MAS 4105 (6816) Linear Algebra 1

Spring 2012: MTWF 5th period (11:45–12:35) in 115 Matherly Hall

William J. Mitchell

432 Little Hall
(352) 392-0281 ext 284
wjm@ufl.edu
Office Hours: MTWF 7th period (1:55–2:45) and by appointment.

Prerequisite:   MAC 2313 or 3474 (Calculus 3) and either MAS 3300 (Numbers and Polynomials) or MHF 3202 (Sets and Logic)

Textbook: Linear Algebra, 4th edition, by Friedberg, Insel and Spence.

This course includes both theory and computational skills. The student is expected to develop the ability to reason through and coherently write up proofs of theorems as well as develop computational skills. The course serves both as a transition for the mathematics majors from a study of techniques into more conceptual mathematics and as a coherent foundation in linear algebra for engineering and science majors who seek enough understanding of the conceptual structure of the material to be able to use linear algebra in contexts for which they do not have templates.

Specific topics include vector spaces, linear transformations, diagonalization, eigenvalues, and orthogonality. See Chapters 1-6 of the text.

Web site

The primary web site for this class is on the Sakai E-learning system. If you are enrolled in this course, you can reach this system by going to https://lss.at.ufl.edu/ and selecting Sakai. For those not registered in the course, I have some links available from my web page at www.math.ufl.edu/~wjm/class/linalg/.

Exams and Grading:

The Grade will depend 60% on exams and 40% on homework, participation and attendence.

There will be two midterm exams and a final. The final will count twice as much as each midterm, and I will drop either one of the midterms or one half of the final, whichever is lower.

The homework, participation and attendence grade will be divided into three equal parts, which will be determined along with the exam grades.

(Continued on other side)
Grading scale:
Grade A A- B+ B B- C+ C D E
Percent 90–100% 87.0–89.99% 84.0–86.99% 80.0–83.99% 77.0–79.99% 74.0–76.99% 70.0–73.99% 60–69.99% 0–59.99%

Tentative exam dates:

Exam 1:Friday, February 10
Exam 2:Friday, March 30
Final:Friday, May 4 at 10:00–12:00 a.m.

Important Note:

  1. If you miss a class, you are responsible for finding about homework and/or announcements made during the class.
  2. Make up tests require that the instructor be contacted before the test, and require a written medical excuse.
  3. Your written work should be neat and show all steps.
  4. You will find it helpful to form study groups.
Last modified: Wed Jan 4 22:03:18 EST 2012