises, no hand-in date) | solution-KW38.pdf |
| Tue 19.9.17 |
First lecture. Randomized Search Trees (1.1, 1.2) | |||
| 39 | Mon 25.9.17 |
Randomized Search Trees (1.3, 1.4) | ex-KW39.pdf inclass-KW39.pdf |
solution-KW39.pdf |
| Tue 26.9.17 |
Randomized Search Trees (1.5, 1.6, 1.7) | |||
| 40 | Mon 2.10.17 |
Point Location (2, 2.1, 2.2 up to fractional cascading) | ex-KW40.pdf | solution-KW40.pdf |
| Tue 3.10.17 |
Point Location (2.2, 2.3) | |||
| 41 | Mon 9.10.17 |
Point location (2.4) | ex-KW41.pdf inclass-KW41.pdf |
solution-KW41.pdf |
| Tue 10.10.17 |
Randomized Algebraic Algorithms (4.1, 4.2) Special assignment 1 published |
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| 42 | Mon 16.10.17 |
Randomized Algebraic Algorithms (4.3, 4.5) | inclass-KW42.pdf | solution-KW42.pdf |
| Tue 17.10.17 |
Randomized Algebraic Algorithms (4.4, 4.6 until the proof of Lemma 4.4) | |||
| 43 | Mon 23.10.17 |
Randomized Algebraic Algorithms (4.6) | spa1.pdf will be discussed. | spa1-solution.pdf |
| Tue 24.10.17 |
Minimum Cut (3.1, 3.2, 3.3) Special assignment 1 deadline |
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| 44 | Mon 30.10.17 |
Midterm exam (13:00-15:00) in HIL E1 (Hönggerberg) | midterm.pdf will be discussed. | No solutions are provided. |
| Tue 31.10.17 |
Minimum Cut (3.4) | |||
| 45 | Mon 6.11.17 |
Linear Programming (6.1, 6.2, Toolbox of transormations) | ex-KW45.pdf | solution-KW45.pdf |
| Tue 7.11.17 |
Linear Programming (6.3, Klee-Minty cube example) | |||
| 46 | Mon 13.11.17 |
Linear Programming (6.4, 6.5.1) | ex-KW46.pdf | solution-KW46.pdf |
| Tue 14.11.17 |
Linear Programming (6.5.2, 6.6: 6.6.1, 6.6.2) | |||
| 47 | Mon 20.11.17 |
Linear Programming (6.6.3) | ex-KW47.pdf inclass-KW47.pdf | solution-KW47.pdf |
| Tue 21.11.17 |
Linear Programming (6.7, 6.8) Special assignment 2 published. (Minor update on 22.11.) |
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| 48 | Mon 27.11.17 |
Linear Programming (6.9, 6.10) | inclass-KW48.pdf | solution-KW48.pdf |
| Tue 28.11.17 |
Local Graph Algorithms (8.1, 8.2, 8.2.1, 8.2.2) | |||
| 49 | Mon 4.12.17 |
Local Graph Algorithms (8.2.2, 8.3, 8.3.2) | inclass-KW49.pdf and Special assignment 2 will be discussed. | solution-KW49.pdf spa2-solution.pdf |
| Tue 5.12.17 |
Local Graph Algorithms (8.4.1 (Theorem 8.16 only with O(Delta^2 log(Delta)) bound), 8.4.2, 8.6, 8.6.1) Special assignment 2 deadline |
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| 50 | Mon 11.12.17 |
Local Graph Algorithms (8.6.2 and a O(log^2 n) analysis of Luby's algorithm) | ex-KW50.pdf | solution-KW50.pdf |
| Tue 12.12.17 |
Local Graph Algorithms (8.7, 8.7.1, 8.7.2) | |||
| 51 | Mon 18.12.17 |
Local Graph Algorithms (8.5, 8.5.1 (proofs only for strong diam. netw. decomp.), 8.5.2. (we only showed the existence part), 8.5.3) | ex-KW51.pdf inclass-KW51.pdf | solution-KW51.pdf |
| Tue 19.12.17 |
Local Graph Algorithms (8.8) |
