C676: Reasoning About Knowledge - Fall 2007


Instructor:
Joe Halpern, 4144 Upson, halpern@cs, 5-9562
Admin:
Cindy Robinson, 4146 Upson, cindy@cs, 5-0985
Grader:
David Martin, 4104 Upson, djm@cs 5-9537
Classes:
Tuesday, Thursday 2:55-4:10
Office hours:
Halpern: Tuesday, 1:30 - 2:50
Martin: Wednesday, 4:30 - 6
Text:
Reasoning About Knowledge (Fagin, Halpern, Moses, Vardi). The paperback version corrects some typos and other problems in the hardcover version, so it's a better choice, all things being equal. If you're using the hardcover version, let me know.
Grading:
There will be no tests or final examination. There will be problems handed out, typically 3 every Thursday, from the book. The grade will be based completely on your performance on the problems. Problems are always due two weeks after they're handed out. If you hand them in one week after they're handed out, I will grade them and return them the following week, and you get to hand them in again, to improve your grade. On a redo, you can get a maximum of 1 point less than the original value of the problem. (That is, if the problem was originally out of 10, the most you can get is 9.) I will take the higher grade.
Academic Integrity:
It's OK to discuss the problems with others, but you MUST write up solutions on your own, and understand what you are writing. List on your solutions everyone you worked with.
Course Outline:
We will be following the text very closely. Very roughly, we will be covering one chapter per week. Topics include modal logic, common knowledge, applying reasoning about knowledge in distributed systems (and economics, depending on interest), knowledge-based programming, dealing with logical omniscience, algorithmic knowledge.

Homework