Please note! Course description is confirmed for two academic years, which means that in general, e.g. Learning outcomes, assessment methods and key content stays unchanged. However, via course syllabus, it is possible to specify or change the course execution in each realization of the course, such as how the contact sessions are organized, assessment methods weighted or materials used.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

This course introduces you to the logical formalization of mathematical reasoning and to the mathematics of computational intractability. You learn to work with and reason using propositional logic and first-order logic. You learn how to prove that a computational problem is at least as hard as another computational problem by presenting an efficient reduction from the latter to the former. You know the problem classes P and NP, as well as the hardest problems in the class NP, namely the NP-complete problems. You learn how to prove that a computational problem is NP-complete.

Credits: 5

Schedule: 03.09.2024 - 14.11.2024

Teacher in charge (valid for whole curriculum period):

Teacher in charge (applies in this implementation): Petteri Kaski

Contact information for the course (applies in this implementation):

CEFR level (valid for whole curriculum period):

Language of instruction and studies (applies in this implementation):

Teaching language: English. Languages of study attainment: English

CONTENT, ASSESSMENT AND WORKLOAD

Content
  • valid for whole curriculum period:

    Propositional logic and first-order logic. Formulas, models, validity, satisfiability; axioms and proofs, soundness and completeness; logic circuits. Computational hardness, reductions between problems, the classes P and NP; NP-completeness, the Cook-Levin Theorem.

Assessment Methods and Criteria
  • valid for whole curriculum period:

    Points earned from weekly problem sets determine the course grade.

Workload
  • valid for whole curriculum period:

    Lectures. Teaching in small groups. Independent work. 

DETAILS

Study Material
  • valid for whole curriculum period:

    Lecture notes and articles.

Substitutes for Courses
Prerequisites

FURTHER INFORMATION

Further Information
  • valid for whole curriculum period:

    Teaching Language: English

    Teaching Period: 2024-2025 Autumn I - II
    2025-2026 Autumn I - II