Ed Discussion
Ed Discussion is the primary place to ask questions about homework, course content, logistics, etc. By default, posts will be public. Please do not share your homework solution details in public posts; you can make a private post instead. You can also use private posts on Ed to discuss something with the course staff.
Textbooks
Here are a few optional books that will occasionally be used for the course. None of them are required.
- Algorithm Design by Jon Kleinberg and Eva Tardos.
- Algorithms by Sanjoy Dasgupta, Christos Papadimitriou, and Umesh Vazirani.
- Introduction to Algorithms by Thomas H. Cormen, Charles E. Leiserson, Ronald L. Rivest, and Clifford Stein.
- Algorithms Illuminated: Omnibus Edition by Tim Roughgarden.
LaTeX
LaTeX (pronounced LAY-tek or LAH-tek) is the standard typesetting program used across CS/Math/etc for creating beautiful PDFs. You should use LaTeX to type up your homework solutions. It is really good at letting you use commands for mathematical symbols and turning your solution into a PDF.
There are many free LaTeX editors available online. Here are two easy-to-use editors:
- Overleaf (recommended) is a free, web-based LaTeX editor that lets you see a preview of your compiled PDF as you type. You can also easily add collaborators. No installation is required (and you get a free Pro subscription with your Brown email). We’ll also provide an Overleaf template for each homework.
- VS Code with LaTeX Workshop extension
Other Useful Links:
- Detexify. If you don’t know the LaTeX code for a symbol, this is a neat site which will return the LaTeX code based on handwritten input.
- Pseudocode Guide. Our recommendations for typesetting pseudocode in LaTeX.
If you’ve never done this whole LaTeX business before, don’t panic! Here are some links to help you get started:
Accommodations
Brown University is committed to full inclusion of all students. Please inform me early in the semester if you may require accommodations or modification of any of course procedures. You may speak with me after class, during office hours, or by appointment. If you need accommodations around online learning or in classroom accommodations, please be sure to reach out to Student Accessibility Services (SAS) for their assistance (sas@brown.edu, 401-863-9588). If you encounter any digital materials in this course that are inaccessible, complete the Digital Accessibility Concern Reporting Form. For any accessibility or accommodation concerns, please contact the ADA/504 Coordinator at ada_504@brown.edu. Undergraduates in need of short-term academic advice or support can contact an academic dean in the College by emailing college@brown.edu. Graduate students may contact one of the deans in the Graduate School by emailing graduate_school@brown.edu.
Student Well-Being
Being a student can be very stressful. If you feel you are under too much pressure or there are psychological issues that are keeping you from performing well at Brown, we encourage you to contact Brown’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). They provide confidential counseling. You may also find these resources from Brown Health and Wellness (and links therein) useful.