CS 161 Reading Assignment
Due Thursday, December 3rd at Class Time
(Not accepted after December 9th)
Introduction:
CS161 is supposed to be an introduction to Computer Science, not
just programming in Java. In an effort to add additional breadth to
the course, I'm asking you to read some material from "the Limits of
Computing" by Henry Walker. The book introduces topics and results from
a variety of areas of Computer Science, and will help give you a better
feel for what the discipline is all about. Unfortunately, the book is
no longer in print (and a bit dated here and there), so I've had to
select two representative chapters and put them online in electronic
form. You're to read these chapters, and write a short essay as described below.
The Chapters:
PDF copies of the chapters are here,
protected by the same login and password as the homework solutions. Please
do not share these files. I strongly encourage you to read the PDF files
instead of printing out the chapters, so we can save a couple thousand
pages of paper. There's also a copy of the book in the library, if you
absolutely must hold a physical object in your hands.
Chapter 3 demonstrates that there are problems that cannot be solved by
computer. One of the most famous is the Halting Problem, which says
that it's not possible in general for a program to determine whether
another program will eventually terminate, or run forever. Chapter 4
points out that even for the problems that can be solved by
computer, some are infeasible — you'd have to wait for the age of
the universe or longer for a solution. (Computers are getting faster
all the time, but these infeasible problems will remain out of
practical reach forever.) The chapter introduces one of the most
significant unanswered questions in Computer Science, but I'll let you
read it instead of giving it away.
The Assignment:
For each chapter, you must write at least a one-page essay that identifies and describes the main concept(s) found in each of the chapter's sections. Your essay must also respond to a specific discussion question from the book: In Chapter 3, answer discussion question 3.4 after doing the readings, and answer question 4.5 after Chapter 4. Your paper should be no more than four pages long in total, double-spaced, with margins no larger than one inch on any side and a font no larger than 12 point. For full credit, do more than just summarize the facts from the chapters — relate the material to concepts from other fields, to things we've done in class, or to your own personal experiences. Turn in a printed copy of your paper by class time on the due date.
Brad Richards, 2009