The class is a tour of the big ideas that make computer science an academic discipline. We tour the architecture of modern computers from bits and logic all the way up to programming languages and software libraries. We probe the insights in computability and algorithm design that make possible massive search engines like Google and help us understand the relation between computation and intelligence. Coursework primarily involves paper-and-pencil problem solving and a very small amount of programming to provide students with hands-on-experience with the concepts we introduce.
01:640:026 or 01:640:027. This course may not be used for major credit.
Please note that courses for which a student has received a grade of D cannot be used to satisfy prerequisite requirements.
Boolean algebra,
binary numbers,
computation and algorithms,
secret codes,
robotics and machine learning
Lectures, in class clicker quizzes, hands-on demonstrations, written homework, short online activities, written midterm and final
Department of Computer Science