Prerequisites: Math 225 or equivalent.
Textbook: As the main text we will use the notes written by Matthew Brin and Gerald Marchesi: Math 304 - Linear Algebra . Additional material may be introduced in class and through links provided on the course web page.
This course is a 4-credit course, which means that in addition to the scheduled lectures, students are expected to do at least 9.5 hours of course-related work each week during the semester. This includes things like: completing assigned readings and homeworks, studying for quizzes and examinations, and other tasks that must be completed to earn credit in the course.
Course Objectives: The first part of the course will introduce students to a technique of solving systems of linear equations called Gaussian Elimination. Along the way student will learn many new concepts (like matrix, elementary row operations, rank, row reduction, ...) and theorems involving these concepts. Next, a more geometric point of view will be introduced leading to the concepts of linear space, basis, linear transformations, determinants, eigenvalues and eigenvectors, ... The last part of the course will introduce the concept of an inner product. The students will be expected to show both a conceptual understanding of the material and ability to carry out computations following the algorithms introduced in this course. The course material is vital for many more advanced math courses as well as courses in Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Economics, Computer Science, and Engineering.
Learning outcomes: Students in this course will learn conceptual basis of elementary linear algebra and the main computational techniques of the subject (like Gaussian elimination aka reduction to row echelon form, cofactor expansion of determinants, Gram-Schmidt orthogonalization).
Material: We will cover most of chapters 1 to 6 of the textbook. Additional material may be covered as time permits.
Sections: Note that each section of the course is a separate class. Even though most requirements are set uniformly for all sections, the way the material is presented, choice of examples, topics of special emphasis, some additional expectations, etc. will often differ from section to section. At the end, your performance is assessed by your instructor. Complaints of the form "my friend in section x knows less than I do but is getting better grades" will not be given consideration.
Exams: There will be three in-class exams and a final. The final will be the same for all the sections, while in-class exams will differ from section to section. Here is the schedule for the exams:
| EXAM 1 | Monday, February 19 |
| EXAM 2 | Wednesday, March 21 |
| EXAM 3 | Monday, April 30 |
| FINAL | Thursday, May 10, 8:00 am- 10:00 am, LH 001 |
No Calculators, computers, phones, books, or notes will be allowed on exams.
Quizzes: Quizzes will be given on a regular basis (at least once a week).
No make-up tests or quizzes unless there are some extraordinary circumastances. Any such circumstances should be well documented and communicated to your instructor ahead of time.
Any request for special accomodation (for example, from the Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD)) has to be communicated to your instructor ahead of time (ideally at the beginning of the semester).
Homework: Homework will be assigned regularly. We will be using WebWork for a substantial part of homework. The link is on the main page for the course and also below. In addition, each week there may be problems assigned whose solutions need to be written down. The solutions will be collected but usually will not be graded. It is very important that you write your solutions using full sentences and carefully explain each step. Important: in order to do well on quizzes or exams it is crucial to work systematically on the homework. .
WebWork Link: https://www1.math.binghamton.edu/webwork2/Math_304_Spring_2018/
Grading Policy: The final counts 40 percent, each in-class exam 15 percent, and quizzes and class-work 15 percent. Your grade will be based on your total score. Borderline cases will be adjusted up or down based on your performance on homework.
Attendance and Classroom Decorum: Students are responsible for attending class, behaving in class, taking class notes, doing homework problems, asking for and coming in for help, etc.
Students are expected to attend every scheduled class. Instructors have the right to deny a student the privilege of taking the final examination or of receiving credit for the course, or may prescribe other academic penalties if the student misses more than 25 percent of the total class sessions. Excessive tardiness may count as absence. [University Bulletin]
Late arrivals, early departures, cell phone conversations, eating, or drinking in class are not appropriate. It is the student's responsibility to keep informed about all announcements, syllabus adjustments, or policy changes made during scheduled classes and/or posted on course web-page and/or emailed.