MCS 221

MCS 221, Linear Algebra
(11:30-12:20 MTuThF in OHS 318)

Syllabus: Here is the syllabus.

Online resources:

Summary of what we learned about linear equations, row-reduction, matrices, and vectors.
The supplementary textbook for this course is Linear Algebra Done Wrong, by Sergei Treil.
Webwork is where you do your online homework. You cannot access Webwork from a computer off campus directly for security reasons. To access Webwork off campus, use Virtual Lab. Virtual Lab runs a virtual computer, which behaves much like a computer on campus, in a window on your own computer. You enter your usual Gustie username and password to login, and once the virtual computer boots up, run a browser in it and acccess the Webwork website through that browser.
I use Moodle to post your grades periodically throughout the semester

Homework:

Assigned	Due	Read	Exercises
9/4		1.A	No exercises yet
9/7	9/14	1.A	1.A.1, 6-9. Full justification is expected. Don't forget about uniqueness in 1.A.7 and 8.
9/17	9/21	1.B	1.A.11-14
9/21	9/28	1.C	1.B.1-3, 5, 6 Turn in 1.A.1, 6-9, 11-14 for a grade
9/28	10/5	1.C	1.C.2, 7, 8, 10, 11
10/5		2.A	Homework holiday. Review for the upcoming exam.
10/12	10/19	2.A in LADR and Ch. 1.1 in LADW	2.A.1, 5, 6, 10, 11
10/19	10/26	Example 2.2.1 in 2.1 of LADW (pp. 43-44)	2.A.15 Turn in 1.B.1-3, 5, 6 for a grade
10/26	11/2	No new reading	2.A.3, 14, 16, 17 Turn in 1.C.2, 7, 8, 10, 11 and 2.A.1, 5, 6, 10, 11 for a grade
11/2	11/9	Read the handout (Section 1.3) from Anton	Complete HW1 in Webwork
11/9		Handouts from Anton	Homework holiday. Review for the upcoming exam.
11/16	11/20	2.B in LADR	Webwork: complete HW2 Offline: Prove that matrix multiplication is associative. That is if A is a j by k matrix, B is a k by m matrix, and C is an m by n matrix, then (AB)C = A(BC). Hint: Use summation notation and find a good system of indexing the entries of the matrices.
11/20	11/30	2.B and 2.C in LADR	Webwork: HW3 Offline: 2.B.5,7,8
11/30	12/7	3.A-C in LADR	2.C.1, 4, 9, 16, 17 Turn in 2.A.3, 14-17 and the proof that matrix multiplication is associative for a grade.
12/7	12/13 (notice it's Thursday)	3.B, C in LADR	3.A.3, 4 and 3.B.20 Turn in 2.B.5,7,8 for a grade.

Exam solutions:

Educational links:

A serious paper on teaching/learning at the university level by Prof. Steven Zucker
A more light-hearted, but very true guide on how to be on good terms with your professor (who assigns your grade) by Prof. Doug Andrews at Wittenberg University

Math links:

Our own Problems of the Month are an excellent way to hone your reasoning skills. Most, if not all, of these problems require no knowledge of advanced math beyond what you already know to be solved. You can even earn a prize by submitting your solutions.
Wolfram MathWorld is an interactive math encyclopedia.
Wolfram Alpha gives you access to many features of Mathematica, an extremely powerful computer algebra program, without paying $$$ and learning Mathematica syntax. It does not only do algebra.

Some scholarship opportunities for prospective teachers: