Theory of Computing

Module overview

This module aims to provide a broad and stimulating introduction to the theory of computing.

Aims and Objectives

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

The nature and examples of undecidable problems
The relationship between the regular, context-free and recursively enumerable classes of languages, and the state-machines that accept them
The complexity of algorithms and problems, and key complexity classes
The diagonalisation proof technique

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

Ascertain and prove whether or not a given language is regular
Ascertain and prove whether or not a given language is context-free
Use the reduction technique to show that a problem is undecidable
Use polynomial-time reduction to reason about the complexity class of a problem
Analyse the complexity of a given algorithm or problem

Learning and Teaching

Teaching and learning methods

The content of this module is delivered through lectures, the module website, directed reading, pre-recorded materials and tutorials. Students work on their understanding through a combination of independent study, preparation for timetabled activities, tutorials, and problem classes, along with formative assessments in the form of problem sheets.

Study time
Type	Hours
Completion of assessment task	10
Wider reading or practice	50
Revision	18
Lecture	36
Preparation for scheduled sessions	6
Follow-up work	18
Tutorial	12
Total study time	150

Resources & Reading list

Textbooks

J. Gruska (1996). Foundations of Computing. Thomson.

J. Barwise and J. Etchemendy (1993). Turing's World. Stanford.

D. Cohen (1996). Introduction to Computer Theory. Wiley.

D.C. Kozen (1999). Automata and Computability. Springer.

M. Sipser (1997). Introduction to the Theory of Computation. PWS.

A.K. Dewdney (2001). The (new) Turing Omnibus. Henry Holt.

J. Hein (2002). Discrete Structures, Logic and Computability. Jones and Bartlett.

N.D. Jones (1999). Computability and Complexity. MIT Press.

D. Harel (1992). Algorithmics: The Spirit of Computing. Addison Wesley.

A.J.G. Hey (1996). Feynman Lectures on Computation. Addison Wesley.

Assessment

Assessment strategy

This module is assessed by a combination of problem sheets and a final assessment in the form of a written examination.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Problem Sheets	10%
Examination	90%