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Preface:Magic in the StoneCS105: Great Insights in Computer ScienceWelcome!• CS105: “Great Insights in Computer Science”.• Somewhat experimental course.• Instructional technologies- Using online course support (sakai)- iClickers for in-class interaction- Programs for out-of-class interaction- Podcasting (including music videos)My Course Goals• Cool facts, cool ideas. Ideas are “how to” facts. Shoot for one or two per lecture.• People (my parents, say), don’t understand how I have a PhD in CS and can’t help them when their Windows box crashes.• If it’s not about XP, what else is there?- That’s what I want to tell you...Introduction to CS101s• Target audience: Undergrads, as a first (possibly only) computer-science course.• Seminar in Computers and Society: What impact have computers had on the world?• Introduction to Computer Science: How do I learn to create my own software?• Introduction to Computers and Their Application: What do I need to know about computing technology?Course Goals: Questions• What is Computer Science?• Why is it fun/interesting?• How is it different from software engineering?• What are the insights that make computer science its own academic discipline?Textbook• Not too daunting or detailed.• Inspiring and informative.• Pattern on the Stone, the simple ideas that make computers work, Danny Hillis, Basic Books, 1998.• Enjoyable to read; not really a textbook at all.• I will add meat to the wonderful skeleton he creates.Clickers• Available at several bookstores.• Can keep them (most popular clicker at Rutgers) or sell them back.• We’ll use them for attendence, reading comprehension quizzes, straw polls.• I’ve created some interactive demos, hope to expand the set.http://www.iclicker.com/Grading• 20%: Class participation• 20%: Homework• 20%: Midterm #1 (in class)• 20%: Midterm #2 (at final)• 20%: Cumulative (at final)Class Participation• Each lecture, roughly 5 multiple choice questions.• 1 point for each answer, .1 bonus if correct.• May answer questions in class using iClickers• May also download audio podcast and use sakai.• For you benefit and mine, I’d prefer you use the podcasts as a backup (ill, out of town, lost clicker) and plan to attend lectures.Other Grading Elements• Homeworks (HW)- biweekly- hand in answers online via sakai- may need to run programs in “scratch”• Exams- Exam questions modeled on HWSyllabus: Chapters 0-2Preface: Magic in the Stone• What does the title mean?Chapter 1: Nuts and Bolts• From physics to bits.Chapter 2: Universal Building Blocks• From logic gates to a computer.Syllabus: Chapters 3-5Chapter 3: Programming• Giving the computer instructions.Chapter 4: How Universal Are Turing Machines?• How many kinds of computation are there?Chapter 5: Algorithms and Heuristics• Solving some (hard?) problems.Syllabus: Chapters 6-7Chapter 6: Memory: Information and Secret Codes• Bits as messages.Chapter 7: Speed: Parallel Computers• Computers working together.Syllabus: Chapters 8-9Chapter 8: Computers That Learn and Adapt• Can computers exceed their programming?Chapter 9: Beyond Engineering• Programs that evolve.They Are Everywhere!• 1977: “There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in his home.”• Today: Cell phone? PDA? Computers at home? Laptop? Video games? Digital camera?Survey• How many computers are with you right now? Laptop, handheld game, cell phone, GPS device, PDA, mp3 player, ...A. 0B. 1C. 2D. 3E. 4 or morePreviously UnthinkableLife After Death?CS Is...In a word, computer science is the study of:A.ProgrammingB. CommunicationC. ReductionD.Automation E. AccelerationOne-Word Summary• If I had to summarize the intellectual contribution of computer science in one word, it would be “reduction”.• Computer scientists solve problems by reducing them to simpler problems.• We’ll see this same idea played out over and over again in different settings...Levels of Complexity• Networking (OSI Layers): application, presentation, session, transport, network, data link, physical.• Vision (Marr): computational, algorithmic, implementation.• Computing: application, high-level language, machine language, logic blocks, logic gates, physical.• Storage hierarchy: offline-storage, hard disk, RAM, cache, registers.What Does The Title Mean?• Read the preface.• Come back next time and tell me what you found out!Today’s Idea• I will start with the textbook next time, introducing bits and some simple gates.• Please read the Preface and Chapter 1.• But, I want to give you something to chew on to get those gears turning...Bar Codes• See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barcode .• Many different styles of barcodes.• Most common is UPC-A, in use in most North American retail stores.• I will describe the UPC encoding.• Many of the same ideas apply to other codes: checks, photostamps, IR remotesUniversal Product Codes• First scanned product, Wrigley’s gun (1974).• Method of identifying products at point of sale by 11-digit numbers.• Method of encoding digit sequences so they can be read quickly and easily by machine.Reduction Idea• Each level uses an encoding to translate to the next level.- Patterns of ink.- Sequence of 95 zeros and ones (“bits”).- Sequence of 12 digits.- Sequence of 11 digits.- Name/type/manufacturer of product.Product Name• Ponds Dry Skin Cream- 3.9 oz (110g)- Unilever Home and Personal Care USA• Name Badge Labels ( Size 2 3/16" x 3 3/8")- 100 Labels- Avery Dennison/Avery Division11-Digit Number• Digit = {0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9}• Sequence of 11 digits• How many different items can they encode?A. 10,000,000,000 (one with 10 zeros)B. 100,000,000,000 (one with 11 zeros)C. 9,999,999,999 (10 nines)D. 19,999,999,999 (one with 10 nines)Encode Name By 11 Digits• First 6 digits: Manufacturer- First digit, product category:.0, 1, 6, 7, 8, or 9: most products.2: store’s use, for variable-weight items.3: drugs by National Drug Code number• Last 5 digits: Manufacturer-assigned IDExamples• Labels: 0-72782-051440- 0=general product- 72782= Avery- 051440=Avery’s code for this product• Ponds: 3-05210-04300- 3=drug code- 05210= Unilever- 04300=National Drug Code for this product12-Digit Number• The UPC folks decided to include another digit for error checking. Example:- 01660000070 Roses Lime Juice (12 oz)- 04660000070 Eckrich


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Rutgers University CS 105 - Magic in the Stone

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