Time: Tuesday and Thursday 10:30am - 11:55am
Location: organizational meeting in 139 Moore, January 8

Important historical papers: [ip restricted access]

• Information Theory: "A Mathematical Theory of Communication" by Claude E. Shannon
• Computation: "On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem" by Alan Turing. Corrections.
• Kolmogorov Complexity: "A Theory of Program Size Formally Identical to Information Theory" by Gregory Chaitin

Professor	TAs
Erik Winfree Hours: by arrangement Office: 204 Moore Extension: x6246	Qing Liu and TBA Moore 239, time TBA
Email: <winfree@caltech.edu>	Email: <cs129_ta@dna.caltech.edu>

Format: The class will be based on reading and discussion. Each week, several of pages of lecture notes will be assigned. Read them carefully and test your understanding by working out alternative proofs or invent and solve simple problems investigating the material. Monday's homework: Read the lecture notes, solve the assigned problem, provide a discussion point. Tuesday's class: Summary of section, explanation of discussion points by students, quiz problem & discussion. Wednesday's homework: Invent and solve a problem. Thursday's class: Continued discussion of discussion points, presentation of invented problems, quiz & discussion.

Grading: Homework (60%), class discussion (30%), in-class problems (10%). There will be no midterm or final. Attendance is mandatory. Homework questions will be open-ended; creative engagement with the subject matter is encouraged and expected. Programming will be part of some homework.

Late Policy: Homework (a single PDF file) must be handed in by email (cs129_ta@dna.caltech.edu) before 11:59pm each Monday. You have 5 (total) "late days" which you may allocate as you wish to avoid the lateness penalty. For example, a homework turned in on Wednesday that was due Monday is 2 day late. When late homework is turned in, the time, date, and number of "late days" used, must be clearly stated in the email. Use them wisely, or not at all. Beyond institute-established cases of illness or emergency, no other exceptions will be granted.

Collaboration and Open-Book Policy: Collaboration in the sense of discussions is allowed, but you should write the final solutions alone and understand them fully. Clear reasoning and presentation is as important as correctness. Do not read class notes or homework solutions from previous years at any time. Other books and notes can be consulted, but not copied from; however, they shouldn't be necessary for the homework problems.