Class: This class will be fully online. Asynchronous lecture videos will be posted to the calendar WF5.
Instructors: Teaching Assistants:RESOURCES
The calendar lists lecture topics, associated lecture materials, and auxilary reading. It also lists the problem sets with release- and due-dates, as well as listing the exam schedule.
The class has a Piazza page (access code), which will serve two purposes. The first is for course announcements. The second is to host a discussion forum where students can (anonymously or otherwise) ask questions of their co-students. Such discussion is highly encouraged, subject to policies on academic integrity. We strongly recommend that any questions directed at the course staff to be posted on Piazza, and not sent as email, as this ensures a faster and more consistent response. Please sign-up!
cs473 is an algorithms course aimed at advanced undergraduates and graduate students in computer science and related disciplines.
Prerequisites: cs374 or equivalent, or graduate standing. In particular, students are assumed to have mastered the material taught in cs173 (discrete mathematics) and cs225 (basic algorithms and data structures). We emphasize that "mastery" is not the same as "exposure" or even "a good grade"; hence, problem set 0. Programming experience is helpful; a strong mathematics background is even more helpful.
Coursework: Course grades are based on weekly problem sets (25% total), two midterm exams (22.5% each), and a final exam (30%). All problem set and exam grades will be posted on Gradescope. See the grading policies for more details.
Postrequisites: Taking this course prepares you for various other theoretical computer science courses at UIUC. We list some semi-regularly offered courses below.
The main materials for the class are the lecture notes, to be posted on the calendar as the semester progresses. Auxiliary materials will also be listed, but may not follow the presentation given during lecture. Common sources of these materials include: