LA HW and Calendar

Linear Algebra Schedule, Summer A 2009

I've grouped the class meetings into seven blocks of one week each. Generally, each block has a homework (HW) due date, and a related quiz (see below). The HW lists are intended to be the minimal required to get by. You should do at least 50 per cent more. I will probably have to adjust some dates and content from time to time. I will make changes as early as I can, and will announce any major ones in class.

How to read the tables: As you can see from the first table below, I expect to cover about 1 section of our book per lecture. The chart suggests that you should do the exercises from Ch 1.1 on Monday, after my lecture on that, but you will hand it in later, with the rest of HW 1. Homework 1 is due on Wednesday 5/6, and it includes the problems from Ch 1.1 and 1.2. Quiz 1 is the next day, and also goes thru Ch 1.2 [plus a little 1.3, to check that you paid attention to my 5/6 lecture]. In the following weeks, the HW will usually be returned to you before the next quiz. Don't worry too much about the abbreviations under "lecture topics" as those are mainly notes for myself. Contact me if you don't understand anything, or you see a conflict with a religious holiday, or some other mistake.

The first 2 weeks should be the easiest, unless you are very rusty at math. You will be learning to solve systems, and may have to adjust to a math course which emphasizes vocabulary [and later on, theorems] much more than Calculus does. You should also be learning to use MATLAB. See my MATLAB page for tips and for the separate MHW lists.

Read Chs 1.1 -1.2. Learn the main concepts, which are usually highlighted (such as consistent system, equivalent systems, augmented matrix, triangular form, elem operations, row echelon form, G.elim'n, underdetermined, etc). Do HW 1, and more problems as needed. Read over the other exercises, including Ch 1.1 - 9 and Ch. 1.2 - 13 to 19. Do 1.3 - 1 and 2. Look over Leon's website and this one, and practice proofwriting Part I if needed.

In case I'm scaring you, remember that the quiz will be mostly like HW 1. In fact, this period is the easiest part of the course. In previous terms, the Quiz 1 average has usually been over 70 percent. You can find sample quizzes (and keys) on my exam page. If you are having any problems, feel free to visit me, or email me with questions. On the other hand, if you have any extra time after mastering Ch 1, I strongly suggest that you scan Chapters 2-6 (especially Chapter 3), to let those ideas soak in for a while.

Day	Date	I give you	You give me	Lecture topics	HW
1	M 5/4	Web site		1.1 systems, G.Elim	1ab, 2, 3, 4, 6ab, 7
2	T 5/5			1.2 RE form, HW1	1, 2abc, 3ab, 4, 5ach, 13
3	W 5/6		HW1 thru 1.2	1.3- Matrix Algebra	1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 13, 22, 23, 27
4	R 5/7	Quiz 1 thru 1.2+		1.4- Elem.M's, HW2	1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 10, 12, 18, 24

If you are interested in the actuarial career or FIU's actuarial certificate program, see me or Prof Zahedi (Stat Dept) or see the link on my home page.

I give a little extra credit for finding mistakes on the website, so let me know if you spot any. I'll post a key to Quiz I on the exam page soon.

For Quiz 2, read Chs 1.3, 1.4, 2.1 (and 2.2 is also recommended). Focus on the main definitions and theorems. Prepare to prove the "tfae" Thm 1.4.3 and Thm 2.2.2. Review HW 2, and more problems as needed, such as 1.3-17 (for help with 17 - there is a similar problem on Quiz 2, Summer 2000, see the key). Practice with the Chapter Tests on page 87-89, (and on page 113, if time allows) Always try to justify your True-False answers, at least for yourself (it is sometimes required on my quizzes, but usually not). You can practice with my old quizzes on the exam page, but don't expect to see the same questions on your quiz. Note - consecutive quizzes may overlap a little [for example, early Ch 1.3 could be on both Quiz 1 and Quiz 2].

If you feel lost on proof-writing, try my drills thru Part III or come by my office hours for help. There are also a few good books on proofs (eg Velleman's) you can buy at local bookstores if you need to spend more time on this.

Starting with Quiz 2, I may ask some very easy questions about MATLAB. As long as you are keeping up with the schedule, you shouldn't really have to study for these.

Day	Date	I give you	You give me	Lecture topics	HW
5	M 5/11	graded Q1, scale, key		2.1 - Det(A)	1, 2, 3abcg, 4, 8, 10
6	T 5/12		HW 2 (thru 1.4)	2.2 - Det's + E's	1, 5, 6, 7, 13, 15, 19
7	W 5/13	HW 2 back		some pfs and 2.3	1, 2abc, 3, 12, 14
8	R 5/14	Quiz 2 thru 2.1		3.1- vec-sp's/HW	1, 3 (has 8 parts), 7

The course enters more abstract territory this week, so pay more attention to vocabulary and precise definitions.

Note that MHW1 is due on 5/19. Try to finish it a few days early, in case you have any problems with the lab or the questions themselves. A former student (Don Llopis) has found a nice alternative to the MATLAB software, called Octave. As far as I know, it is freeware and can be used for (almost) all of your MATLAB HW. See the MATLAB page.

Quiz 3 covers HW 3. Also, the reading of Chs 2.1 thru 3.2. Maybe a little vocabulary from 3.3 (TF only). Know the proofs of Thms 2.2.3, 2.3.1 and 3.2.1. You can also prepare by trying the 2 TF quizzes on my exam page and by looking over the Ch 2 and Ch. 3 help pages (including HW hints, vocab previews, and a 3rd TF quiz). Remember - try to do more than the assigned HW!

Day	Date	I give you	You give me	Lecture topics	HW
9	M 5/18		HW 3 (2.3)	3.2 subsp's, span, N(A)	1, 3, 4, 10, 16, 18
10	T 5/19		MHW1	3.3+ LI and LD, Col(A), basis	1, 2, 3, 6, 12, 13, 16
11	W 5/20	HW 3 back		3.4- basis, w pfs	1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 11
12	R 5/21	Quiz 3 thru 3.2+		more 3.4, and HW prep

Quiz 4 overlaps a bit with Quiz 3, but won't cover Ch 2 again. It covers HW 4 and the reading of Chs 3.1 thru 3.5. If you are having trouble with proofs, see my hints for HW4. Know the main definitions, and the proofs of Thms 3.2.1, 3.3.2 and 3.4.3. Be able to use the Wronskian for problems like HW 3.3.6 and 7. Try the early HW 5; problems 3.5-1, 2 and 5 (but maybe not 6 or 9). You can also prepare by trying the three Ch 3 TF quizzes on my exam page.

Day	Date	I give you	You give me	Lecture topics	HW
	M 5/25	No Class	Mem Day !
13	T 5/26		HW 4 (3.4)	3.5+, transition m's	1, 2, 5, 6, 9
14	W 5/27	HW 4 back		3.6-, col(A), Ker	1, 4, 5, 9, 19
15	R 5/28	Quiz 4 thru 3.5		4.1, HW, appl'n	1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 14, 20, 21

Quiz 5 covers HW 5 and the reading of Chs 3.5 thru 4.3. Understand what each theorem says. Know the proofs of Thms 3.6.1, 3.6.5, 3.6.6 and 4.1.1. There are 2 TF quizzes for you on the exam page. I have posted some hints for the Ch 5.2 HW.

June 5 is the deadline to drop or withdraw. You handle this yourself - I am not usually involved unless you ask my advice. June 12 is our deadline for checking whether the class roster is accurate.

Note that I have moved my Thursday office hours to Wednesdays at 2pm. Also, you have all been invited to get help through the FIU Learning Center, next door to our classroom (most daylight hours).

Day	Date	I give you	You give me	Lecture topics	HW
16	M 6/1		HW 5 (4.1)	4.2+, mat.reps, P_4	1, 2, 5, 6, 14, 18
17	T 6/2			4.3+ sim'y, scalar prod	1, 2, 5, 7, 9, 11
18	W 6/3	HW 5 back	MHW2	5.1+ planes, perps	1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9
19	R 6/4	Quiz 5 thru 4.3		5.2 R(A^T), sums, HW	1, 2, 3, 5, 13

Note on reading Ch 5: We will move fairly quickly through Ch 5.3 to 5.6, because many parts are optional at FIU and this is not a long semester. You can afford to skim quickly over the applications in the gray boxes and the heavy trig in Ch 5.5. You can omit Ch 5.7. We'll probably skip the MGSP on pg 280. Focus on the HW and the main theorems [the ones in the lectures, such as Thms 5.3.2, 5.6.2 and 5.6.3]. Then read Ch 6.1 (etc) carefully, as usual.

Quiz 6 mainly covers HW 6 and the reading of Chs 4.2 thru 5.3. There may be some TF about the recent lectures (related to Chs. 5.4 and 5.5). Understand what each theorem in these sections says. Know the proofs of Thms 5.1.1, 5.1.2, 5.2.1 and 5.3.2, and the discussion of the "normal equations" on pgs 236-237. The HW in Ch 4.3 has some good proofs ( try 4.3 - 12, 13 and 14). The TF practice for Quiz 6 [and for Quiz 5] on the exam page may help, too.

Day	Date	I give you	You give me	Lecture topics	HW
20	M 6/8	Return Q5 + semester grade	HW 6 (5.2)	5.3 - L Sq's 5.4 - I P's.	1, 2, 3 3, 7
21	T 6/9			5.5 - ONB	1, 2, 15, 16
22	W 6/10	HW 6 back		5.6 - A=QR, proj'ns	1, 2, 5, 7
23	R 6/11	Quiz 6 thru 5.4		6.1- evec.exs, HW	1abcfgk, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

The final counts 30 points - about half of it will be on topics after CH 5.2 (like a "Quiz 7") and about half will be review. It cannot be dropped; see the policy page about this, about incompletes, etc. Be sure to do the listed HW problems from Ch.6.1, 6.3 and 6.4, even though I won't collect them. Omit Ch 5.7 and 6.2. Unfortunately, the final has to cover material from the lecture of the previous day, so try to read ahead a little. But we will probably use 6/17 mainly for review.

I have posted a final exam review page from 2004. I will revise it if I have time, but very little has changed since then -The final counts 30 points (not 25). It will not emphasize MHW3, but some Matlab questions might appear as options. The list of proofs there is correct - 2.2.3, 6.1.1, 6.3.1, 6.3.2 and 6.4.4. Note that all transactions are due on 6/16 [late HW7, regrading requests, notes from doctors, etc]. See also my final lecture topics from 2004 and the exam page.

Day	Date	I give you	You give me	Lecture topics	HW
24	M 6/15	Final-Prep	HW 7 (5.6)	6.3- diag	1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9
25	T 6/16		MHW3, etc	6.4- A^H, UAU	1, 2, 3, 4, 5
26	W 6/17	HW 7 back		Ch6 pfs/exs	None
27	R 6/18	Final Exam

Final Exam : During the summer term, finals normally take place during the last 75 minute class period.