CS 511A: Introduction to Artificial Intelligence, Fall 2006

Instructor: Weixiong Zhang
TA: Ruoyun Huang (email: rh11@cse) and Ben Delaware (email: bjd2@cec)

Place: Cupples II 200

Time: Monday and Wednesday, 4:00PM - 5:30PM

Text book: Stuart Russell and Peter Norvig, Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach, Prentice Hall, 2nd Edition, 2003.

Prerequisites: CS 102G, CS 201 and CS 241. The most important prerequisite is the ability of algorithm design and programming.

Office hours:

Instructor - Weixiong Zhang: Mondays and Wednesdays 5:30 - 6:00pm (after classes); Fridays 4-5pm, Jolley Hall 506, or by appointment
TA - Ruoyun Huang (rh11@cse): Tuesdays 11:30am - 1:00pm, Urbar 115
TA - Ben Delaware (bjd2@cec): Thursdays 4:00 - 5:00pm, Jolley 508

Newsgroup: wu.cse.class.511a

Syllabus
Additional information (homework, exam and final grade)
Collaboration policy

Homework assignment

Reading material on RBFS search algorithm

Final exam: Dec 15, 4-6pm

Syllabus

Mon	Topic	HW & Reading	Wed	Topic	HW & Reading
			8/30	Introduction	Chp 1
9/4	Labor Day (no class)		9/6	Representation and rule-based systems	Chp 10
9/11	Representation: structured	Chp 7	9/13	Logic and inference
9/18	Propositional logic	Chp 7, 8 HW 1	9/20	Propositional & first-order logic (note: time change)	Chp 8, 9,
9/25	First-order logic: resolution		9/27	First-order logic: theorem proving	HW 1 due HW 2
10/2	Heuristic search: formulation, heuristic function	Chp 3, 4	10/4	Heuristic search: strategies	HW 2 due
10/9	Heuristic search: properties		10/11	Construction of heuristic function	HW 3
10/16	Local search and simulated annealing		10/18	Genetic algorithms	HW 3 due
10/23	Adversarial search	Chp 6	10/25	Midterm
10/30	Adversarial search		11/1	Constraint satisfaction	HW 4, Chp 5
11/6	Planning: total order	Chp 11.1-2	11/8	Planning: partial order
11/13	Planning: graphplan	Chp 11.3 HW 4 due HW 5	11/15	Planning: graphplan	Chp 11.4-5
11/20	Statistical learning	Chp 13.1-6, 20.1-2	11/22	Thanksgiving (no class)
11/27	Statistical learning		11/29	Bayesian networks - representation	Chp 14.1-5 HW5 due
12/4	Bayesian networks - inference	HW6	12/6	Bayesian networks - inference
12/11	Overview of other topics	HW 6 due on 12/12, 12pm	12/15	Final, 4-6pm

Additional Information

Homework: There will be several sets of homework assignments. They are due in the instructor's office in Jolley 506 before the class or in class at the beginning of the class of a given due date. Any homework submitted in class after 4:30pm will be given a late penalty of 20% of the total score. If you arrive at class after 4:30pm, wait until the end of class to bring up your homeworks. It is VERY disruptive to have someone walking in late and coming to the front of the class to submit his/her homework. No assignments will be accepted after the instructor steps out of the classroom. You are strongly advised to get started early so that you can get help if needed! These homeworks are not designed to be done in just a few days. There may be more than one way to solve a given problem. You are expected to spend ~5 hours for a one-week homework assignment - It will be very frustrating if you try to do this all in the last few days. For some problems you may need to think about them a while and then set them aside for a little.
Exams: There will be a midterm and a final.
Computation of the Final Grade: The distribution of total possible points out of 100 is: all homeworks = 55, the midterm = 20, and the final = 25. The final grade is an "A" for 85 or better, a "B" for 75 to 84, a "C" for 65 to 74, a "D" for 55 to 64. An "F" will be given to an overall score less than 55.

Collaboration Policy

"... if you solve it by your own means, you may experience the tension and enjoy the triumph of discovery."
- G. Polya in How to Solve It: A New Aspect of Mathematical Method, Princeton University Press, 1945.

Each homework problem that you submit should be the result of your own effort. For ALL homework problems, you ARE NOT permitted to consult the solutions from another student (former or current), or copy/consult the provided solutions from previous years.

In solving your homework problems, you may discuss approaches to solving the homework problems with your classmates, HOWEVER, you are to work out all details of any solutions discussed and write up the solution completely on your own. In particular, when working with a student on an assigned homework problem you should do so verbally -- Nothing should be written. This will keep your discussion at a high-level so that everyone can work out the details on their own.

YOU MUST CLEARLY ACKNOWLEDGE ANYONE (BESIDES ME OR A CLASS TA) WITH WHOM YOU DISCUSSED ANY PROBLEM AND STATE BRIEFLY WHAT YOU DISCUSSED.

Violations of any of the above rules will be dealt with harshly! These homework problems are designed to help you learn the material being taught. Being told the solution and understanding it is VERY different from working through the process of actually finding a solution. If you do not take an active role in the process of solving the homework problems, then you won't get much out of it, hence you won't learn the material and you are unlikely to pass the exams.

Homeworks

HW6 - due Wednesday, Dec. 12, before 12pm.

Created by Weixiong Zhang, August 2006.