Math 201
Introduction to Linear Algebra for Applications
Fall 2016

Instructor: Elizabeth Meckes

Office: Yost 208

Phone: 368-5015

Email: ese3 [at] cwru.edu

Office Hours: M, 2 – 3:30; Th 2:30 – 4

Textbook:

Introduction to Linear Algebra, 5e by Gilbert Strang (caveat emptor – he's written several different linear algebra books!)

Course web page:

http://www.cwru.edu/artsci/math/esmeckes/math201/.

All course information (including the homework assignments!) is posted here; Blackboard is used only for grades. (See Dave Noon's take on Blackboard.).

About this course:

Linear algebra is fundamental in science, engineering, and economics. In this course, you will learn the basic techniques and viewpoints of the subject.

This is the official course description:

Matrix operations, systems of linear equations, vector spaces, subspaces, bases and linear independence, eigenvalues and eigenvectors, diagonalization of matrices, linear transformations, determinants. Less theoretical than MATH 307. Appropriate for majors in science, engineering, economics. Prerequisite: MATH 122, MATH 124 or MATH 126.

Topics and rough schedule:

We will cover most of the material in chapters 1–9 of the textbook, with selected topics from later chapters if there is time. In addition to attending lectures, you are expected to read the assigned sections of the book. Ideally, you will read them at least twice: once before the corresponding lecture and once after. The schedule will be roughly as follows:

Topics	Book chapter	Weeks
Vectors and matrices	1	1
Linear systems of equations	2	2-3
Vector spaces	3	4-5
Orthogonality	4	6-7
Determinants	5	8
Eigenvalues and eigenvectors	6	9-10
Singular value decomposition	7	11-12
Linear Transformations	8	13
Complex vectors and matrices	9	14

Definition of a credit hour (approved by the Faculty Senate):

For courses in lecture format, one credit-hour represents the subject content that can be delivered in one academic hour of contact time each week for the full duration of one academic semester, typically fourteen weeks along with a final examination period. For undergraduate courses, one credit-hour also includes associated work that can be completed by a typical student in 2-3 hours of effort outside the classroom. (Emphasis mine)

If you are spending more than three hours outside of class per lecture on a regular basis, please let me know.

Attendance:

You're supposed to come. (To every class.)

Homework Problems:

How much you work on the homework problems is probably the single biggest factor in determining how much you get out of the course. If you are having trouble with the problems, please come ask for help; you will learn much more (and probably get a rather better grade) if you figure out all of the homework problems, possibly with help in office hours or from your classmates, than if you do them alone when you can and skip the ones you can't. You are welcome to work together on figuring out the homework, but you should write up the solutions on your own.

Homework is assigned daily and is listed in the chart below. I strongly suggest doing the homework the same day as the corresponding lecture (see in particular this figure titled "The value of rehearsal after a lecture").

You will be assigned to a homework group; at the beginning of each class, you will have 10 minutes to discuss your solutions and revise them as you like before turning them in. Remember that your goal should be to write solutions that your classmates (and the grader!) can easily understand. This means you should generally be rewriting your solutions after you figure out how to do the problems, rather than turning in the paper on which you figured them out. Homework will be collected at each class, after the group discussion. Late homework (the end of class is too late) will not be accepted.

Exams:

There will be four midterm exams and one final exam. The tentative dates for the midterm exams are: Tuesday, September 20; Thursday, October 13; Thursday, November 10; and Thursday, December 8. The final exam is scheduled for Tuesday, December 20 from 12–3.

Grading:

Your course grade will be computed as follows:

• Homework 15%
• Midterm exams 60%
• Final exam 25%

A couple articles worth reading:

Forget What You Know About Good Study Habits appeared in the Times in Fall 2010. It offers some advice about studying based on current pedagogical research.

Teaching and Human Memory, Part 2 from The Chronicle of Higher Education in December 2011. Its intended audience is professors, but I think it's worth it for students to take a look as well.

Assignments:

Howework is posted below. When there are multiple sections listed, problems are listed on the same line as the section they come from; e.g., you should do problems 1, 3, 6, 18, 29 from section 1.1 and problems 4, 5, 16 from section 1.2.

Lecture	Book sections	Problems	Due Date
T 8/30	1.1 1.2	1, 3, 6, 18, 29 4, 5, 16	9/1
Th 9/1	1.2 1.3	7, 8, 12, 13, 29 1, 4, 8	9/6
T 9/6	2.1 2.2	1, 2, 5, 12, 13, 15 6, 13, 21	9/8
Th 9/8	2.3 2.4	1, 3, 4, 16, 26 6, 21, 26, 32	9/13
T 9/13	2.5	2 (don't do trial and error: explain how to undo P), 7, 9, 15, 23, 24, 27, 31, 33	9/15
T 9/15	2.6 2.7	1, 5, 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 18 4, 19, 20,	not to be turned in (but do it!)
Th 9/22	3.1 3.2	2, 3, 9, 10, 20, 23, 27 1, 2	9/27
T 9/27	3.2 3.3	13, 14, 15, 17, 29, 33 1, 4, 5, 20, 31	9/29
Th 9/29	3.3 3.4	3, 6, 12, 14, 18, 21 1, 3, 16, 20	10/4
T 10/4	3.4	4, 6, 8, 11, 21, 22, 26, 28, 32, 33	10/6
Th 10/6	3.5 4.1	1, 2, 11, 14, 21, 26, 27 24, 25	10/11
T 10/11	4.1	6, 9, 16, 21, 29	not to be turned in (but do it!)
T 10/18	4.2	1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 10	10/20
Th 10/20	4.2	11, 12, 13, 16, 17, 21	10/27
Th 10/27	4.3	1, 2, 5, 7, 9, 17, 18	11/1
T 11/1	4.4	1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 32, 34	11/3
Th 11/3	4.4 5.1	13, 14, 15, 18, 21, 24 2, 4, 13	11/8
Tu 11/8	5.1 5.2	8, 10, 12, 16, 18 1(A,B), 3, 7, 15, 17	not to be turned in (but do it!)
T 11/15	6.1 6.2	1, 2, 3, 6, 15, 16, 17 1, 2	11/17
Th 11/17	6.2 6.4	4, 7, 8, 14, 15, 18, 27, 33 6	11/22
T 11/22	6.4 6.5	7, 8, 9, 16, 25, 28 1, 2, 3, 11	11/29
T 11/29	6.5 7.1	7, 14, 15, 20, 22, 28 1, 3	12/1
Th 12/1	7.2	1, 4, 5, 13, 15, 16, 19	12/6
T 12/6	7.2 7.3	2, 8, 23 1, 4	not to be turned in (but do it!)