Algorithms and Data Structures

This subject is not offered in 2013.

120 hours

25 points of university-level mathematics AND one of the following:

None

None

Students cannot enrol in and gain credit for this subject and:

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

Programmers can choose between several representations of data. These will have different strengths and weaknesses, and each will require its own set of algorithms. Students will be introduced to the most frequently used data structures and their associated algorithms. The emphasis will be on justification of algorithm correctness, on analysis of algorithm performance, and on choosing the right data structure for the problem at hand. Leading up to an exam with a programming component, quality implementation of algorithms and data structures is emphasized.

This subject, or its cognate COMP20007 Design of Algorithms, is a prerequisite for many 300-level subjects in the Computing and Software Systems major.

On successful completion of the subject students should be able to:

• Present arguments for the correctness or incorrectness of a given algorithm

• Reason about and evaluate the efficiency behaviour of a given algorithm

• Choose appropriate data structures and algorithms for a given problem

• Implement the chosen data structures and algorithms

• Programming project work during semester, due around weeks 5 and 11, expected to take about 36 hours (30%)

• One 30-minute mid-semester test (10%)

• A 3-hour end-of-semester written examination that includes a practical programming component (60%)

• To pass the subject, students must obtain at least: 50% overall; 15/30 in project work; 35/70 in the mid-semester test and end-of-semester examination combined

• ILOs 2,3,4 are addressed in all assessment components. ILO 1 is primarily addressed in the second programming project and the final examination.

TBA

This subject potentially can be taken as a breadth subject component for the following courses:

• Bachelor of Arts
• Bachelor of Commerce
• Bachelor of Environments
• Bachelor of Music

You should visit learn more about breadth subjects and read the breadth requirements for your degree, and should discuss your choice with your student adviser, before deciding on your subjects.

• Application of knowledge of basic science and engineering fundamentals

• Effective communication about computational efficiency

• Capacity to reason and solve problems

• Ability to undertake problem identification, formulation and solution

• Programming competency

• Capacity for creativity and innovation

• Profound respect for truth and intellectual integrity, and for the ethics of scholarship