CS156Spring 2004Sec1& Home Page/Syllabus

Introduction to Artificial Intelligence

This course will survey the major areas of AI. The course will begin with problem solving algorithms. In particular, search space exploration strategies such as iterative deepening, A*, and several local search algorithms will be considered. Techniques to solve constraint satisfaction problems will then be discussed. This will be followed by a description of the minimax algorithm and alpha-beta pruning which is used in games such as chess. The focus will then shift to representation schemes for knowlege, logical reasoning and theorem proving techniques. Then task planning algorithms will be considered. Finally, the semester will conclude with an introduction to statistical learning algorithms and AI related to information retrieval. Throughout the course an attempt will be made to give examples of how to use the algorithms in real world situations such as video games, expert systems, and web applications.

Below is a tentative time table for when we'll do things this quarter:

Grades in this class will be curved and since it is an upper division class I will try to be reasonably lenient. The person or persons with the highest aggregate score will receive an A+. I view a score of less than 50% as not having attained competence in the material covered and such people will receive an F.

If you do better than an A- in this class and want me to write you a letter of recommendation, I will generally be willing provided you ask me within two years of taking my course. Be advised that I write better letters if I know you to some degree.

There will be four mini-project type homeworks for this course. For each project you will be required to implement algorithms from the current collection of topics we are considering. Implementing the algorithms listed in the spec part of the project will be worth 4pts (out of 15pts) for that project. Each program will then be entered into a competition to determine the remainder of the grade. Having a program that works sufficiently well to compete is worth another 3pts. Programs will be ranked according to how they do in the competition. The best performing program receives 7pts. The lowest ranked program receives 1pt and the remaining program scores will be linearly interpolated between these values. Thus, an average program would receive 3.5pts. The last point of any programming assignment has to do with coding guidelines and will be discussed shortly.

In addition, to the programming portion of a project, a list of suggested book exercises will be given with each homework description. These do not need to be turned in and do not count toward your grade. Nevertheless, these problems or slight variations thereof might appears on midterms or finals. Links to the current list of assignments can be found on the left hand frame of the class homepage. After an assignment has been returned a link to its solution will be placed off the assignment page. Material from assignments may appear on midterms and finals. Homeworks for this class will be submitted and returned completely electronically. The written and programming parts of an assignment are submitted by clicking on the submit homework link for your section on the left hand side of the homepage and filling out the on-line form. Hardcopies or e-mail versions of your assignments will be rejected and not receive credit. Homeworks will always be due by the start of class on the day their due. Late homeworks will not be accepted; however, your low homework score will be dropped.

The midterms will be during class time on: Mar 5 and Apr 23.

The final will be: May 21, 12:15-2:30pm..

All exams are closed book, closed notes and in this classroom. You will be allowed only the test and your pen or pencil on your desk during these exams. Beeper or cell-phone interruptions will result in immediate excusal from the test. The final will cover material from the whole quarter although there will be an emphasis on material after the last midterm. No make ups will be given. The final exam may be scaled to replace a midterm grade if it was missed under provably legitimate circumstances. These exams will test whether or not you have mastered the material both presented in class or assigned as homework during the quarter. My exams usually consist of a series of essay style questions. I try to avoid making tricky problems. The week before each exam I will give out a list of problems representative of the level of difficulty of problems the student will be expected to answer on the exam. Any disputes concerning grades on exams should be directed to me, Professor Pollett.

If you believe an error was made in the grading of your program or exam, you may request in person a regrade from me, Professor Pollett, during my office hours. I do not accept e-mail requests for regrades. A request for a regrade must be made no more than a week after the homework or a midterm is returned. If you cannot find me before the end of the semester and you would like to request a regrade of your final, you may see me in person at the start of the immediately following semester.