Benjamin Linowitz
Office: King 200 Email: [email protected] Class: MWF 9:00-9:50am in King 237 Office Hours: Monday 1:30-3pm Tuesday 4-5:30pm (Problem Session in Math Library, King 203) Thursday 10-11am And by appointment |
Textbook |
B. Kolman and D. Hill, Elementary Linear Algebra, Prentice Hall (required).
K. Houston, How to think like a mathematician, Cambridge University Press (recommended). This book is a friendly introduction to mathematical proof writing and is recommended to all students not comfortable reading or writing mathematical proofs. |
Course Goals |
There are three main objectives for this course. The first is to master the standard computational techniques underlying matrix algebra and the study of vector spaces. The second is to hone your mathematical proof writing skills, and the third is to apply your theoretical understanding of linear algebra in order to some real-world problems.
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Suggested Practice Problems |
I will post (on Blackboard) some problems from the textbook for you to work on in order to gain familiarity with the course material. The majority of the problems have solutions that appear at the end of the book. You should do as many (or as few) of these problems as necessary to feel comfortable with the relevant material.
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Exams |
There will be two in-class, closed book exams, one take-home exam and a two hour, closed-book final. Tentative dates for the midterm exams are March 8 (in-class), March 31 (in-class) and April 28 (take-home due). The final exam will take place on Thursday May 11 from 9-11am.
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Attendance |
Class attendance will not be a formal part of your grade for this course. Therefore you do not need to explain if you miss a class. You are, however, responsible for finding out what material was discussed in your absence. Excessive absences will adversely affect your performance on the exams and homework sets, so I encourage you to attend as many classes as possible.
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Grading |
Midterm Exams (100 points each) 300
Final Exam 200 Homework 100 ------------------------------------------ TOTAL 600 |
Disabilities |
Any student with a documented disability is asked to notify their instructor and the Office of Disability Services (located in Peters G-27/G-28) so that accommodations may be made. For more information, see http://new.oberlin.edu/office/disability-services/index.dot.
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Honor Code |
Oberlin requires that all students sign an Honor Code for all assignments. This pledge (which is to be written out on each assignment) states: “I affirm that I have adhered to the Honor Code in this assignment.” More information about the honor code can be found at the following website: http://new.oberlin.edu/office/dean-of-students/honor/students.dot.
As an example of how this applies to this class, you should not search for solutions to problem sets or take-home midterms on the internet. Similarly, you may not copy any portion of the work of another student and submit it as your own. |
Seeking Help |
You should feel free to ask me questions about any material discusses in class, problems with the homework, life outside of mathematics, etc. My office hours are listed above, and if none of these times are convenient for you then you are welcome to schedule another time to meet with me.
Additional resources are:
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Outline |
Matrices and Linear Systems 2.5 weeks
Vector Spaces 4 weeks Inner Product Spaces 2 weeks Linear Transformations 1.5 weeks Determinants 1-2 weeks Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors 2 weeks Special Topics As time permits |