Course-wide Information
How to study for the midterm exams
Problems on the exam will be similar in style and difficulty to the homework problems from the textbook. To study for the exam, you should:
- Re-read your lecture notes and the assigned sections from the textbook, especially the “review of key ideas” at the end of each section.
- Ask yourself the “conceptual questions for review” from pp. 546-549 of the textbook; these may help to identify topics requiring additional attention.
- Study the topic outline (above).
- Look over the assigned homework problems, making sure you know how to solve them, and then attempt some additional exercises from the textbook.
- Visit office hours or the MRC for answers to your remaining questions.
Textbook
![[Textbook Cover]](/images/strang80.png)
Introduction to Linear Algebra,
Third Edition, by Gilbert Strang (ISBN 0961408898)
Homework policies
Homework will be collected once each week, usually on Friday.
Late homework will NOT be accepted. There are no
exceptions to this policy.
You can discuss the course material and homework with other students,
but when writing solutions that you will turn in for credit, you must
work alone, and the work you turn in must represent your own
understanding of the material.
When computing your homework average at the end of the semester, your
lowest homework score will be dropped.
Exams
There will be two evening midterm exams and a
cumulative final exam. If you have a compulsory academic activity
that interferes with a scheduled midterm exam, inform your
instructor as soon as possible.
The registrar determines the date and
time of the final exam, and these cannot be changed. You must
be available on Tuesday, May 13, 2-5pm, to take the final exam.
If you are absent from a midterm exam without prior approval, you will
receive no credit; a make-up exam will be offered only under
exceptional circumstances, such as an incapacitating illness or
medical emergency.
| Exam 1 |
Tuesday, Feb 26, 7-8pm |
117 MacMillan |
| Exam 2 |
Tuesday, April 8, 7-8pm |
117 MacMillan |
| Final Exam |
Tuesday, May 13, 2-5pm |
117 MacMillan |
Calculators and computers
A calculator is
not required in Math 520, and calculators are not permitted at the exams.
While you may use a calculator for basic arithmetic operations on the
homework, do so with care, and never as a substitute for
understanding. You may not use linear algebra functions of advanced calculators or computer algebra systems to assist with any of your course work.
On rare occasions, part of a homework problem may explicitly call for
the use of a calculator in order to give a numerical answer
(e.g. "Using a calculator, determine the angle between these
planes to the nearest degree..."). In such cases, you may leave
your answer in a symbolic form (e.g. cos-1(3/14)).
Grading
Your course grade will be determined on the following basis:
| Homework |
20% |
| Exam 1 |
25% |
| Exam 2 |
25% |
| Final Exam |
30% |
Getting help
The following resources are available for additional help with Math 520:
Other Resources
- Calendars.
- List of lecture and exam dates for sections 1-3 in text format (human-readable)
- List of lecture and exam dates and times in CSV format, for import into some calendar applications (e.g. Google Calendar):
