| Section 005 |
Lecture: TuTh 11:00-12:15 Avery Hall (AvH) 19
Instructor: Mark Brittenham
Office: Avery Hall (AvH) 317
Telephone: (47)2-7222
E-mail: mbrittenham2@math.unl.edu
WWW: http://www.math.unl.edu/ ~ mbrittenham2/
WWW pages for this class: http://www.math.unl.edu/ ~ mbrittenham2/classwk/314s08/
(There you will find copies of nearly every handout from class, lists of homework problems assigned, dates for exams, etc.)
Office Hours: (tentatively) Tu 9:30 - 10:30, We 11:00-12:00, and Th 2:30 - 3:30, and whenever you can find me in my office and I'm not horrendously busy. You are also welcome to make an appointment for any other time; this is easiest to arrange just before or after class.
Text: Linear Algebra: a Modern Introduction, by David Poole (2nd edition, Brooks/Cole).
This course, as the text and course titles are meant to imply,
is intended to illustrate the
theory, techniques, and applications of linear algebra (i.e., solutions to linear
equations) through
the use of matrices (whatever they are).
Our basic goal will be to work through most of each chapter of the book:
Ch. 1, Vectors
Ch. 2, Systems of Linear Equations
Ch. 3, Matrices
Ch. 4, Eigenvalues and eigenvectors
Ch. 5, Orthogonality
Ch, 6, Vector Spaces
Ch, 7, Distance and Approximation
Homework will be assigned from each section, as we finish it.
It is an essential ingredient to the course - as with almost all of
mathematics, we learn best by doing (again and again and ...). Cooperation
with other students on these assignments is acceptable, and even
encouraged. However, you should make sure you are understanding the
process of finding the solution, on your own - after
all, you get to bring only one brain to exams (and it can't be someone
else's). For the same reason, I also recommend that you try working
each problem on your own, first. Homework will not be collected,
and therefore, not
graded (the solution to every odd-numbered problem may be found at the
end of the book); but it is probably the most important ingredient toward making
sure that you are understanding the material.
In addition, we will have a significantly larger assignment. This project will probably be assigned near the end of February, and be due several weeks later. You may choose to work on the project in groups of up to three, with one write-up turned in for the group, or you may choose to work on it individually. It will require the use of a computer algebra system for its solution. The Math Department Computer Lab (Avery 18) is available for this purpose, for all students enrolled in the course. To obtain a computer account, students must attend a lab orientation session. The schedule for orientation sessions will be announced in class near the beginning of the semester.
The project will count 10% towards your final grade.
Quizzes will be given each Thursday,
during weeks that do not
also contain
an exam (in our class...) or the first
day of classes. Each will
typically consist of one
question (modelled on a homework problem) from
the material covered through
the previous Tuesday. Your lowest two quiz grades
will be dropped before computing your
final quiz average, which will constitute 20 % of
your grade. A missed quiz will
count as zero (and will therefore be the first
grade dropped); a make-up quiz can
be arranged only under the most unusual of circumstances.
Midterm exams will be given two times during the
semester, in the evening, outside of normal
class time, approximately every six weeks -
the specific dates will
be announced in class well in advance
(likely candidates: late February,
early April). Each exam will count
20% toward your grade. You can take a
make-up exam only if there are compelling
reasons (a doctor SAYS
you were sick, jury duty, etc.) for you
to miss an exam. Make-up
exams tend to be harder than the originals
(because make-up exams
are harder to write!).
Finally, there will be a regularly scheduled final exam on
Tuesday, May 6, from 3:30pm to 5:30pm.
It will cover the entire course, with a slight emphasis
on material covered after the last midterm exam. It will count the
remaining 30% toward your grade. You
must arrange your personal and work schedules to
allow you to take the exam at this scheduled time.
Your course grade will be calculated numerically using the above scales,
and will be converted to a letter grade based partly on the overall average of the
class. However, a score of 90% or better will guarantee some kind of A, 80%
or better at least some sort of B, 70% or better at least a flavor of
C, and 60% or
better at least a D.
In mathematics, new concepts continually rely upon the mastery
of old ones; it is therefore essential that you thoroughly understand each
new topic before moving on. Our classes are an important opportunity for you to ask
questions; to make sure that you are understanding concepts correctly.
Speak up! It's your education at stake. Make every effort to resist
the temptation to put off work, and to fall behind. Every topic has to be gotten
through, not around. And it's a lot easier to read 50 pages in a week than it is
in a day. Try to do some mathematics every single day.
Class attendance and doing the homework are your best
methods for insuring that you will keep
up with the material, and to make sure that you understand all of the
concepts.
Departmental Grading Appeals Policy: The Department of
Mathematics does not tolerate discrimination
or harassment on the basis of race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation.
If you believe you have been subject to such discrimination or harassment,
in this or any other math course, please contact the department.
If, for this or any other reason, you believe your grade was assigned
incorrectly or capriciously, then appeals may be made (in order) to
the instructor, the department chair, the department grading appeals
committee, the college grading appeals committee, and the university
grading appeals committee.
| Some important academic dates |
Jan. 14 First day of classes.
Jan. 21 Martin Luther King Day - no classes.
Jan. 25 Last day to withdraw from a course without a `W'.
Mar. 7 Last day to change to or from P/NP.
Mar. 16-23 Spring break - no classes.
Apr. 11 Last day to withdraw from a course.
May 3 Last day of classes.