Required text: Peter Petersen; Linear Algebra; Undergraduate Texts in Mathematics, Springer 2012. ISBN: 978-1-4614-3611-9 (Print) 978-1-4614-3612-6 (Online).
This book is available for free for UIC students through Springer Link Ebooks via the UIC Library. (Scroll down and click on "SpringerLink" to login with your NetID.)
If you prefer to have a paper version, this can be bought through the Springer website for around $25.00.
For those preferring a more condensed treatment, I can recommend the classical book by A. Malcev: "Foundations of linear algebra" that you may find in the library or used through an online bookseller. However, I must caution that Malcev writes linear transformations on the right, which means that everything is transposed compared to Petersen's book.
Course syllabus:
Chapter 1 is background material and mostly is an overview of what is taught in lower level linear algebra classes. There may be a few new things that you may consult as needed. We shall cover the remaining 4 chapters. There are a lot of examples and the book is not very dense. Moreover, we shall skip a few sections here and there.
Depending on time constraints, I may substitute some material with an introduction to a more applied topic such as linear programming.
Course hours and location: Monday - Wednesday - Friday, 10:00-10:50 AM in Taft Hall 308.
Office hour: Monday 2:30-3:30 in my office SEO 416.
Reading: I will assign chapters from the book that I will try to cover every week. A good strategy is to read every section before it is covered it class, take notes and gain additional understanding during class, and the reread the section and
do the assigned homework exercises at the end of the week. Apart from the assigned homework exercises that have to be handed in, I assign
additional exercises that you should do on your own. The material covered in exercises constitute an integral part of the exam syllabus and
will greatly help you assimilate the theoretical material.
Homework: There will be a number of homework sets due in the course of the semester. These should be handed
in to me at the beginning of class on the due date. No late homework will be accepted, so any homework handed in
after the deadline will be credited for 0 points. When calculating the homework grade, the lowest score will be dropped.
So, e.g., if you have missed one homework set, then this will be counted as your lowest score.
Midterms: There will be two midterms each taking place during
regular class hours. These will take place on:
1st midterm: February 28th
2nd midterm: April 4th
The midterms and final exam will consist of exercises resembling the homework exercises. So doing exercises equals good exam preparation.
To be excused from a midterm you will need to provide a valid excuse and a
letter from the doctor to this effect. You will not have the
chance to make up an exam, so if you are excused from a midterm your
midterm grade will be the score on your other
midterm. It is your responsibility to be in time for an exam, not your alarm clock's.
Final exam: Friday May 9th, 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM.
Grade: Your grade will be a weighted average of your homework,
midterm, and final grades calculated as follows:
Homeworks: 20 %
Midterms: 40 %
Final: 40 %
Weekly programme:
Week beginning on January 14th: Make sure you are familiar with the background material in chapter 1. Read 2.3, 2.4.
Week beginning on January 20th (note Monday is off due to Martin Luther King's day): Read 2.5, 2.6.
Week beginning on January 27th: Read 1.10, 1.11 and reread 2.5, 2.6.
Week beginning on February 3rd: Read 2.7.
Week beginning on February 10th: Read 2.7.
Week beginning on February 17th: Read 3.1, 3.2, 3.3.
Week beginning on February 24th: Read 3.4, 3.5.
Week beginning on March 3rd: Read 4.1, 4.2.
Week beginning on March 10th: Read 4.3, 4.4.
Week beginning on March 17th: Read 4.5, 4.6.
Week beginning on March 24th: Spring break.
Week beginning on March 31st: Read .
Week beginning on April 7th: Read .
Week beginning on April 14th: Read .
Week beginning on April 21st: Review and catch up.
Week beginning on April 28th: Review and catch up.
Homework exercises:
Due 01/24: 1.6.7, 2.3.1(a)(b), 2.3.3(a)(b), 2.3.6, 2.3.8, 2.3.9
Due 01/31: 2.4.1, 2.4.3, 2.4.6, 2.4.9, 2.4.10
Due 02/07: 2.5.1(a)(c), 2.5.2(a)(c), 2.5.5, 2.5.12, 2.5.14
Due 02/14: 2.6.1, 2.6.3, 2.6.5, 2.5.6, 2.6.7, 2.6.8
Due 02/21: 2.6.10, 2.6.12, 2.7.1, 2.7.3, 2.7.6, 2.7.7
No homework due on 02/28. We have the first midterm.
Due 03/14: 3.2.5, 3.2.6, 3.2.7, 3.2.9, 3.2.10, 3.3.1, 3.3.2, 3.3.4
Due 03/21: 3.4.1, 3.4.2, 3.4.3, 3.4.4, 3.4.5, 3.5.3, 3.5.4
Due 04/18: 4.1.2, 4.1.8, 4.2.1, 4.2.4, 4.3.7, 4.4.3, 4.4.4
Extra exercises: These are not to be handed in, but are for your own practice and are considered part of the syllabus.
