Logical Foundations of Science and Computing, Fall 2007

http://grace.evergreen.edu/lfsc/


This page was last updated on 08/25/17.

Assignments Due     Sample Python Programs     Program Aides     Schedule


  • Academic fair handout for Computer Science Foundations
  • Evaluation Appointments

    Handouts

    If you miss class you'll need to obtain copies of paper handouts from classmates or from Pam Udovich, Lab I 1020.

    Textbook and Seminar Reading List

    Class Schedule

    Class activites will include lecture, mathematical reading, problem solving, programming, short essays, discussion, and presentations.
    Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
    10:00 - 12:00 Lecture
    Sem2 A3109
    Lecture/Workshop
    Sem2 A3109
    Logic Lab
    Cal West
    Lecture/Workshop
    Sem2 A3109
    No classes
    1:00 - 3:00 Seminar
    Sem2 A3109
    Programming Lab
    ACC
       
    (Prep day)
    Due: Seminar reading
    Essay draft/idea
    BE Reading
    BE Homework
    Zelle reading
    Zelle questions
    Zelle programs





    Essay
    Final Homework
    Self Assessment
    Weekly portfolio
     
    BE: Barwise & Etchemendy

    Schedule of Assignments

    The schedule of homework and lectures is based on the principle that the ability to learn on your own and in collaboration with others is an essential skill that one must gain from a college education. In the spirit of that principle, you will be expected to study the texts and do homework before the faculty lectures on the topics. You may initially find this unfamilar or even uncomfortable, but collaborative work with other students and the faculty during the week is rewarding and will allow you to clarify and reinforce your understanding of the material we are studying. Your are expected to have reading and homework done to the best of your ability on the scheduled days so you can knowledgeably participate in class activities. Your final homework assignments are due to the faculty on Thursday.

    You are expected to keep your weekly portfolios in a well-organized cumulative portfolio for submission at the end of the quarter and for possible periodic inspection during the quarter.

    Outline of Assigned Readings

  • History of Science and Deductive Reasoning.
    Week  Weekly Book Reading                      Supplementary Reading
    ----  -------------------                      ---------------------
     1    Wheelwright, Presocratics                TBA
     2    Wheelwright, Presocratics                TBA
     3    Wheelwright, Presocratics                TBA
     4    Plato, Dialogues                         TBA
     5    Plato, Dialogues                         TBA
     6    Crosby, Quantification                   TBA
     7    Kuhn, Copernican Revolution              TBA
     8    Kuhn, Copernican Revoluation             TBA
     9    Einstein, Relativity                     TBA
    10    Einstein, Relativity                     
    
  • Logic, Proof, and Programming
    Week  Zelle (Z) Reading                 Barwise & Etchemendy (BE) Reading
    ----  --------------------------------  ---------------------------------
     1    Ch 1  What is Computer Science    Ch 1  Atomic Sentences
     2    Ch 2  Variables & Assignments     Ch 2  The Logic of Atomic Sentences
     3    Ch 3  Numbers                     Ch 3  The Boolean Connectives
     4    Ch 4  Strings                     Ch 4  The Logic of Boolean Connectives
     5    Ch 5  Graphics and Objects        Ch 5  Methods of Proof for Boolean Logic
     6    Ch 6  Functions                   Ch 6  Formal Proofs and Boolean Logic
     7    Ch 7  Decisions                   Ch 7  Conditionals
     8    Ch 8  Loops & Booleans            Ch 8  The Logic of Conditionals
     9    Ch 9  Simulation & Design         Ch 9  Introduction to Quantification
    10                         Review and Reflection
    

    Credit and Evaluation Policy

    Successful learning requires active involvement in learning activities: reading, writing, problem solving, discussion, and lecture . The credit and evaluation policy is based on this observation.

    Credit will be awarded for participating in and completing the entire body of work for the program at a passing level of performance. Credit decisions and evaluations will be based on

    The quality of your work, the level of your understanding, and the extent of your improvement will be reflected in your evaluation. As a general policy credit will be awarded on an all or none basis, although the faculty reserves the right to make exceptions to that rule. No incompletes will be given.

    Attendance is required at all program activities. Failure to attend one third or more of scheduled class meetings or failure to submit one third or more of assigned work is sufficient grounds for loss of credit. Failure to achieve satisfactory results on exams or failure to submit satisfactory written assignments in a timely way is sufficient grounds for loss of credit.

    Cumulative portfolios of all written work may be reviewed periodically and are due along with draft self evaluations on Thursday of the last week of classes. Final self evaluations and faculty evaluations on the official evaluation forms are due at your evaluation conference scheduled during week 11 of the quarter.

    Faculty and Program Aides

    Catalog Description

    This program introduces the logical, historical, and mathematical foundations of problem solving and computing in the sciences. Students in the program will study the evolution of rational thought and mathematical abstraction in the history of science along with the systems of logic and programming that we use today for problem solving in science, mathematics, and computing. Early Greek philosophers dared to assume that humanity could comprehend the true nature of the universe and the material world through rational thought. Using historical readings we will investigate key conceptual developments in the evolution of scientific and mathematical thought from those early intellectual explorations to the twentieth century. At the same time we will learn the powerful formal systems of logic and computing into which those early ideas have evolved today. We will study first order mathematical logic and its relationship to early Greek rational thought, contemporary critical reasoning, and scientific theories. We also will study how logic is used to build modern digital computers and how mathematical abstraction and logic combine in the creative act of constructing computer programs to solve problems. Class activities will include hands-on laboratory work in programming and logic along with lectures, weekly readings, seminar discussions, written essays, and weekly homework problems.

    Themes of Study and Equivalent Credits

    The program will be organized around logic and computation both as it evolved historically and as we understand it today. Through the eyes of the earliest thinkers we will see the roots of science, mathematics and logic as a human endeavor; a desire to understand ourselves and our place in the universe. At the same time we'll practice skills and techniques of reasoning, abstraction, and computation that are the foundation of contemporary scientific understanding of the material world. Our goal is to bring these ends of time together into a broader and deeper understanding of the foundations of science while building practical skills in logic, mathematics, and computing.

    We'll explore fundamental concepts of logic and mathematics in the context in which they evolved in the history of science, so this is a great chance to make sense out of mathematics beyond just symbol manipulation by looking at the original motivations for its use. Of course learning mathematics requires doing mathematics, so there will be a good portion of weekly problems to solve and discuss. We'll also have two lab times a week to work on deductive reasoning in logic and computer programming in the language Python.

    Class activities will include lectures, labs, readings, problem solving, short essays, discussion, and presentations. Credit equivalencies for this program are likely to include