COMP 106

Discrete Mathematics
for Computer Science and Engineering

• Instructor:
– Yücel Yemez, Eng 139, Office hours: TBA
• Lectures:
– Tue/Th, 8:30-9:40 @ SNA-A43
– Problem session (Tue 17:30-18:40 @ SOS-B10)
• Teaching assistants:
– TBA (check course website)
• Textbook:
– Kenneth H. Rosen, Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications,
McGraw-Hill (8th edition)
• Course webpage:
– Blackboard
 Computer Vision (AI)
(what I do as a researcher)

Computer vision deals with all aspects of understanding digital

images with a computer

Ultimate goal: A machine that can see

I also teach Comp411 and Comp410 courses

 Textbook

• K. H. Rosen, Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications, 8th Ed.,

McGraw-Hill (required).
• Written homeworks will mostly be assigned from the textbook.
• You do not need the printed version; the e-book version is
sufficient (contact KU Bookstore).
• The e-book version comes with the “Connect” platform which you
can use for self-study (recommended but not mandatory).
• Quiz assignments will be given via Blackboard.
 Grading

• Quiz assignments (20%) (online via Blackboard)

• Midterm (40%)
• Final (%40)
 Quiz assignments

• Quiz assignments will be given on a regular basis and will be graded.

• Your overall quiz score will be calculated by ignoring the worst of all
your quiz assignment scores.
• Quiz assignments will be conducted online using Blackboard.
 Homework assignments

• Written homeworks will be assigned from the textbook.

• Homeworks will not be graded; they intend to prepare you with
the quiz assignments and the written exams.
• No official due dates for homework assignments; but we
recommend you do them on a timely basis to stay tuned with the
course content.
 Problem Sessions

• Problem sessions will take place on a regular basis (like once

every two weeks)
• Course TA will solve problems which are similar with those in the
written homework assignments.
 Expectations

• Attend classes;
• Do your homework assignments (on your own!);
• Attend problem sessions;
• Read your textbook;
• Ask when you don’t understand; do not get lost!
 Honor Code
• You are expected to submit your own work in all exams, homeworks and
quizzes.
• While doing homeworks, you can have ideas or tips from others on how
to do things, but you must not exchange any material, work together, or
let others do their work (even partially).
• In exams, all forms of information transfer between students are
prohibited.
• Finally, being a part of a dishonest plot intentionally (for example,
helping others cheat, doing others’ homeworks, giving your homeworks
to others) will also be considered as cheating.
• Please be aware that, in past semesters, a number of students had to
face the Disciplinary Committee for various incidents of academic
dishonesty in computer engineering courses.
 Course Objectives

• To learn how to reason, in a formal way

• To learn mathematics as a “language”

• To learn basic mathematical tools and discrete structures for

problem solving in computer science
 Course Objectives
(more specific)

• Discrete Mathematics
– Logic
– Mathematical reasoning, notation, theorems, proofs
– Number theory
• Algorithms
– Problem solving, algorithm design, complexity analysis
• Discrete Structures
– Tools for problem solving and algorithm design
– Relations, finite-state machines, Turing machines
• Applications
 Course Outline
• Ch. 1-2: Foundations:
– Logic, propositional logic, sets, functions.
• Ch. 3: Algorithms:
– Complexity of algorithms, integers.
• Ch. 4: Number theory:
– Cryptography, modular arithmetic, prime numbers.
• Ch. 5: Induction & Recursion:
– Mathematical induction, recursive algorithms, recurrence.
• Ch. 9: Relations:
– Representing relations, connectivity analysis, equivalence relations.
• Ch. 13: Modeling Computation:
– Theory of computation, grammars, finite-state machines, Turing machines.
 Discrete Mathematics

(Discrete) mathematics is like a game:

• We need to learn rules (that is, definitions),

• and tools (that is, discrete structures);

• And we need skills to use them (that is, via reasoning)

 A false proof

1 = 1 = (-1)(-1) = - 1 - 1 = -1

What’s wrong?

You should know the rules of the game!

 Consequences of 1 = -1

1 1 1
= - (multiply by )
2 2 2
3
2 =1 (add )
2

“Since I and the Pope are clearly

2, we conclude that I and the
Pope are 1. That is, I am the
Pope.”
Bertrand Russell
(1872 - 1970)
 Reasoning (Example)

“If you are older than 18 years, then you can have a driving license”

Given this as a fact, can you infer the following?

“If you can have a driving license, then you are older than 18 years”

or

“If you can’t have a driving license, then you are not older than 18 years”
 Mathematical language (Example)

p: “you are older than 18 years”

q: “you can have a driving license”

“If you are older than 18 years, then you can have a driving license”
p → q

“If you can have a driving license, then you are older than 18 years”
q → p

“If you can’t have a driving license, then you are not older than 18 years”
┐q → ┐p
Tools: Discrete Structures (Example)
Consider the flight network of an airline company

Problem: Which cities are linked? Is there a connection between

city A and city B?
Solution: Use a relation (or graph) structure!
Tools: Discrete Structures (Example)

Problem: Given a task (of any kind), can it be done with a computer?

Solution: Use Turing machines!