CS 476: Automata Theory and Formal Languages

Spring 2024

• Instructor: Hamdi Dibeklioglu
• Office hours: by appointment / online
• TAs: Berat Bicer, Murat Sahin, Mustafa Utku Aydogdu
• Office hours: by appointment
  
• Class hours & room:
  While every other week we will have 2+2 hours of lectures, other weeks there will be one 2-hours lecture. Please see the schedule below for the dates of the lectures.
• Section 1: Monday 08:30-10:20; Wednesday 13:30-15:20 (EE-04)
• Section 2: Monday 10:30-12:20; Wednesday 15:30-17:20 (EE-04)

Grading: There will be one midterm exam (25%), a final exam (35%). 3 classworks (10% each), and 10 quizzes (1% each).

Quizzes: At least 10 quizzes.

Classwork will be announced, we expect to hold 3 classworks total.

Midterm and final exams are closed notes, closed book.

Passing Grade: No predetermined grade to pass the course.

FZ Policy: [(Classworks' Average x 0.3) + (Midterm x 0.25)] should be at least 18 (out of 55).

Makeup Policy: Medical report holders will be entitled for the midterm make up, and ONLY ONE classwork makeup in the last week of the semester. Both midterm and classwork makeups will be comprehensive. We will give no makeups for the quizzes.

Classwork and Exam Schedule:

Schedule:

Lecture notes below are downloadable only within Bilkent network. Use VPN to access from home.

Important information for exams and classwork

The following is on the cover pages of your midterm and final exams. Most students do not read this *valuable* information, but everyone SHOULD. These rules apply to the classwork as well:

1. Write legibly, and make your answers clear.
2. Provide comprehensible diagrams for state machines (DFA, NFA, PDA, TM).
3. Unintelligible answers may fail to receive credit.
4. All proofs should be presented formally, and should follow the styles presented in class.
5. Handwaving arguments will be considered incorrect.
6. Ambiguous explanations and proofs will be considered incorrect.
7. Use notations the same way as described in class.
8. Closed book, closed notes, no cheat sheets.
9. NO phones/tablets/laptops etc.

The rules 4 and 5 above point out the fact that this course is a FORMAL, THEORY course. All proofs should be presented as formal expressions, the same way discussed in class. Long paragraphs/sentences of trying to explain a possible answer does not mean that you will receive any credit.