Linear Algebra I
E'00 Course Information
Info
MA2071 Mon, Wed (& Fri) Section E01



Course Information | Homework Assignments | Mini Projects | Maple Exercises | What's New?


Instructor:
Vadim V. Yakovlev
Office:
301 Olin Hall
Phone:
x 5495
E-mail:
vadim@wpi.edu
Classes & Office hours:

Monday
(except July 3)
Tuesday Wednesday
(except June 7)
Thursday Friday
(June 16, July 7, 14)
Class Hours
& Room
5:30-7:20 pm
@ SH203
- 5:30-7:20 pm
@ SH203
- 5:30-7:20 pm
@ SH203
Office Hours *) 12:00-12:50 am - - 5:00-6:00 pm -
____________
*) Office hours are also available by appointment

Text:

Kolman, B., Introductory Linear Algebra with Applications, 6th Edition, Prentice Hall, 1997.

Web Page:

http://www.wpi.edu/~vadim/LA_I/E00_Info.html

Main Topics: Course Structure:
  • Linear Equations and Matrices
  • Determinants
  • Vectors in R² and n-Space
  • Real Vector Spaces
  • Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors
  • Linear Transformations and Matrices
  • Applications
Two 2-hour lecture meetings a week
Homework assignments
Weekly Quiz
Weekly Mini Project
Weekly Maple Exercise
Comprehensive Final Exam

Grading Scheme:

The 100% course grade is based on:

Weekly Quizzes (25%, 5 times, 5% each),
Mini Projects (30%, 5 Projects, 6% each),
Maple Exercises (15%, 5 Exercises, 3% each),
Final Exam (30%).

Point ranges derived to percents for grades are given by:

Percentage 90.00 80.00 - 89.99 70.00 - 79.99 69.99
Grade A B C NR

Homework & Quizzes:

Practice problems are given for each topic covered. Unless otherwise is announced, a set of problems associated with the class discussion is assigned in the lecture meetings. You may find the list of the recommended problems in Homework Assignments section of the course web site.

Homework problems are not handed in, so each student should take a personal responsibility for doing sufficient study and practice.

On Wednesdays, there will be 15 min quizzes composed from the homework problems. It will be allowed to use your notes when having the quiz.

Mini Projects:

Though this is a distinctive feature in each course topic, the projects are fairly short and not very involved. They look like lengthy exercises, and their main purpose is to emphasize a particular application of the course elements.

The projects are carried out as mostly indepedent studies. Only minimal basics on the relevant subjects are provided in classes and on the web, so to complete the work additional reading and practicing should be undertaken. The course text (Chapter 8) is the major source of required information.

The project descriptions and tasks can be found on Projects page of the course web site.

There are 5 projects, and they should be done at the student's discretion either purely analytically, or with the use of some computer algebra system. (The use of Maple is allowed, but not required.) The printed copies are due in accordance with the Schedule of Events, and each will be worth 30 points.

Maple Exercises:

In the course, there are also 5 special assignments to be done with the use of Maple. They will be focused on how few conceptual topics of the course can be illustrated and explored by Maple basic linear algebra commands.

The tasks along with brief descriptions of appropriate Maple commands can be found on Maple Exercises page of the course web site.

The printed reports on these assignments are due in accordance with the Schedule of Events. Each one will be evaluated out of 15 points.

Final Exam:

The Final is a comprehensive exam covering the topics of the entire course; it will take 2 hours.

It is an open book & open notes event, and the use of calculators is allowed. However, make sure that all work is shown on paper.

(The following suggestion might also be helpful. :)

Other Policies:

No make up of the Final and late paper submissions will be accepted unless it is caused by a legitimate reason (an illness or other unavoidable emergency) which can be documented.

Bonus Points:

There will be opportunities to earn bonus points during this course. Each quiz and the final contains a bonus problem. Also, the outstanding Projects and Maple Exercises can be awarded by bonus points at the instructor's discretion.

Schedule of Events:

Week 1: Linear Equations and Matrices: Linear systems. Matrices. Dot product and matrix multiplication. Properties of matrix operations. Week 2: Linear Equations and Matrices (cont'd): Solutions of linear systems of equations. The inverse of a matrix. Determinants: Definition of the determinant and its properties. Cofactor expansion and applications. Week 3: Vectors in R² & n-Space: Vectors in the plane. n-vectors. Introduction to linear transformations. Lines and planes. Week 4: Real Vector Spaces: Real vector spaces. Subspaces. Linear Independence.

Independence Day Recess: July 1 - 4

Week 5: Real Vector Spaces (cont'd): Basis and dimension. Homogeneous systems. The rank of a matrix and applications. Coordinates and change of basis. Week 6: Real Vector Spaces (cont'd): Orthonormal bases in Rn. Eigenvalues & Eigenvectors: Diagonalization. Diagonalization of symmetric matrices. Linear Transformations & Matrices: Definition of linear transformations and their examples. The matrix of a linear transformation.

[ Course Information | Homework Assignments | Mini Projects | Maple Exercises | What's New? ]

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Last modified: Sat, June 3, 2000