Faculty of Science, Department of Computer Science

CPS 420: Discrete Structures – W2024

Instructor Information
● Instructors’ Names: Claude Gravel (Sections 1-5) and Sophie Quigley (sections 6-10)
● Course Coordinator: Sophie Quigley
● Office Locations: Gravel: ENG241, Quigley : ENG263
● Office Hours: Posted on D2L calendar. All students can attend all office hours.
● Course Websites: D2L and https://www.cs.torontomu.ca/~cps420/
● Email Address: [email protected]

Email Policy
Torontomu’s email policy states that only Torontomu e-mail accounts are to be used for
communication with students. All students, including continuing education students, have access
to Torontomu email through the my.torontomu.ca website, and this is the official way in which
they receive communication. All students are required to register for and maintain this account.
Emails sent from other accounts may not be answered.

Please send all course-related emails to [email protected]. Emails sent from a student’s
TMU email address to the official course email address and which only require a simple response
will normally be answered within one business day. Replies to emails requiring more complex
responses will take longer.

Email cannot be used to request the regrading of assessments in this course. Instead please use
this Google form: https://forms.gle/zFkLxaZjA6rGtGnC8

Course Description
Introduction to discrete structures as they apply to design and analysis. Review of proof
techniques. Induction and recursion. Graphs and trees, and their applications in computing. Finite
automata and regular expressions. Counting: arithmetic and geometric progressions,
permutations and combinations, modular arithmetic.

Weekly Contact: Lecture:3 hrs, Lab:1hr

Prerequisites: MTH110, CPS305

Anti-requisites: MTH210

W2024 CPS420 Course Outline Page 1 of 6

Course Details

Course Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course, a successful student will be able to:

1. Have a good understanding of the theoretical materials listed in the course content below.
2. Apply this knowledge to solve problems in computer science.

Course Textbook
Discrete Mathematics with Applications, 5th Ed. by Susanna S. Epp, Nelson ISBN-13: 978-1-337-
69419-3, ISBN-10: 1-337-69419-3

Course Schedule: Topics

The content of this course is split into four modules. The table below presents a tentative
schedule of the course for all sections. A detailed schedule will be updated throughout the
semester.

Dates Module Topics

Weeks 1-4: Induction and Recursion • Sequences, Recursion

• Review of proof methods
Jan 12 – Feb 7 • Proofs by induction
• Directed and undirected graphs
Weeks 5-7: Graph Theory • Paths and circuits
Feb 9 – Mar 5 • Matrix representation of graphs
• Trees
• Formal languages
Weeks 7-10: Automata • Regular expressions
Mar 4 – Mar 26 • Deterministic Automata
• Non-Deterministic Automata
Weeks 10-12: Counting and Probabilities • Counting
• Probabilities
Mar 25 – Apr 12

Teaching Methods
The lectures, labs, and exams in this course will be in person on campus, and they will not be
recorded. The slides used for the lectures will be posted in D2L. Please check the D2L calendar
for the schedule and mode of the office hours.

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Instructional Technology:
Unless noted otherwise, all web sites are the same for all sections of the course.

In addition to D2L, the following technologies will be used and it is expected that students’ system
will be able to support them:

• Top Hat to add interactivity to the lectures. This course uses Top Hat Basic, which is free.
Participation in Top Hat is optional but encouraged. You will probably want to run Top Hat
on your smaller device. The join code is 923855
• Crowdmark to submit most of the labs. Work should be scanned or photographed and
submitted in pdf or image format in the associated Crowdmark assessment.
• JFlap version 7.1, which is an interactive system to create automata. Please download and
install it on your system. You will need to install the Java runtime environment on your
system to run the JFlap system, which is a jar file.
• A Google Shared Drive will also be used to store a copy of the lecture slides posted in the
D2L content section, as well as the versions annotated by hand during the lectures, and other
materials. Note that all Google Suite facilities used in the course including this drive and the
CPS420 Calendar are only accessible via torontomu.ca accounts. Access will not be granted
to non-Torontomu accounts.
• For the assignment, you will also be asked to code in Python on the cs moon servers.

Evaluation
Evaluation Component Handed out Due Team Size Weight
10 Labs See Detailed schedule Varies 40%
Assignment: graph theory Mar 3 Mar 24 1 or 2 5%
Midterm: first two modules TBA: week 8 Immediately 1 25%
Final exam: last two modules TBA: exam period Immediately 1 30%
Total: 100%

Additional Details
1. Students cannot pass the course unless they have passed the exam component of the course:
midterm and final worth 55%
2. Grades for the midterm and the first five labs (altogether worth 44%) will be returned to
students before the last drop date of Thursday March 28, 2023.

W2023 CPS420 Course Outline Page 3 of 6

3. Labs and the assignment are due at 11:59PM. Except for labs 9 and 10, they can all be handed
in late with a penalty. The days counted are weekdays, i.e., Monday to Friday. For example,
work due on a Friday and handed on the next Monday is only one day late. However, even
though Saturdays and Sundays are excluded from the day count, holidays and reading week
are not. The late penalty is the following percentage of the maximum grade for the
evaluation:
1 day late 2 days late 3 days late 4 days late 5 or more days late
-5% -10% -25% -50% -100%
4. Labs 9 and 10 are preparations for the final exam. They are both due late in the term but
before the final exam. Late submissions will not be accepted because solutions will be
posted before the final exam. However, lab 10 is optional: its grade will be the maximum of
the grade on the submitted lab10, and the grade of the counting and probabilities
component of the final exam.

Intellectual Property
Sophie Quigley and/or Claude Gravel hold the copyrights in the works of all original materials
used in this course and students registered in this course can use the materials for the purposes
of this course but no other use is permitted, and there can be no sale or transfer or use of the
work for any other purpose without explicit permission of Sophie Quigley or Claude Gravel. In
particular none of the material can be posted in code repositories or any other website, public or
otherwise.

Torontomu provides further information on Copyright for students.

University Policies

Students are required to adhere to all relevant university policies found in their online course
shell in D2L and/or on the Senate website, and in particular Academic Integrity Policy 60.

Please review the CPS420 page on Team Work and Academic Integrity for additional information
on academic integrity for this course.

Important Resources Available at Toronto Metropolitan University

● The Library provides research workshops and individual assistance. If the University is
open, there is a Research Help desk on the second floor of the library, or students can
use the Library's virtual research help service to speak with a librarian.

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 ● Student Life and Learning Support offers group-based and individual help with writing,
math, study skills, and transition support, as well as resources and checklists to support
students as online learners.

● You can submit an Academic Consideration Request when an extenuating circumstance

has occurred that has significantly impacted your ability to fulfill an academic
requirement. You may always visit the Senate website and select the blue radio button
on the top right hand side entitled: Academic Consideration Request (ACR) to submit
this request.

In the event that the missed evaluation is the final exam, students are required, in
addition to the form previously mentioned, to petition for an INC grade with the
Incomplete Grade Request Form. To be allowed to write the makeup exam, you will
need that form and a verified Academic Consideration Request.

For Extenuating Circumstances, Policy 167: Academic Consideration allows for a once per
semester ACR request without supporting documentation if the absence is less than 3
days in duration and is not for a final exam/final assessment. Absences more than 3 days
in duration and those that involve a final exam/final assessment, require documentation.
Students must notify their instructor once a request for academic consideration is
submitted. See Senate Policy 167: Academic Consideration.

● If taking a remote course, familiarize yourself with the tools you will need to use for
remote learning. The Remote Learning Guide for students includes guides to
completing quizzes or exams in D2L Brightspace, with or without Respondus LockDown
Browser and Monitor, using D2L Brightspace, joining online meetings or lectures, and
collaborating with the Google Suite.

● Information on Copyright for Faculty and students.

Accessibility

● Please contact any of the course instructors using any of the methods described on the
front page if you discover an accessibility barrier with any course material or technology

Academic Accommodation Support

Academic Accommodation Support (AAS) is the university's disability services office. AAS works
directly with incoming and returning students looking for help with their academic
accommodations. AAS works with any student who requires academic accommodation
regardless of program or course load.

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 ● Learn more about Academic Accommodation Support.

● Learn how to register with AAS.

Academic Accommodations (for students with disabilities) and Academic Consideration (for
students faced with extenuating circumstances that can include short-term health issues) are
governed by two different university policies. Learn more about Academic Accommodations
versus Academic Consideration and how to access each.

Wellbeing Support
At Toronto Metropolitan University, we recognize that things can come up throughout the term
that may interfere with a student’s ability to succeed in their coursework. These circumstances
are outside of one’s control and can have a serious impact on physical and mental well-being.
Seeking help can be a challenge, especially in those times of crisis.

If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, please call 911 and go to the nearest hospital
emergency room. You can also access these outside resources at anytime:

● Distress Line: 24/7 line for if you are in crisis, feeling suicidal or in need of emotional
support (phone: 416–408–4357)

● Good2Talk: 24/7-hour line for postsecondary students (phone: 1-866-925-5454)

● Keep.meSAFE: 24/7 access to confidential support through counsellors via My SSP app
or 1-844-451-9700

If non-crisis support is needed, you can access these campus resources:

● Centre for Student Development and Counselling: 416-979-5195 or email

[email protected]

● Consent Comes First – Office of Sexual Violence Support and Education: 416-919-5000
ext 3596 or email [email protected]

● Medical Centre: call (416) 979-5070 to book an appointment

We encourage all Toronto Metropolitan University community members to access available

resources to ensure support is reachable. You can find more resources available through the
Toronto Metropolitan University Mental Health and Wellbeing website.

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