Announcements  

• You must have received an e-mail message regarding your grades.  The course page will no longer be updated.  If you have a question, please send e-mail to the instructor.  [12/17/03]
  
• Final/Module D Comprehensive Exercises are available.  I strongly encourage that you go over the four problems and ask questions (if any) during the Friday meeting. [12/4/03]
  
• Final/Module D Take-Home Exercise Self-Evaluation Forms have been distributed in class.  It is also available on-line.  You can also take a look at Final/Module D Comprehensive Exercise Self-Evaluation Form (to be distributed on the final workshop day).  [12/2/03]
  
• When you do D4 Ex2, see C6 supplement exercise with solutions.  [12/2/03]
  
• Your current grades are now available on the grades page.  Please check their accuracy.  [11/21/03]
  
• I was told that the entire program of "The Elegant Universe" is available on-line (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/elegant/program.html).  Thanks to Eric Thul for the information.  [11/18/03]
  
• Mini Project Phase 2 is due on Tue., Nov. 18.  [11/14/03]
  
• One more thing about Module C Evaluation: Please come on time.  If you are late for a seesion (except for special cases described on my students page), I will not provide an opportunity to make up the session. [11/12/03]
  
• More about Module C Evaluation [11/11/03]
• After the evaluation, there will be no review period.
• Critical analysis of your partner:  Try to be as accurate as possible.  For example, if your partner's exercise has good points, you must identify them in your analysis.  On the other hand, if your partner's exercise needs improvements, you must identify them.  In many cases, your partner will have both strengths and weakness.  Thus, you will need to reflect them accordingly.  I will pay more attention to your critical analyses because this will most likely reveal your real understanding.  If your critical analyses do not match the quality of your own exercises, I will definitely invite you for additional interviews for individual evaluation.
  
• Grades page has been updated and now reflects my records after the Module B review period.  Please check the accuracy.  [11/10/03]
  
• Module C Evaluation:  Here are some announcements.  [11/6/03]
• Workshop procedure and criteria: These are substantially modified (see the form).  Make sure to read and understand them.
  
• Collaboration and evaluation: As I always say, I encourage group work.  However, your evaluation must be individual.  That is, whenever you submit work that is to be evaluated (directly or indirectly), you must reflect your own understanding.  Since it is apparent that no single indivual is identical to another, your writing must be different.  When I identify basically the same writing, I will suspend evaluation and will require the student's support of their writing, in writing or orallly.
• Mini Project Phase 2: Due on Tue., Nov. 18 (not on Nov. 14).
  
• Questions on Comprehensive (and other) Exercises: If you have questions, please send them to me.  It is not my intention to create unnecessarily confusing problems.  I do intend to make certain problems open-ended, though.  But you must be able to understand what I want you to do.
  
• Extended office hours: Between 11 a.m. and 1:50 p.m. on Thu., Nov. 6, I will be holding an advising session in HH132 (the theater lab?).  Since I do not expect many students during this period, you can come and discuss your Module B package if you like.  You do not need to make an appointment; there won't be many students.  But in case someone else is with me, you will need to wait.  [11/5/03]
  
• Quantum Computing: Eric Thul in Section 1 sent me a link to quantum computing (http://www.infoworld.com/article/03/10/29/HNquantambreakthrough_1.html), a forefront of computing technology that may be seen in the light of multiple-value Boolean Algebra.  Although I have seen a comment that quantum computing is not Boolean, this seems to refer to the point that the concept of "superposition" cannot be represented with two values.  As we discussed in class, the general definition of Boolean Algebra allows multiple states as well as operations applied to those states.  So, I think this general definition of Boolean Algebra can be used to characterize quantum computing to some extent.  [10/31/03]
  
• Unit C2 Exercise 2 (Exotic Logic and Circuits): Today, I did not explain the concept of complement well enough for you to be able to answer Questions A/B.  I'm sorry about this.  So, I will disclose the answer to Question A: Prop₃ cannot be a Boolean Algebra due to a problem with the complement function '¬' (you can just answer this way or skip it).  Now, we could define '¬' = {(T, F), (U, U), (F, T)}, i.e., ¬U = U, etc.  Then, I believe that we can actually satisfy all the properties, at least as written in the definition slide.  The problem with this definition of complement is as follows.  We want to ensure: for any x, x v ¬x = T (tautology) and x ^ ¬x = F (contradiction).  However, with the above definition of complement, we would have: U v ¬U = U v U = U and U ^ ¬U = U ^ U = U.  This is unacceptable for a Boolean Algebra.  On the other hand, for Bool₄, you can define the complement so that 'heart' and 'spade' are complement of each other and still satisfy: for any x, x v ¬x = T and x ^ ¬x = F.  For Set₃ and Set₄, adopt the usual definition on sets.  Then, you should be able to check the properties.  Note that the complement must be defined with respect to the universe, i.e., the set in each structure, e.g., S₃ in Set₃.  In any event, try what you can do.  Stop where you cannot proceed any longer.  As I said, we will go over this in the next class.  [10/28/03]
  
• Sample solutions to B6 exercises are available here, and B7 supplenetal exercises are available here.  Make sure to read all the available on-line documents.  [10/14/03]
  
• Take-home exercises: When you write up your take-home self-evaluation forms, you will need to respond to my comments and make your exercises as complete as possible.  Since I do not in general post solutions to exercises, you might wonder how to be confident about your ideas.  Here are my suggestions.  [10/13/03]
• First, as always, I encourage you to work together.  However, your writing must come from your mind, and should not be a copy of someone else.  If I see exactly same answers, I will require individual interviews to make sure your understanding.
• Second, discuss with me after class or make an appointment before the evaluation workshop.  If you present your ideas, I will gladly discuss them in detail.
  
• Again, in Section 1 (i.e., the 9:30 a.m. class), I made a mistake (sorry).  Please see the supplement on-line.  [10/10/03]
  
• In Section 1 (i.e., the 9:30 a.m. class), I had trouble explaining Group Exercise B2.  Here is what I was supposed to say.  [10/7/03]
  
• See B3 supplement for my comments on checking functions (and their properties).  [10/6/03]
  
• Clarification on the exercise re-doing process [9/28/03]
• To maintain the adjusted scores on the sheets, you must resubmit the evaluation packet by the class on Fri., Oct. 3.
• To attempt to upgrade your scores beyond what are on the shetts, you must make an individual appointment and convince me before the class on Fri., Oct. 3.  You can also come in during my office hours.  However, in case someone else is with me, you will need to wait.  This is the only way your scores may be upgraded.  Resubmission with revision and/or additional materials will not be considered for upgrading your scores.
• If you have a convincing reason for not being able to re-do exercises by the deadline, you must contact me before that deadline.  Note that simply running out of a slot immediately before the deadline will not be acceptable because there were plenty of slots available earlier.
• Module A consists only 10% of the course grades.  However, completely understanding what convincing arguments for achieving the learning goals are like through discussion with the instructor may well affect the way you do later evaluations.
  
• Exercise re-do: As I said, try to make an appointment early.  If you did not convince me 100% at this point, the chance is that it might become even more difficult to convince me later.  Make sure that you understand what you need to do for the coming evaluation workshops.  [9/23/03]
  
• Due to the power outage, both sections were canceled today.  The schedule will be modified accordingly.  Note that self-evaluation packets are ready for review.  If you want to see them before Tuesday, stop by at my office on Monday.  [9/19/03]
  
• Exercise B0 is due at the beginning of the class on Fri., Sep. 19.  For the exemption condition, see the exercise.  [9/16/03]
  
• See the Q&A page for some hints on Module A Comprehensive Exercise Question 3.  In general, you should check the course page for new posting at least daily.  [9/15/03]
  
• If you want to reflect on Take-Home Exercise A3 before the evaluation workshop time (when you will have little time), you can pick it up in my office on Monday.  I will be in my office most of the day except for my class time (see my on-line schedule).  [9/14/03]
  
• See my general comments on the exercises turned in on Friday.  This may be helpful for doing self-evaluation and Comprehensive Exercises.  [9/13/03]
  
• There were a few errors (e.g., commutativity) on the preliminary lecture A3 slides.  I'm sorry about them.  A revised version is now on-line.  In general, I post the version used in class after Section 2 lecture is over.  [9/9/03]
  
• If you missed the first class meeting, please read and understand the syllabus and other on-line documents.  Note that there is a take-home exercise due at the beginning of the next class (available on-line).  [8/26/03]
  
• Link to an NPR program "Job Interviews Get Creative" on 8/22/03 (http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1405340).  [8/26/03]
  
• Welcome to CMSC210 course page (for both Sections 1 and 2)!  [8/13/03]
  

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