CSCE-620/VIZA-670 Computational Geometry (Fall 2025)

Instructor: Dr. Jianer Chen
Office:PETR 428
Phone:(979) 845-4259
Email:chen@cse.tamu.edu
Web: https://people.engr.tamu.edu/j-chen3/
Office hours:MWF 2:40 pm--3:40 pm or by appointment.

Course Syllabus

Textbooks

  • M. de Berg, O. Cheong, M. van Kreveld, and M. Overmars:
          Computational Geometry: Algorithms and Applications, 3rd ed., Springer 2008.
  • Jianer Chen:
          Computational Geometry: Methods and Applications,
          Lecture Notes, CSE Dept., Texas A&M University.

  • Reading Materials

    Course Progress

    Date Topics Lecture sections Handouts Announcement
    August 25 Introduction Chapters 1-3 Chapters 1-3
    August 27 Preliminaries in geometry Sections 2.1-2.3
    August 29 Data structures in geometric computation Section 2.4
    September 1 Labor day
    September 3 Intersections of line segments Section 4.1 Chapter 4
    September 5 Convex hull: preliminaries Section 3.1
    September 8 Convex hull: Jarvis March Section 4.2.1
    September 10 Convex hull: Graham Scan Section 4.2.2
    September 12 The farthest-Pair problem Section 4.3
    September 15 Triangulating a monoton polygon Section 4.4.1
    September 17 Monoton polygon triangulation: correctness Section 4.4.1
    September 19 Regularization of a general PSLG Section 4.4.2 Homework 1 posted
    September 22 Data structures for PSLG regularization Section 4.4.3
    September 24 PSLG Triangulating: summary Section 4.4
    September 26 Divide-and-Conquer techniques Chapter 5
    September 29 MergeHull and QuickHull Section 5.1 Chapter 5
    October 1 Voronoi diagram: definition and properties Section 5.2 Animation
    October 3 Voronoi diagram: divide-and-conquer Section 5.3
    October 6 Voronoi diagram: sigma-chain Section 5.3
    October 8 Voronoi diagram: merge in liear time Section 5.3
    October 10 Voronoi diagram: further discussions Section 5.3
    October 13 Fall break
    October 15 Prune and search: general framework Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Homework 2 posted
    October 17 Kirkpatrick-Seidel algorithm Section 6.1.1
    October 20 Chan's algorithm Section 6.1.2 Chapter 6
    Chapter 6 updated
    October 22 Point location: on convex polygons Section 6.2.1
    October 24 Point location: slab method Section 6.2.2
    October 27 Point location: Kirkpatrick's algorithm Section 6.2.4
    October 29 Linear-time reduction Sections 7.1-7.2 Chapter 7
    October 31 Delaunay triangulation Section 7.3 Delaunay triangulation
    Chapter 7 posted
    November 3 Euclidean minimum spanning tree Section 7.4
    November 5 Maximum empty circle Sections 7.5 Homework 3 posted
    November 7 Introduction to computational lower bounds Section 8.1
    November 10 Linear decision tree model Section 8.2
    November 12 Algebraic decision tree model Section 8.2
    November 14 Ben-or's Theorem Section 8.2 Chapter 8
    Chapter 8 posted
    November 17 Lower bounds: Closest Pairs and others Section 8.3.1
    November 19 Lower bounds: Convex Hull and others Section 8.3.4
    November 21 Lower bounds: Farthest-Pairs and others Sections 8.3.2 and 8.3.4
    November 24 Euclidean Travelling Saleman Problem Lecture notes ETSP ETSP
    Lecture Notes on ETSP posted



    Assignments
    (Assignments are due on the designated due dates at the beginning of the class)

    Assignment Due Date Solution
    Assignment #1 October 1 Solution
    Assignment #2 October 29
    Assignment #3 November 21
    Project Proposal October 20
    Course Project December 1