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Modelling Complex Systems (233.421)
6 points / Semester 1
Handbook Description
Complex concurrent systems are all-pervasive in the world.
Examples including integrated circuits, traffic systems and weather systems.
This course will introduce techniques for understanding, analysing, describing
and designing such systems by establishing a set of fundamental modelling
concepts which include modularity, abstraction, composition, and hierarchy. The
Circal process formalism will be used as a descriptive medium for complex
concurrent systems. The significance of interacting finite state machines and
its application to spatial systems will be explored. The dynamics of various
complex spatial systems will be examined, modelled and simulated including that
of bushfire spread, pedestrian dynamics and epidemic transmission.
Teaching Staff
| Coordinator/Lecturer |
Professor George Milne |
Rm 1.19 |
| Email |
george at csse.uwa.edu.au |
Textbook
There is no textbook for this course.
Contact Hours
You will be required to attend up to 24 hours of lectures/seminars/presentations.
To complete the work in this unit you are expected to work out of hours.
As this is a 6 point unit, a total of 10 hours per week on average (including
lectures, research, preparation and revision) would be usual.
This unit will involve 3 contact hours per week and will be
“front loaded” in the semester in that the unit will be completed in 8 weeks, by
mid May. Assessment will be ongoing throughout this period. Assignments will
consist of exercises, essays and a test in May. Note that there will not
be an exam in the usual exam period.
| Type |
Time |
Day |
Location |
| Lecture |
12 noon |
Tuesday |
CS Rm.1.24 |
| Lecture |
12 noon |
Wednesday |
CS Rm. 1.24 |
| Lecture |
12 noon |
Thursday |
CS Rm. 1.24 |
Lecture Details
This course will involve some or all of the following: formal lectures, discussion of research papers by students and lecturer, an ongoing group project and informal seminars. These will be held during the standard lecture slot.
The lectures/seminars will include the following topics (though probably
not in this order)
| Topic |
Details |
| 1 |
Computer Science as a Modelling Science |
| 2 |
Concurrency and Parallelism |
| 3 |
Hardware Description and Verification Using the
Circal-System |
| 4 |
Finite Automata |
| 5 |
Introduction to Cellular Automata |
Assessment
The assessment scheme for this unit will consist of submitted work and an
in-lecture test, possibly including an essay on a topic relating to complex
systems.
| Assessment |
% of final mark |
Assessment Due Dates |
| Submitted Work and test |
100 |
Ongoing |
Unsatisfactory Progress
Any student who does not demonstrate satisfactory progress in this
unit, as defined in the FEMS
Policy on Assessment Practices and Procedures, may be refused admission to the
final examinations. The final deadline for notification of unsatisfactory progress is the
last day of Week 10.
Penalties
The Department has adopted a policy on
minimum penalties for late items of assessment.
This is the default policy of all units unless indicated otherwise, in writing, by the
specific unit coordinator.
This policy shall apply to all items of continuous assessment, whether
submitted either physically or electronically. Immediately after the submission deadline for an item of continuous
assessment, a penalty of 20 percent will be applied PER DAY or PART THEREOF.
The minimum mark possible for late submission is zero. The
percentage is based on the item´s total contribution to the unit´s
assessment. For example, a project contributing 40% to the unit´s
assessment will incur a penalty of 8 marks for each day late until it is submitted or
a mark of zero results.
A more detailed description is given in the Department´s Policy on
Late Submission
All work submitted for assessment must be the individual
student's own work. Any instance of plagiarism will be brought
to the attention of the Department Disciplinary Board and dealt with
under the Department's and Faculty's plagiarism policies.
Where there is work on a group project, a statement of "who did what"
will be required by all participants.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is broadly defined to be when any portion
of the work presented for assessment, can be attributed
to another party. The student making the submission should acknowledge
what aspects of the presented work is not directly derived by
them. For the purposes of plagiarism it is irrelevant that you
have been given permission by someone to copy their work
and present it as your own.
You are directed to the Departmental Policy on Plagiarism.
This information is correct as at 24-Feb-2005, but is subject
to change from time to time. In particular, The University
reserves the right to change the content and/or method of
presentation and/or the method of assessment of any unit of
study, to withdraw any unit of study or programme, and/or to
vary arrangements for any programme.
Copyright© 2005
Department of Computer Science, & Software Engineering
The University of Western Australia
CRICOS Provider Code: 00126G
Last updated: 24-Feb-2005 | 