Evaluation
Please fill out the Mid-Semester Evaluation.Course Details
Textbooks
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The Perfect Swarm by Len Fisher, 2009 |
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Complexity: A Guided Tour by Melanie Mitchell, 2009 |
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Micromotives and Macrobehavior by Thomas Schelling, 1978 |
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Turtles, Termites, and Traffic Jams by Mitchel Resnick, 1997 |
Software
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NetLogo Northwestern University |
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Scratch MIT |
Overview
Ever wonder how birds can fly in formation without a leader? How traffic jams occur even without an accident? How neighborhoods can become segregated even with tolerant people? How ants coordinate and communicate optimal foraging? CSC 107 explores how computers and mathematics can be used to model these complex phenomena in the world through the simple behavior of agents and their interactions over time. We will examine the mathematical properties that emerge from these agent interactions and discover some underlying mechanisms common across many fields.Disabilities
Centenary assures students with disabilities equal opportunity to reach the same level of achievement as other students. Strict confidentiality will be maintained on students with disabilities. Services for students with disabilities are available through the Counseling Center, located on the ground floor of Rotary Residence Hall, phone (318) 869-5424.Honor Code
All students are bound by the Honor System. The Honor System is applicable to all academic work. See the Centenary College Handbook for the complete Honor Code. All code you write and turn in for a grade is understood to be pledged. You may discuss topics with other students and tutors, but all code you write must be your own, and you must be able to explain to me how it works. In this course, it is a violation of the honor code to look at code from previous semesters or in other students' directories.Extensions
Extensions and rescheduling for labs, projects, exams and quizzes are only given when circumstances beyond your control (e.g. being sick, choir or sports travel) prevent you from completing a project on time. You must notify me either by email or phone of your circumstances well in advance of the due date. No extensions are given for requests made within three days of the due date.Quizzes and Participation
You are encouraged to attend class and participate in discussions every day. Sporadically throughout the semester, there will be short quizzes covering material from the previous class. These quizzes will serve as records of your attendance, and in total they will comprise 5% of your final grade. Active participation in class discussions will comprise another 5% of your final grade. This will be awarded for answering questions, asking questions, presenting material, etc.- Quiz 1 - Garbanzo Estimation
- Quiz 1a - Revised Garbanzo
- Quiz 2 - Pizza Topping Votes
Extra Credit
Extra credit for this course can be earned by participating in the Centenary Math Problem of the Week (POTW). Each reasonable submission will be worth an additional 0.5% toward your final grade, CC me with your submission for credit. A maximum of 7% extra credit can be applied to your final grade.Syllabus
- Jan 11th:
The Perfect Swarm: Introduction pg 1-7
Turtles, Termites and Traffic Jams: Foundations pg 3-19
Complexity: Chapter 1 pg 3-14 - Jan 13th:
The Perfect Swarm: Chapter 5
Notes and Formulas
- Jan 18th:
The Perfect Swarm: Chapter 6
- Jan 25th:
Complexity: Chapter 10 pg 145-159
- Feb 8th:
Turtles, Termites and Traffic Jams: pg 103-110
- Feb 22nd:
Turtles, Termites and Traffic Jams: pg 75-81
- Mar 1st:
Turtles, Termites and Traffic Jams: pg 81-88
Micromotives and Macrobehavior: pg 136-166
- Mar 17th:
Complexity: Chapter 2 pg 15-39
- Mar 24th:
Complexity: Chapter 5 pg 71-87
Complexity: Chapter 14 pg 209-224
- Apr 7th:
Complexity: Part IV pg 228-272
The Perfect Swarm: Chapter 7 pg 105-132
Labs
Much of your experience with programming in this course will be through weekly labs and homeworks, which will comprise 35% of your final grade. Each lab will be assigned in class with time allotted to work through the materials, and will be due at the beginning of the next class period. All labs and homeworks are weighted equally within the Lab portion of your final grade.You may discuss concepts and ideas with your classmates, but the code you turn in must be your own. You will be graded not only on correctness, but also technique, documentation and evaluation of your solution. Further details on the grading standards and handin instructions for each lab and homework will be given when they are assigned.
You will be handing in your lab work on the remote cs server, and instructions to do so will be included in each lab. For in-class work and notes, you should purchase a USB Flash Drive, the bookstore has 1GB for around $7.00.
| Lab | Name | Assigned | Due |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Who are you? | Jan 11th | Jan 11th |
| 1 | Wisdom of Crowds | Jan 15th | Jan 22nd |
| 2 | Voting Theory | Jan 25th | Jan 29nd |
| 3 | Cellular Automata | Feb 1st | Feb 5th |
| 4 | Termites and Segregation | Mar 1st | Mar 5th |
| 5 | Population and Evolution | April 5th | Apr 15th |
Projects
You will have one final project in this course for a total of 20% of your final grade. More details concerning the project can be found on the Project.This project will be due and presented during the final exam period for this class, May 4th, 8-11 am. (Seniors will present April 30th, 9am.)
You may work with a partner on this project.
Exams
There will be three in-class exams, each worth 12% of your final grade.
- Exam 1: Feb 22
- Exam 3: April 16
- Exam 3: April 16
Grading
Your final grade for this course will be based on the Labs, Projects, Quizzes, Exams and Participation described above.
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© Mark Goadrich, Centenary College of Louisiana