CS1800 – 2026 Fall
Northeastern University
| Instructors | Akshar Varma (he/him), ak.varma@northeastern.edu |
| Office Hours: Tue 11am–1pm. In ME306D. | |
Laney Strange (she/her), laneys@northeastern.edu |
|
| Office Hours: Tue 9–10am, Fri 4–5pm. In ME054 and on Zoom. | |
| Course webpage | https://course.khoury.northeastern.edu/cs1800 |
| Syllabus | https://course.khoury.northeastern.edu/cs1800/syllabus.html |
| Schedule | https://course.khoury.northeastern.edu/cs1800/schedule.html |
| Project | https://course.khoury.northeastern.edu/cs1800/project.html |
| Gradescope | Gradescope link |
| (also accessible from within Canvas) | |
| Campuswire | Campuswire link |
| (Q&A forum, group chat rooms) | |
| Office Hours | Calendar link, Khoury OH App |
1. About this Course
The purpose of this course is to understand and use (abstract) discrete structures that form the backbone of computer science. We begin with understanding mathematical notation, circuits, logic, and sets. We will then study combinatorics (counting), probability, graph theory, sequences and summations as well as proof techniques like induction. By the end of this course, you will have become familiar with a number of discrete structures that are used throughout computer science.
1.1. Recommended Textbook
While there are innumerable reference sources for these mathematical topics, we will be citing relevant chapters and sections for each week's lectures from the book Discrete Structures by Harriet Fell and Javed A. Aslam. You can freely find a PDF of the book online; feel free to refer to it before or after lecture as needed.
1.2. Lectures
| Sections | Day | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| CS1800-2 | Mon & Thu | 11:45 am – 01:25 pm | RI 300 |
| CS1800-3 | Mon & Wed | 02:50 pm – 04:30 pm | SH 335 |
| CS1800-10 | Tue & Fri | 01:35 pm – 03:15 pm | HT 130 |
1.3. Recitations
| Recitations | Day and time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| CS1802-1 | Thu 09:15 am – 10:20 am | WVH 212 |
| CS1802-2 | Thu 10:30 am – 11:35 am | WVH 212 |
| CS1802-3 | Thu 01:00 pm – 02:05 pm | WVH 212 |
| CS1802-4 | Thu 02:15 pm – 03:20 pm | WVH 212 |
| CS1802-5 | Thu 03:30 pm – 04:35 pm | WVH 212 |
| CS1802-12 | Fri 11:45 am – 12:50 pm | BK 320 |
| CS1802-15 | Fri 03:25 pm – 04:30 pm | SH 210 |
| CS1802-18 | Fri 03:25 pm – 04:30 pm | DG 070 |
2. Evaluation
| Problem Sets | 28% |
| Exams | 36% |
| Final | 15% |
| Project | 22% |
- There are 8 problem sets out of which the best 7 scores are used at 4% each to reach the 28% of the final grade coming from problem sets.
- There are 3 exams (see schedule for dates), each worth 12%.
- The final is worth (14+1) % where the 1% is extra credit that can be used to make up lower scores elsewhere.
- The project will be worth 22% and will involve a small group of students choosing a area/subject and presenting how one or two topics from CS1800 are relevant in that area/subject. Further logistical details coming soon.
3. Office Hours
Office hours are a great place to get clarification on concepts and have conversations with TAs and professors. You can use the OH Calendar to find OH or use the table at the top to see Prof. Strange and Prof. Varma's OH times. TA OH are held on the Khoury OH app. We don't hold office hours on university holidays.