This Course is Cross-Listed

• MATH 3210 Linear Algebra Section 100 (Class Number 6070)
• MATH 5210 Linear Algebra Section 100 (Class Number 6089)

Class Meets: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 10:45am - 11:40am in Morton 215

Course Description: A course in linear algebra for students majoring or minoring in the mathematical sciences. The course will introduce both the practical and theoretical aspects of linear algebra and students will be expected to complete both computational and proof-oriented exercises. Topic covered will include:

• Solving Linear Systems, Gauss�s Method, Echelon Forms
• Vector Spaces, Subspaces, Linear Independence, Basis, Dimension
• Homomorphisms, Isomorphisms, Range Space, Null Space
• Matrix Representation of Linear Map, Matrix Operations & Inverses
• Determinants
• Similarity, Diagonalizability, Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors

Prerequisites: 2302 Calculus II and (3050 Discrete Math or CS 3000) WARNING: No credit for both this course and MATH 3200/5200 (always deduct credit for first course taken)

Paper Syllabus The syllabus handed out on the first day of class can be obtained at the following link: ( syllabus ) The information on the paper syllabus is the same as the information on this web page.

Textbook Information

Title:

Linear Algebra, 2014 Edition

click to enlarge

Author:

Jim Hefferon

Publisher:

Orthogonal Publishing

ISBN-10:

0989897524

ISBN-13:

978-0989897525

Price:

roughly $20 for the paperback version at www.Amazon.com

Links:

Author's web page for the book: ( Link )

Free online PDF of the book: ( Link ) (You still have to buy a paperback copy for our class!)

Free online PDF of the solutions manual: ( Link )

Online Math Software and Resources: ( Link )

Grading: During the semester, you will accumulate points:

At the end of the semester, your Total will be converted to your Course Grade:

Note that although this grading scale may look easy compared to the usual 90,80,70,60 scale, it is actually not easier. The reasons are:

• The letter grades in this course mean the same thing as the letter grades in other courses.
• When I grade homework and exams, I give out fewer points. (In this course, you do grade C work on a 20 point exam problem, you will get between 11, 12, or 13 points for the problem. That is in the range 55% - 69.9%. But in somebody else's course that uses the 90,80,70,60 scale, you would have gotten 14 or 15 points for the problem. That is in the range 70% - 79.9%.)
• There is no curve.

Course Structure: One learns math primarily by trying to solve problems. This course is designed to provide structure for you as you learn to solve problems, and to test how well you have learned to solve them. This structure is provided in the following ways:

• Textbook Readings: To succeed in the course, you will need to read the book.
• Suggested Exercises: Farther down this web page, you will find a table of suggested exercises, taken from the textbook. The goal of the course is for you to be able to solve the 233 exercises on that list. Those exercises are not to be turned in and are not graded, but you should do as many of them as possible and keep your solutions in a notebook for study. Note that the solutions to all of the textbook exercises are available free online.
• Homework Sets: Ten homework sets will be collected, graded, and returned to you. The homework sets will be described on cover sheets that will be handed out in class and also posted farther down this web page.
• Lectures: In lecture, I will sometimes highlight textbook material that is particularly important, sometimes present material in a manner different from the presentation in the book, and sometimes solve sample problems. We have 37 lectures, totaling 2035 minutes. It is not possible to cover the entire content of the course in 2035 minutes, and the lectures are not meant to do that. Lectures are meant to be a supplement to your reading the textbook and solving problems.
• Exams: The exams will be made up of problems based on suggested and assigned homework exercises.

Attendance Policy: Attendance is required for all lectures and exams, and will be recorded by a sign-in system.

Missing Class: If you miss a class for any reason, it is your responsibility to copy someone�s notes and study them. I will not use office hours to teach topics discussed in class to students who were absent.

Missing an Exam Because of Illness: If you are too sick to take an exam, then you must

1. send me an e-mail before the exam, telling me that you are going to miss it because of illness,
2. then go to the Hudson Student Health Center.
3. Later, you will need to bring me documentation from Hudson showing that you were treated there.

Missing Exams Because of a University Activity: If you have a University Activity that conflicts with one of our exams, you must contact me before the exam to discuss arrangements for a make-up. I will need to see documentation of your activity. If you miss an exam because of a University Activity without notifying me in advance, you will not be given a make-up exam.

Late Homework Policy: Homework is due at the start of class on the due date. Late homework is not accepted.

Collaborating on Homework: You are encouraged to work together on the homework. If you work in a productive way with other students, you will probably learn the math better. You will certainly learn valuable communication skills. But collaborating does not mean copying. You may figure out problems and arrive at solutions together, but the words you write and turn in should be your own. If two or three or five students work together, the result should be a higher quality of work, with fewer errors. When I grade homework, if I find identical wording, identical math, and identical mistakes in different students� papers, I will deduct points. If this happens, it is not meant to be a punitive measure, and I do not mean for you to think that I am accusing you of cheating. But I do mean for it to be feedback that tells you that you are not really collaborating and that you are not doing good work. Collaborating is a skill that requires practice.

Cheating on Exams: If cheat on an exam, you will receive a zero on that exam and I will submit a report to the Office of Community Standards and Student Responsibility (OCSSR). If you cheat on another exam, you will receive a grade of F in the course and I will again submit a report to the OCSSR.

Special Needs: If you have a physical, psychiatric, or learning disability that requires accommodation, please let me know as soon as possible so that your needs may be appropriately met.

Suggested Exercises: The goal of the course is for you to be able to solve the 233 exercises on this list. These exercises are not to be turned in and are not graded, but you should do as many of them as possible and keep your solutions in a notebook for study. Note that the solutions to all of the textbook exercises are available free online.

Homework Assignments to Turn In: These homework sets will be collected, graded, and returned to you. Staple the cover sheet to the front of your work.

Remark on Errors in the Homework Solutions: The homework solutions that I write are bound to contain mistakes. If you find a mistake in one of the printed homework solutions and you report it to me in an e-mail before anybody else reports it to me (and before I find it myself), you will earn 1 point. I will reply to your e-mail with an e-mail telling you whether or not you earned a point. The points you earn this way will be added to your course score at the end of the semester, and I will send you an e-mail telling you the total number of points that you earned.

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