CST.2011.1.

COMPUTER SCIENCE TRIPOS Part IA

NATURAL SCIENCES TRIPOS Part IA (Paper CS/1)
POLITICS, PSYCHOLOGY, AND SOCIOLOGY TRIPOS Part I (Paper 9)

Monday 6 June 2011 1.30 to 4.30

COMPUTER SCIENCE Paper 1

Answer one question from each of Sections A, B and C, and two questions from
Section D.

Submit the answers in five separate bundles, each with its own cover sheet. On each
cover sheet, write the numbers of all attempted questions, and circle the number of
the question attached.

You may not start to read the questions

printed on the subsequent pages of this
question paper until instructed that you
may do so by the Invigilator

STATIONERY REQUIREMENTS SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

Script paper Approved calculator permitted
Blue cover sheets
Tags
 CST.2011.1.2

SECTION A

1 Foundations of Computer Science

This question considers 2-dimensional rectangular labyrinths such as the following.

4
3
2
1
0
0 1 2 3 4

Here horizontal and vertical bars indicate walls. One can step from a position to
an adjacent position if there is no wall obstructing the move. For example, one can
move in one step from position (1,1) to position (2,1), but not to (1,0). Diagonal
steps are not allowed.

(a) Carefully explain a convenient way of representing such labyrinths in ML.

Then define a function, call it next, which takes two arguments, a position
(x,y) and a labyrinth, and returns a list of all positions that can be reached
in one step from position (x,y). [Hint: Consider representing labyrinths as
functions with a type of the form int * int -> something.] [8 marks]

(b) Use next to code, in ML, a space-efficient function that checks whether it is
possible to move from a position (x1,y1) to another position (x2,y2) in a
given labyrinth. For full marks, make sure your function always terminates.
[6 marks]

(c) Explain, not necessarily using ML code, how one can code a function that
returns the shortest path between two given positions. Here path means a list
of all the positions one would visit en route to the destination. The solution
must be space efficient and practical even for large labyrinths. Briefly explain
why your solution is space efficient. [6 marks]

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 CST.2011.1.3

2 Foundations of Computer Science

(a) Write brief notes on exceptions in ML and on the functions and control
structures available for programming with them. [6 marks]

Parts (b) and (c) make use of the following ML exception:

exception Olive;

(b) Code in ML a function called cannot which takes two arguments, a function f
and a value x. Define the cannot function in such a way that it returns true
if and only if evaluation of f(x) causes exception Olive. For all other inputs,
it should return false. [Hint: evaluation of f(x) may cause exceptions other
than Olive.] [4 marks]

(c) Consider the following ML datatype and functions bun and cheese.

datatype ’a tree = Leaf of ’a

| Branch of ’a tree * ’a tree;

fun bun (x,Leaf y) = if x=y then raise Olive else Leaf y

| bun (x,Branch (t1,t2)) = Branch (bun(x,t1),bun(x,t2))

fun cheese (x,t) = if cannot(bun,(x,t)) then Leaf x else bun(x,t)

(i ) Write down the type of cheese. [3 marks]

(ii ) Write a function that is equivalent to cheese but makes no use of

exceptions. Briefly explain why your function is equivalent to cheese.
[7 marks]

3 (TURN OVER)
 CST.2011.1.4

SECTION B

3 Discrete Mathematics I

This question is about structured proofs.

(a) Write down the introduction and elimination rules for implication and
negation. [4 marks]

(b) Using the rules from part (a), give a structured proof of

(P ⇒ Q) ⇒ ((¬Q) ⇒ (¬P )) [7 marks]

(c) Write down the rule for proof by contradiction. [2 marks]

(d ) Using the rules from parts (a) and (c), give a structured proof of

((¬Q) ⇒ (¬P )) ⇒ (P ⇒ Q) [7 marks]

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 CST.2011.1.5

4 Discrete Mathematics I

Consider the following directed graph.

(a) Write down a set of ordered pairs that describes the graph. [3 marks]

(b) Consider the following four formulae about a relation R.

(i) ∀x. (x, x) ∈ R

  
(ii) ∀x.∀y.∀z. (x, y) ∈ R ∧ (y, z) ∈ R ⇒ (x, z) ∈ R
  
(iii) ∀x.∀y. (x, y) ∈ R ⇒ ∃z. (x, z) ∈ R ∧ (z, y) ∈ R
 
(iv) ∀x.∃y. (x, y) ∈ R ⇒ ∀z.(x, z) ∈ R

For each of the formulae,

• provide an explanation in English;

• state whether the formula holds of the relation in part (a) (when the
domain of x, y, and z is the set {a, b, c});

• if the formula does not hold, exhibit a relation over {a, b, c} for which the
formula does hold.
[14 marks]

(c) Write down the introduction and elimination rules for the universal quantifier
in structured proof. [3 marks]

5 (TURN OVER)
 CST.2011.1.6

SECTION C

5 Algorithms I

Mathematical hint: the following series converges to the indicated value if |x| < 1
∞
X x
mxm =
m=1
(1 − x)2

(a) The binary min-heap provides a decreaseKey() method that, when applied
to an element, decreases its key while preserving the properties of the data
structure.

(i ) Give a brief and clear description of how decreaseKey() works.

[3 marks]

(ii ) The standard decreaseKey() accepts only a positive argument. Describe

an implementation that removes that restriction, that is to say a heap
method that can move the key value up as well as down, as specified by
the sign of its argument. [4 marks]

(b) Generalise the binary min-heap to one where nodes have not 2 but k children.

(i ) State the two defining properties of a min-heap, one constraining the

shape and one constraining the keys of the data structure, and describe
how to represent a k-ary min-heap as an array. [4 marks]

(ii ) Give a clear description of an algorithm (a simple generalisation of the

well-known one for binary heaps) that takes an arbitrary n-item array and
efficiently rearranges its elements to turn it into an array representing a
k-ary heap. [4 marks]

(iii ) Analyse its complexity as a function of n and k. [5 marks]

6
 CST.2011.1.7

6 Algorithms I

Mathematical hint: the following series converges to the indicated value if |x| < 1
∞
X x
mxm =
m=1
(1 − x)2

(a) You are given an unsorted array of n items of which you must return the
top k, in any order. Give a clear and accurate description of two efficient
algorithms for solving the problem, following the hints below, and derive their
time complexity in terms of n and k.

(i ) For this attempt, use a priority queue. [2 marks]

(ii ) For this attempt, start by finding the k-th largest item, as when
computing order statistics. Describe all the steps in detail. [8 marks]

(b) You are given a hash table that stores n keys. It has m slots; collisions are
resolved by chaining (each hash table slot contains a pointer to the head of the
corresponding chain; no elements are stored in the table itself) and no chain
is longer than L elements. Each slot has an extra field giving the length of the
corresponding chain.

Give a clear and accurate description of an efficient algorithm for returning a

random key from the table, such that each key has equal probability of being
selected, and analyse its time complexity. Assume the availability of a function
random(x) that returns in constant time a random integer between 0 and x.

The time complexity of a reasonable algorithm will not exceed O(m + L), but
solutions awarded full marks will improve on that.

[10 marks]

7 (TURN OVER)
 CST.2011.1.8

SECTION D

7 Computer Fundamentals

(a) What is the key idea behind the von Neumann architecture? To what extent
do modern computers conform to this architecture? [2 marks]

(b) Explain why modern computers contain both Dynamic RAM (DRAM) and
Static RAM (SRAM). [4 marks]

(c) How do modern computers represent signed integer values? Why? [2 marks]

(d ) In the context of assembly language programing:

(i ) What is an addressing mode? [2 marks]

(ii ) What are pseudo instructions? Why are they used? [2 marks]

(iii ) What is the stack ? What is it used for? [2 marks]

(iv ) What is an indirect jump? Why would one be used? [2 marks]

(e) Computer A has 32 32-bit registers, while Computer B has 16 64-bit registers.
Give two advantages that Computer A possesses over Computer B. [4 marks]

8
 CST.2011.1.9

8 Floating-Point Computation

(a) Suppose a floating-point representation for unsigned numbers has a three-bit

mantissa and a three-bit exponent. Suggest a useful encoding range by stating
the minimum and maximum values representable without a hidden bit.
[4 marks]

(b) Modify your answer to part (a) for when a hidden bit is used. [3 marks]

(c) Give roughly the smallest positive IEEE single-precision floating-point

number, x, for which sin(x) is not meaningless. [3 marks]

(d ) Describe four different rules for rounding a floating-point number and say
which is generally used and why. [2 marks]

(e) Give two techniques for determining the number of steps used in an iteration.
(Do not describe iterating until no change.) Say when one technique is
preferred to the other. [4 marks]

(f ) A scientific library uses the formula (a+b+c)/(d+e) where a . . . e are floating-

point. Aside from using an IF statement to check for division by zero, what
further IF statement(s) should be included to ensure good precision?
[4 marks]

9 (TURN OVER)
 CST.2011.1.10

9 Object-Oriented Programming with Java

Consider the following Java class that is intended to represent a specific day in an
eight-week University term.

public class TermDay {

public int day; // The day of the week as a number 0-6
public int week; // The week of the term as a number 0-7
};

(a) Create a class EncapsulatedTermDay, which applies the principles of data

encapsulation as an alternative to TermDay. Your modified class should throw
an exception if an invalid day of the week or week number is specified.
[4 marks]

(b) The use of two int variables to represent the day and the week requires
64 bits of storage. How many bits are actually required? Adapt
EncapsulatedTermDay class to achieve the same functionality using only one
member variable of a primitive type. You should justify your choice of type.
[4 marks]

(c) Create a class ImmutableTermDay that is an immutable version of TermDay.

[3 marks]

(d ) By applying one or more appropriate design patterns and adapting

ImmutableTermDay appropriately, show how to ensure that only one
ImmutableTermDay object is ever created for a given day/week combination.
[9 marks]

END OF PAPER

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