Presentation Research
Prof. Christos/Theory (11/08)
1.What is a decision problem?
From wikipedia, a basic definition of a decision problem is a problem that can be posed
as a yes–no question depending on the inputs into an algorithm. As stated, if you wanted to know if a
number was a prime number, this would be an example of a decision problem. Depending on the input of 7,
for example, the output would either be yes or no depending on whether it was a prime number or not.
2.What does it mean for a decision problem to be decidable?
A decision problem is decidable if we can construct an algorithm to solve that decision problem
in a finite amount of steps and of course in the correct way.
Information taken from GeeksForGeeks
3.What is the class P? What is the class NP?
Class p is a class of decision problems that can be solved by polynomial time. While class np is a
set of problems that are solved by a non-deterministic machine in polynomial time.
Information taken from ChempInsta
4.What is the intuitive meaning of the “P versus NP” question?
P is often seen as ‘easier problems’ when compared to NP. So, to say that P = NP means that NP also
has easier solutions.
Information taken from MIT NEWS
5.If you resolve the P versus NP question, how much richer will you be?
While the initial amount would be 1 million dollars from the Clay Mathematics Institute, whoever was
able to figure out the problem would also be able to “steal $200 billion in bitcoin.”
Information taken from GizModo
Prof. Riley/Security (22/08)
Research two major computer security incidents that have happened in Qatar. For each, describe....
RasGas (2012)
1.What did attackers break into?
The attackers shut down RasGas’s office computers. It did not stop the pumping of gas, but did
stop the IT support line for a substantial amount of time.
2.How did the attackers break into it?
The attackers used a virus that was used across the world to infiltrate energy companies.
It was called the Shamoon virus out of Iran.
3.Who was impacted?
Mainly RasGas was affected, but other companies also suffered from the same virus. Their
computers were shut down, as well as their website. This affects users that want to get information
from RasGas, and of course the company as a whole means of communication.
4.How was it investigated?
No specific details were provided on how the case was investigated. However, one thing was
clear: the case drew comparisons to other attacks at the time to help find the attackers
and solve the dilemma.
Qatar State News Agency (2017)
1.What did attackers break into?
The hackers broke into the main system and were able to publish fake news stories about the
emir in Qatar stating many things that affected diplomatic ties.
2.How did the attackers break into it?
The attack was originally attributed to Russian hackers and later to places in the UAE.
However, no final conclusion was found. No specific method of breaking in was specified.
3.Who was impacted?
Mainly diplomatic ties were impacted. This in turn affected many individuals who were living
between the UAE and Qatar, as they were unable to travel between the two regions.
4.How was it investigated?
A few agencies, such as the FBI and BNCA were part of the investigation. The agencies seemed
to be looking for ties in both Russia and the Arab region. But no final conclusion
was reached.
Sources
QSNA Info
QSNA Info
RasGas Info
General INfo
Prof. Hammoud/Cloud Computing (17/08)
1.What is Big Data?
Big data refers to data that is extremely difficult to process in an efficient way or amount
of time. It’s either far too complex or too vast.
2.What is cloud computing?
Cloud computing is the delivery of services over the internet. This can be storage, power, or
databases using various sources.
3.Is cloud computing a novel technology per se or an amalgamation of several traditional technologies?
It’s not necessarily novel technology as it has been around for quite some time. Similar ideas
of cloud computing have been around since the 60’s, where “bureaus would allow companies
to rent time on a mainframe.” This was obviously revisited, modified, and developed
to the cloud computing we see today.
4.What are the 3 major cloud computing service models?
Software as a Service, Platform as a Service, and Infrastructure as a Service
5.Name at least 3 real-life problems that cloud computing can help solve them.
Cloud computing solves issues like storage capacity, as there is no storage limit. It solves
issues like mobility because data to larger servers like universities or large companies,
can be accessed through mobile phones and devices. It also solves problems like collaboration
as people are able to work together through cloud computing.
6.What is the economic/business model of cloud computing?
Its a “pay as you go” business model. This means that people pay based on how much you consume.
Sources
Big Data Info
Cloud Computing Info
Cloud Computing Info
Service Models
Ways Cloud Computing Solves Problems
Cloud Computing Business Model
Prof. Giselle/PL (31/08)
1.Why did we move from punch cards to programming languages? What does that tell you about the purpose of programming languages?
Punch cards were really inefficient and used a lot of paper. They created a lot of mistakes when
someone messed up a single hole on the punch card. Programming languages have come to be
time-saving and efficient.
2.There are hundreds of different programming languages out there. Why do you think we need so many?
There are a few reasons why we need so many programming languages. There are a lot of problems that
need to be solved, and many problems need to be solved in different ways.
3.What are some drawbacks of a programming language you use? How would you like it to be different? Think of specific examples.
Python is measurably slower at runtime compared to other programming languages like Java, C++, PHP, Javascript, Swift, etc. This is a major concern for programmers when they are writing giant programs with lots of lines of code.
4.If you were going to create a new programming language, how would you start? What do you need to define?
I would need to start by creating basic defintions for variable types. And after that I would need
to define a lot of easy to use in built functions.
Sources
Need for Programming Langauges
Bad Parts of Python
Punch Cards
Prof. Gianni (07/09)
1.How do you define AI?
Artificial intelligence is the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines, especially computer systems.
2.Can you name at least three different sub-fields of AI?
Machine Learning, Neural Networks, Evolutionary Computation
3.AI has been around since about 70 years so far. Why is it booming right now?
AI has become more popular today thanks to increased data volumes, advanced algorithms, and
improvements in computing power and storage.
4.Can you name at least three application sectors where robots are being largely employed? What are the reasons?
AI is used in many fields such as manufacturing, medicine, and delivery. They're used to perform
monotonous, repetitive tasks
5.Can you identify three major challenges for a wheeled autonomous robot performing a 24h surveillance task in a large facility? (e.g., something like Mall of Qatar)
Some difficulties would be mapping out such an extensive environment, overcoming obstacles such as people, and making sure they are working at all times.
Sources
What is AI?
Subfields of AI
Reason for AI Boom
Prof. Madhavi (14/09)
1.What is a genome/DNA and why is it important to know?
It is the set of DNA instructions found in a cell
2.Does CS have a significant role to play in studying why we are tall, organized, athletic, or healthy?
Yes CS has a very large role in our understanding of computational genomics. It helps us with
DNA sequencing especially.
3.What are some of the important questions in biology and medicine that can be addressed with computer science?
As stated earlier, computer science helps with genomics and DNA sequencing. This is extremely beneficial in big pharma.
4.Is it enough to study humans and the human genome?
We should study all sorts of genomes in order to better understand disease and bodily issues in other living beings.
5.Is the industry interested in computational biology, or is it largely academic research?
The major still isn't very popular around the world and is largely academic.
Sources
CS in Med
Why we should study outside the human Genome
What is the Genome?