BoK: Unk. Credit Level: U. Credit Hrs: 3.00 Prereq: none

Meets: TH 3:30-4:45PM, Baldwin 645
Textbook: There is no textbook that is assigned for this class but the following reference might be useful:

• Essential MATLAB for Engineers and Scientists, 3rd edition by Brian Hahn and Dan Valentine, Elsevier Ltd. (2007), ISBN: 0-75-068417-8.

Weekly notes will be posted on the course webpage. These notes follow the proceedings of the lectures fairly closely. It is expected that these notes will be read and understood.

This class is designed as an introduction to the concepts and practice of Computer Science. Computer scientists use a wide variety of tools, techniques and mathematical language and structures to model computational problems and the world. In this class students will be introduced to some of these tools, techniques, and language. We will do many hands-on exercises to develop our facility with computers, our intuition in problem solving, and our skills in numerical literacy and critical analysis. We will consider the historical background of computing, and be exposed to a variety of mathematical objects and concepts. We will demonstrate some intriguing computing paradoxes and discuss some open scientific questions. Students will leave the class with a better understanding of the nature of computation and the implementation of solutions to real-world problems on a computer.

During the term students will be exposed to several of the recognized sub-fields of the discipline of Computer Science, namely, algorithms, intelligent systems, databases, networks & communications, and architectures & systems. There will be general information about the CS profession, employment prospects, survival strategies in the major, time management skills, and the various academic resources available at UC. We will expose students to a powerful, widely-used yet simple programming language called Matlab.

Problem solving, Matlab, Algorithms, Complexity, Efficient Coding, Puzzles, Creativity