INSTRUCTOR: Sasha Voronov

OFFICE: VinH 324

PHONE: (612) 624-0355

E-MAIL ADDRESS: voronov@umn.edu. You are welcome to use e-mail to send questions to me.

CLASS WEB PAGE: All class announcements and assignments will be posted on the class homepage http://www-users.math.umn.edu/~voronov/4242f18 and NOT handed out in class.

OFFICE HOURS: Mon 2:30-3:20, Thu, Fri 11:15-12:05, or by appointment.

TEXT:  Applied Linear Algebra, 2nd edition, 2018, by Peter J. Olver and Chehrzad Shakiban. Available for purchase at the bookstore and online elsewhere, and for free electronically through the library.

GOALS: This is a second, advanced undergraduate course in linear algebra, the first one being a version of our Linear Algebra and Differential Equations, a.k.a. Calculus III. The goal of the course is to study theoretical foundations of linear algebra with an eye on applications. Topics include linear systems, Gaussian elimination, matrices, determinants, vector spaces, span, linear independence, basis, dimension, inner products, norms, quadratic forms, orthogonality, linear transformations, eigenvalues, eigenvectors, the spectral factorization, and applications of these tools to mechanical and electrical engineering problems.

COVERAGE (tentative): Sections 1.1-1.6, 1.8-1.9, 2.1-2.6, 3.1-3.5, 4.1-4.4, 5.2, 6.1-6.2, 7.1-7.2, and 8.2-8.3, 8.5 of the text.

PREREQUISITES: Calculus III (Math 2243 or 2373 or 2573).

GETTING HELP:

• Work in study groups and learn from each other. Various rooms throughout the Twin Cities campuses are available for small groups of students to work together or individual study. You may also reserve a space in the libraries for group study. And check out How to Form a Successful Study Group.
• The Library Course Page offers links to the text and Students' Solution Manual, as well as additional study resources, such as encyclopedias and other reference materials, alternative textbooks, and study guides. Note: copying solutions from the solution manual can place you in violation of scholastic honesty. Many solutions only provide the final answer anyway, while for full credit you must also supply an explanation of how you this is found. A more serious problem is that passive reading of solutions will not get you ready for the exams. You should try hard to do problems on your own.
• The authors' resource contains a list of errors and a link to Students' Solution Manual for the textbook.
• Free tutoring services might be offered by the School of Mathematics and SMART Learning Commons at Walter, Wilson, and Magrath Libraries. It seems like regularly scheduled tutors for this course are not available, though. However, you may find a one-on-one SMART tutor at https://www.lib.umn.edu/smart/tutor-schedules. There is also a similar Multicultural Center for Academic Excellence, which offers free tutoring, a study place, jam sessions before exams, and more. They do have tutors who may help you with Math 4242.
• Hire a tutor: For example, you may use this private tutor list, created by one of Math TAs: https://umnprivatemathtutorslist.com/list.
• Attend my office hours (see above).
• E-mail: Send questions to me at voronov@umn.edu
• Call me up at (612) 624-0355.
• If you have a question on how your homework has been graded, make an appointment with our grader Peihang Wu or send him a message at wu000294@umn.edu.

HOMEWORK: Homework will be collected at the beginning of each Friday class, except the first week of classes, the Thanksgiving week, and the test weeks, and a random selection of problems will be graded. Late homework will be discouraged by assessing a penalty. Note that selected homework (or similar) problems may be given on tests. That is another reason why you should do homework during the week, rather than just before the homework is due and, moreover, remember the ideas and techniques used in your solutions. Getting together with other students (that is, in study groups) is a very efficient way to do homework (and have fun and pizza), see also GETTING HELP above. However, everyone should work on every problem; a solution you get together with other students should be written down in your own words. Copying someone else's (be it someone from class, online, or the Solutions Manual) solution constitutes academic dishonesty.

MIDTERM EXAMS: There will be two one-hour midterm exams: Friday, October 19, and Friday, December 7. All tests are closed-book, closed-notes, no "cheat sheets", no calculators.

FINAL EXAM: The final exam will be given on Saturday, December 15, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (Section 40, meeting regularly at 12:20) or Monday, December 17, 1:30-3:30 p.m. (Section 50, meeting regularly at 1:25) in your regular classroom.

MAKE-UP TESTS: There will be no make-up tests. However, early tests might be given, if you have a valid reason. Otherwise, if you miss an hour test for a valid reason, your grade on it will be determined by the final exam, prorated to 100 percent.

GRADING POLICY: Grades will be assigned on a curve, using the following weights:

• Homework: 25%
• Midterm exams: 20% each
• Final: 35%

CALCULATOR POLICY: Calculators will be neither needed, nor allowed on any tests.

DROP DATES: The last day to drop the course without college approval is November 12; if you drop the course on or before September 17, no mention of this course will appear on your transcripts. Otherwise, you will receive a "W" for the course.

Page created on 9/4/2018; info on Library Course Page expanded on 9/6/2018; a link to finding a SMART tutor added 09/12/18; Reserve a Space link added 9/14/18; Grader's info added 9/17/18; Office hours changed 9/21/18; Grader's info clarified 9/26/18; Tutor list added 10/17/18. Changed 100 points to 100 percent to be clearer.: 10/19/18