aalok thakkar: symbolic logic and applications

monsoon 2024: cs-2260

You face two doors, one leading to freedom, the other to this class. Two guards stand watch: one always tells the truth, the other always lies, but you don't know which is which. You can ask one guard one question to determine the safe door. What single question can you ask to ensure your escape? Here is an XKCD comic imploring you to avoid tricky questions.

Course Outline and Lectures:


The following is a tentative outline for the classes, lectures, and assignments for the course. Attendance is not mandated, with two exceptions: (1) Each student will be assigned to scribe for one or more classes; attendance is required for the assigned classes. (2) All students are required to attend and actively participate in the discussion during Lecture 11 (October 1) and Course Project Presentations (November 28).


Date Module Lecture Description Assignment
Aug 27 1 1 Housekeeping and Introduction Reading: On the Unusual Effectiveness of Logic in Computer Science
Aug 29 2 Fundamental Notions of Formal Logic Reading: Section 1.7 of A Mathematical Introduction to Logic
Sep 3 2 3 Natural Deduction Assignment 1
Sep 5 4 Axiomatic Propositional Logic Reading: Chapter 4 of Essence of Logic
Sep 10 5 Resolution in Propositional Logic Assignment 2
Sep 12 3 6 SAT Solving Reading: Chapter 4 of The Satisfiability Problem
Sep 17 7 Project Guidelines + Root Assignment 3
Sep 19 8 Conflict Driven Clause Learning Reviewing: Z3 Tutorial
Sep 24 9 Satisfiability Modulo Theories Assignment 4
Sep 26 10 Applications of SAT and SMT Watching: A billion SMT queries a day by Neha Rungta
Oct 1 - 11 Socratic Dialogue on Paradoxes* Reading: The Ways of Paradox by WVO Quine
Oct 3 - - Mid-term Exam
Oct 15 4 12 Introduction to Predicate Logic Assignment 5
Oct 22 13 Axiomatic Predicate Logic Assignment 6
Oct 29 - - Assignment 7
Nov 5 14 Hilbert's Entscheidungsproblem Assignment 8
Nov 7 15 Resolution in Predicate Logic
Nov 12 5 16 Second Order Logic Assignment 9
Nov 14 17 Monadic Second Order Logic
Nov 19 6 18 Introduction to Coq Assignment 10
Nov 21 19 Hoare Logic
Nov 26 20 Verification of Programs
Nov 28 - - Student Project Presentations*
Dec 11 - - Final Exam
* Attendance is required for this class