Linear Algebra

Block 5, 2012-2013


Professor:  Kathy Merrill
Office: 
TSC 204, 389-6036
Email:  kmerrill@coloradocollege.edu

Class Meetings Class will meet from 9:15-11:45 Mon.-Fri. in Tutt 229.  Ten quizzes, which are designed to take 20-30 minutes each, will be available after class on specified days, and due by 3PM.  You should not pick up the quiz until you are ready to complete it in one sitting. 

Office Hours:  M-Th 1:30-3:00; F 1:30-2:30.

Text:  Linear Algebra and its Applications, 4th edition by David Lay.

Course website:  http://faculty1.coloradocollege.edu/~kmerrill /ma220/index.html
You should check the website regularly for assignment details and schedule updates. 

Course Description:  Linear Algebra is at the heart of both pure and applied mathematics.   While calculus taught you to approximate complicated functions with linear ones, this course will help you understand the collection of linear functions in depth.  You will be awed by the power and beauty of the resulting mathematical structure, and you will be able to use this structure to solve seemingly impossible applied problems.  The course offers a little something for every taste:  abstraction and proof, geometric visualization, computation, and applications. 

Grading:  Daily homework assignments will be divided into two pieces:  routine practice problems (not to be turned in) to help you prepare for the quizzes and class discussion, and slightly more complicated problems that you will turn in once each week.  Both types of assignments can be found on the course web page.  The turned in homework will count 25% of your grade, and the quizzes will count 20%.  You are expected to attend class daily, and participate actively in discussions and activities (10% of your grade).  Finally, we will have two larger exams:  a midterm (20%), and a final exam (25%).

Honor Code:  You can get help on the homework from me, or from books, notes, each other and other friends.  However, the final write-up must be your own; do not copy directly from someone else's solutions or from a solutions manual.  In particular, if you are asked to produce an example, it should be one you make up on your own.  If you are asked to give an explanation or proof, it should be in your own words.  The quizzes and exams will be closed book and closed colleague.  Rules for calculator/computer use will be specified on each exam.  In general, when you are tested on a newly learned algorithm, you will not be allowed to use a computer or calculator to carry it out. 

Tentative Schedule:

Mon. 1/21
Solving systems of equations; vector review
Start work on HW1
1.1-1.2
Tues. 1/22
Matrix equations; solution sets
Quiz 1 on Sections 1.1-1.2
1.3-1.5
Wed. 1/23
Linear independence, applications
Computer lab during second half of class:  Intro to Mathematica
You can download Mathematica for free
HW 1 due
Start work on HW2
1.6-1.7
(1.6 first two
applications
only)
Thurs. 1/24
Independence, linear transformations
Quiz 2 on Sections 1.3-1.5
Note:  You can also get help at the QRC
1.7-1.8
Fri. 1/25
Linear transformations, Matrix operations
Quiz 3 on Sections 1.7-1.8
1.9, 2.1
Mon. 1/28
Matrix inverses
Quiz 4 on Sections 1.9 and 2.1
2.2, 2.3
Tues. 1/29
Determinants
Quiz 5 on Sections 2.2 and 2.3
3.1-3.3
Wed. 1/30
Applications
HW 2 due--SEE CHANGES
Midterm ReviewEven Answers to MT Review
2.7
Thurs. 1/31
Midterm exam
Answers to Midterm

Fri. 2/1
Vector spaces
Start work on HW3
4.1-4.2
Mon. 2/4
Bases
Quiz 6 on 4.1, 4.2
4.3-4.4
Tues. 2/5
Coordinates, dimension
Quiz 7 on 4.3
4.4-4.5
Wed. 2/6
Rank, applications
HW 3 due
Start work on HW4
4.6, 4.9
Thurs. 2/7
Eigenvalues and eigenvectors
Quiz 8 on 4.4, 4.5, 4.6
5.1-5.2
Fri. 2/8
Diagonalization; dynamical systems
Quiz 9 on 4.9, 5.1, 5.2
5.3, 5.6
Mon. 2/11
Revisit owls and woodrats
Orthogonality
Quiz 10:  short quiz on 5.3
6.1-6.3
Tues. 2/12
Least squares
Final review; Even answers to review
Hw 4 due (on 5.6#18, ignore terms with complex evalues)
6.5 through
p 363
Wed. 2/13
Final exam
Answers