Chapter 1
Introduction
The purpose of this chapter is to present suggested guidelines for teaching mate-
rial from Digital Image Processing at the senior and first-year graduate levels. We
also discuss use of the book web site. Although the book is totally self-contained,
the web site offers, among other things, complementary review material and
computer projects that can be assigned in conjunction with classroom work.
Detailed solutions to all problems in the book also are included in the remain-
ing chapters of this manual.
1.1 Teaching Features of the Book
Undergraduate programs that offer digital image processing typically limit cov-
erage to one semester. Graduate programs vary, and can include one or two
semesters of the material. In the following discussion we give general guidelines
for a one-semester senior course, a one-semester graduate course, and a full-
year course of study covering two semesters. We assume a 15-week program per
semester with three lectures per week. In order to provide flexibility for exams
and review sessions, the guidelines discussed in the following sections are based
on forty, 50-minute lectures per semester. The background assumed on the part
of the student is senior-level preparation in mathematical analysis, matrix the-
ory, probability, and computer programming. The Tutorials section in the book
web site contains review materials on matrix theor y and probability, and has a
brief introduction to linear systems. PowerPoint classroom presentation mate-
rial on the review topics is available in the Faculty section of the web site.
The suggested teaching guidelines are presented in terms of general objec-
tives, and not as time schedules. There is so much variety in the way image pro-
cessing material is taught that it makes little sense to attempt a breakdown of the
material by class period. In particular, the organization of the present edition of
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