Instructor: Tom Zaslavsky
Office: LN-2231
Office phone: Ext. 2201
E-mail: zaslav@math.binghamton.edu
Office Hours (no appointment needed at these times):
Anton and Rorres, Elementary Linear Algebra, Applications Version. 7th edition, Wiley, New York, 1994. We will cover essentially all of Chapters 1-8 and possibly a tiny bit more.
Your grade will be based on your test total, quiz and homework grades, attendance, and class participation. There will be 3 tests and a final exam. There may be quizzes (not necessarily announced in advance) but not the first week. There will be about 600 course points. Your grade will be based on your point total.
We meet 4 days a week: MWF 12:00-1:00 and Th 11:40-1:05. Attendance is required; I expect you to be on time and stay for the whole class, or I may mark you absent. Attendance at the last class before a holiday and on the day after a test will count particularly. You are allowed up to 4 absences for the whole semester, excused or not. If you have an emergency, get in touch with me as soon as possible.
You are responsible for everything covered in class and for all assigned readings and problems. No matrix calculators or laptops are allowed at tests. No makeup tests will normally be allowed, but I will use my discretion. If you miss a test be prepared to document the reason. No early finals under any circumstances. If you have a question about any grade, you must see me before the next test.
There will be a lot of HW. That's because practice is how you learn. Don't fall behind, especially this week: you'll get lost. We need to move fast.
I will answer questions about HW in class, probably every day. Some homework will be collected (with advance notice) and graded. Part of your homework credit will be for handing in the assignments, part of it will be for the correctness of the assignment. That means you'll get points even if all your work is wrong. However, it does have to be neat and legible and show effort.
Answers matter but not very much. What's important is how you solve the problem. There are answers in the back of the book, but don't use them. If you don't know what to do, or you don't know how to tell whether your answer is correct, come see me -- that's why I have office hours!
Write out complete solutions to each problem. Show all the details in every step, no matter how tired you get of it. You'll learn better by being careful and complete even if you don't get to do all the HW. When you write a solution, use complete sentences to explain what you're doing, not just a word or two. Additional rules.
Solution manuals may make you feel good but they are a recipe for failure. When you don't know what to do, come see me. If you worry that asking a question will show how little you know, don't worry; I'll find out on the test if not sooner. Better for you to ask first!