The Spring Quarter class is taught by Ron Hart. We have worked out a common syllabus and format for the class and we regularly exchange information and observations about the course. There is one mid-term exam and a final exam, both comprehensive and covering the lecture, reading, and homework assignments. Calculators are not required. Two programming projects are assigned - one in each half of the term.
Homework is assigned but is neither collected nor graded.
This is a minimum requirement. A strong mathematical background, including algebra, is highly desirable , since we use quite a bit of mathematics in the analysis of algorithms. This class was formerly taught using the Pascal programming language. Pascal is rarely used anymore, while C enjoys a large following. In the spring of 1998, the course was taught in C for the first time.