18.433 Combinatorial Optimization

This page: http://math.mit.edu/18433

When and where: The class meets on Mondays and Wednesdays from 1PM to 2:30PM in room E17-133. There will be two makeup lectures on Tuesdays April 7th and April 14th from 4:30PM to 6:00PM in room E17-122.

Instructor: Michel Goemans, room E17-322. Office hours: Tue 1:45PM-2:45PM.

TA: Chiheon Kim, chiheonk@math.mit.edu. Office hour on Thursday from 4:15PM to 5:15PM in E17-401N.

Prerequisites: Linear algebra. Exposure to discrete mathematics (18.310) is a plus, as well as exposure to algorithms (6.006 and/or 18.410).

Textbook: There is no required textbook. Lecture notes will be distributed during the term. For additional references, the following textbooks are recommended (roughly in increasing difficulty level or comprehensiveness). The last two are especially recommended to anyone interested in a recent, in-depth coverage of the subject.

Assignments and grading. There will be roughly bi-weekly problem sets, an in-class quiz on Monday April 6th and a final during final week. Problem sets are due in class at the beginning of the lecture. The grade will be 30% Psets, 30% quiz and 40% final. Attendance is strongly encouraged. Graduate students and undergraduates may be graded differently. Late policy. Late problem sets will generally not be accepted. For a 10% discount, you can send it up to 24 hours late as a pdf attachment to the lecturer goemans@math.mit.edu.

Problem Sets:

Handouts:

Syllabus: (preliminary version)