CS 616 Stochastic Models in Computer Science
CSCI 616-01, Fall 2007
Syllabus
Where and When
Class:
10.00-10.50, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Morton
303
Office hours: 15.00-17.00,
Monday, Wednesday and other hours by appointment.
Midterm exam: October 19, 2007
Final exam: not
determined yet.
Instructor
Peter Kemper
006 McGlothlin-Street Hall
221-3462
kemper [At] CS [dot] WM [dot] EDU
An introduction to probability theory and stochastic models, as they apply to computer science. Key terms are random variables, probability distributions (e.g., uniform, geometric, exponential, Poisson), joint distributions, limit theorems, conditional probability and conditional expectation. We will also consider Markov chains, a particular stochastic process that is frequently applied in stochastic modeling of computer and communication systems.
Prerequisites:
Basic concepts of calculus, linear algebra, and discrete mathematics. No probability background is required.
Required Book:
Sheldon M. Ross, Introduction
to Probability Models, 9th
edition, Academic Press.(The 9th edition is the most recent,
previous ones may serve as well.)
Lectures will be mainly based on this text. Lecture material will be
supplemented by appropriate reference documents.
Required Work:
Homeworks (usually 8 to 10):
40% of the grade
Project (requires some programming): 10%
of the grade
In-class midterm: 20%
of the grade
In-class final: 30%
of the grade
The final numeric grade will be mapped into a letter
grade Ňon a curve.Ó Generally, 90 and above is an A; 80 to 89 is a B, etc.,
however if necessary, a downward adjustment may take place.
Late Work Policy
Assignments come with a
submission deadline and a drop out deadline. The submission deadline is when
you are supposed to hand in your results. The drop out deadline is a little
later. An assignment that you hand in before the drop out deadline will be
considered and graded. An assignment that you hand in after the drop out
deadline will NOT be considered and NOT graded.
So it is highly recommended to plan ahead and work with submission deadlines
and keep the time buffer between submission and drop out deadlines for
unforeseen emergencies. Deadlines will be set well in advance. If you
have a justifiable reason (such as an illness) for not turning in a homework on
time or to miss an in-class test, you have to inform me as soon as you can and
certainly before the deadline.
Attendance:
It is expected that students
attend all classes.
Students Who Need Accommodation:
Please see me after class or send email to set up a brief meeting.
Information Dissemination:
I will maintain a set of web
pages beneath
http://www.cs.wm.edu/~kemper/cs616/
in support of the course.
They should be considered official components of the course, and you should
check them on a daily basis.