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General Computer Science 320201 GenCS I & II Lecture ... - Kwarc

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Chapter 2<br />

Representation and Computation<br />

2.1 Getting Started with “<strong>General</strong> <strong>Computer</strong> <strong>Science</strong>”<br />

Jacobs University offers a unique CS curriculum to a special student body. Our CS curriculum<br />

is optimized to make the students successful computer scientists in only three years (as opposed<br />

to most US programs that have four years for this). In particular, we aim to enable students to<br />

pass the GRE subject test in their fifth semester, so that they can use it in their graduate school<br />

applications.<br />

The Course 320101/2 “<strong>General</strong> <strong>Computer</strong> <strong>Science</strong> I/<strong>II</strong>” is a one-year introductory course that<br />

provides an overview over many of the areas in <strong>Computer</strong> <strong>Science</strong> with a focus on the foundational<br />

aspects and concepts. The intended audience for this course are students of <strong>Computer</strong> <strong>Science</strong>,<br />

and motivated students from the Engineering and <strong>Science</strong> disciplines that want to understand<br />

more about the “why” rather than only the “how” of <strong>Computer</strong> <strong>Science</strong>, i.e. the “science part”.<br />

2.1.1 Overview over the Course<br />

Plot of “<strong>General</strong> <strong>Computer</strong> <strong>Science</strong>”<br />

Today: Motivation, Admin, and find out what you already know<br />

What is <strong>Computer</strong> <strong>Science</strong>?<br />

Information, Data, Computation, Machines<br />

a (very) quick walk through the topics<br />

Get a feeling for the math involved ( not a programming course!!! )<br />

learn mathematical language (so we can talk rigorously)<br />

inductively defined sets, functions on them<br />

elementary complexity analysis<br />

Various machine models (as models of computation)<br />

(primitive) recursive functions on inductive sets<br />

combinational circuits and computer architecture<br />

Programming Language: Standard ML (great equalizer/thought provoker)<br />

Turing machines and the limits of computability<br />

1

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