CS1112 --> Syllabus
Course: Introduction to Computing Using MATLAB (4 credits)
Instructors: K-Y. Daisy Fan
Website: http://www.cs.cornell.edu/courses/cs1112/2009sp
Note: Take either CS1112 or CS1110, not both. CS1112 is not to be taken with CS2110 concurrently or after CS2110.

Course Description Learning Objectives Academic Integrity Times & Places Staff Material Grades Schedule What To Do Now

Course Description

4 credit hours. S/U Optional. Programming and problem solving using Matlab. Emphasizes the systematic development of algorithms and programs. Topics include iteration, functions, arrays, and Matlab graphics. Assignments are designed to build an appreciation for complexity, dimension, fuzzy data, inexact arithmetic, randomness, simulation, and the role of approximation.
CIS11121
co-meets with CS1112 for the first eight weeks of the semester. CIS11121 will have the same lecture, section, homework, and prelims as CS1112 during the first eight weeks of the semester.

Learning Objectives

In CS1112, students will acquire the following skills:

Academic Integrity

Simply put, academic integrity is about respecting yourself and respecting others. You respect yourself by submitting work completed through your own effort; you respect others by acknowledging contribution from others when such external contribution is allowed, e.g., for group projects. When your individual effort is required, for exams and for in-class quizzes, you may neither seek nor accept help from others. You must read the complete Code of Academic Integrity as it applies to this course. Ignorance of the Code is not an acceptable excuse.

Times & Places

Lecture
Days
Time
Room
Instructor
      1
TR
9:05am-9:55am PH 155
Fan/Van Loan
      2
TR
11:15am-12:05pm OH 155
Fan/Van Loan
Section
Days
Time
Room
Instructor
201 T 12:20PM - 1:10PM UP B7 & HLS 362 Stefan
202 T 1:25PM - 2:15PM UP B7 & HLS 368 Stefan
203 T 2:30PM - 3:20PM UP B7 & KMB B11 Josef
204 T
3:35PM - 4:25PM
UP B7 & HLS 362 Josef
205 W
10:10AM - 11:00AM
UP B7 & UPS 211 Utkarsh
206 W 11:15AM - 12:05PM UP B7 & UPS 211 Tim
207 W 12:20PM - 1:10PM UP B7 & HLS 372 Tim
208 W 1:25PM - 2:15PM UP B7 & HLS372 Myle
209 W 2:30PM - 3:20PM UP B7 & HLS 368 Myle
210 W 3:35PM - 4:25PM UP B7 & PHL 407 Myle
211 W 7:30PM - 8:20PM UP B7 & HLS 314 Vivek
212 W 8:35PM - 9:25PM UP B7 & HLS 314 Vivek


Upson B7 is a computer lab. (UP B7 is split in half, we will use the right half.  The first two weeks and then every other week, section will take place in the labs instead of the regular classrooms. A reminder of the section location will be posted every Monday.

Staff

Instructors: K-Y. Daisy Fan dfan@cs.cornell.edu
     
Teaching Assistants: Clauda Ephrem ce65@cornell.edu
  Josef Broder jmb344@cornell.edu
  Spencer Perreault sdp63@cornell.edu
  Stefan Ragnarsson str23@cornell.edu
  Timothy Condon tcondon@cs.cornell.edu
  Utkarsh Prateek up28@cornell.edu
  Myle Ott myleott@cs.cornell.edu
  Yeounoh Chung yc336@cornell.edu
  Yan Tang yt323@cornell.edu
  Vivek Maharajh vam32@cornell.edu
  Zachary Kanfer zck2@cornell.edu
See CS1112 --> Staff for other course staff and office hours.

Material

Required material:
  • Course packet: "Insight Through Computing: A Matlab Introduction to Computational Science and Engineering" by Van Loan and Fan, will be available at Campus Store
  •  iClicker system responder keypad (clicker)

Optional software:   MATLAB Student Version Release 14

Grades

You must adhere to the Code of Academic Integrity for all work.

Items that count towards your course grade include homework (exercises, 6 programming projects), lab exercises, quizzes, and exams (prelims, final exam).

  • Section exercises are assigned and submitted in section only. Each in-class quiz counts as an exercise. You can miss a number of exercises/quizzes without affecting your grade. For example, if we have 15 exercises/quizzes in total, you can miss three (about 20%) without lowering your grade. You may have two non-excused absences from section (e.g., you added the course late, you fell asleep and missed the lab). For CS1112 students, having more than two non-excused absences from sections will result in a drop of a third of a letter grade in the course (e.g., from B to a B-). CIS1121 students may have one non-excused absence. In-class quizzes count as exercises.
  • CS1112 students are allowed to drop one project (e.g., you slept in and missed the deadline, you submitted the wrong file, your partner forgot to submit your joint work, your dog ate your hard disk, etc.). CIS1121 students may not drop any projects. In class quizzes will count as exercises.
  • There may be bonus questions in some homework and/or exams. We consider bonus points only after we have assigned all letter grades at the end of the semester. Bonus points might raise your letter grade up to a third of a grade (e.g., C+ to B- but not C+ to B), so doing extra work always helps but never causes competition with fellow students.
  • CS11112 uses the following weights to determine the course grade:
    Exercises (E)  =   5% (homework and lab exercises; in-class quizzes)
    Projects  (P)  =  25%
    Prelim 1  (T1)  =  10%
    Prelim 2  (T2)  =  20%
    Prelim 3  (T3)  =  20%
    Final     (F)  =  30%
    The above point distribution adds up to 110%. We will reduce the weight of your lowest exam by 10%. Therefore, your numeric grade has the following formula:

       Score = (0.05*E)+(0.25*P)+(0.1*T1)+(0.2*T2)+(0.2*T3)+(0.3*F)-(0.1*min(T1,T2,T3,F))

  • CIS1121/EAS1121 uses the following weights to determine the course grade:
    Exercises (E)  =  10% (homework and lab exercises; in-class quizzes)
    Projects  (P)  =  30%
    Prelim 1  (T1)  =  20%
    Prelim 2  (T2)  =  40%
    Prelim 2 serves as the final exam in CIS1121/EAS1121.

Your course grade will follow the "cut-off" structure given below. You need an overall score higher than 55 (of 100) to get a "D" ("marginal pass"). Note that your College (or Major) may require a "C-" to be a passing grade. After assigning your initial letter grade based on your overall numeric score, we might raise your grade if you have earned sufficient bonus points. We reserve the right to make adjustments both up and down based on our knowledge of each student.

    Overall score    Letter
       93-100        A-,A,A+
       80-89         B-,B,B+
       65-76         C-,C,C+

Schedule

You must write all exams at the scheduled times unless you have another exam officially scheduled at the same time (check exam schedules on http://cuinfo.cornell.edu/Academic/Class.html):
  • Prelim 1:   February 19, 7:30pm - Kimball Hall B11 & Upson Hall B17
  • Prelim 2:   March 12, 7:30pm - Statler Hall 185-Aud
  • Prelim 3:   April 14, 7:30pm - Statler Hall 185-Aud
  • Final Exam:   May 8,  9-11:30am
See CS1112 --> Lecture materials for the complete list of topics covered in the course.

What To Do Now (after the first lecture)

  • Review the descriptions of CS1112, CS1110, and alternative courses. Then pick a course!
  • Enroll in and attend a section that belongs to the course you have chosen.
  • Review the course website to learn the course policies.
  • Review the recent announcements on course web site.
  • Refer to Lecture Materials for assigned reading. Start reading.
  • Check prelim and final exam schedules for conflicts.
  • Check out the Association of Computer Science Undergraduates (ACSU): http://www.acsu.cornell.edu/.