Math 304-02 Course Information

Spring 2006

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Instructor: Tom Zaslavsky
Office: LN 2231
Office phone: 777-2201
E-mail "zaslav@math.binghamton.edu"

Classrooms and hours:
M, W, F 10:50-11:50 in LH-12,
Tues 10:05-11:30 in S2-337.

Office hours (no appointment necessary):

MWF 12:00 - 2:00 p.m..
If you need to see me at another time, please make an appointment. I will usually have time to see you.

Review session

There will be a review session Sunday, 3:00 - 5:00, in room AA-G23.
(I made a mistake in the first announcement: the time is not 1 - 3. Very sorry!)

Tests this semester

Here are all the tests given so far this semester in all four sections.

Basic information

FINAL EXAM: Monday, 5/15, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., in LH-9.

Textbook: M. Brin, Math 304: Linear Algebra, 6th edition. We will cover all of the book, as nearly as we can manage.

Grading System: Your grade will be based on the following system:
   3 Tests: 2/21, 3/28, 5/220% each
Final Exam: 30%
Homework, quizzes, class participation, attendance: 10%
The tests are held in class on Tuesdays: Feb. 21, March 28, May 2. The final exam date is May 15 (see above). Each test will cover the topics that we covered up to the time of the test and since the last test. The final exam is comprehensive but with extra attention to topics covered after the last test.

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Class Rules

Attendance: We meet M, Tu, W, F. Attendance is expected every day. Attendance will be part of your grade.

Test Policy: You are responsible for everything covered in class and for all assigned readings and problems. NO MAKEUPS will normally be allowed on quizzes (if any) or class tests, 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 may or may not be quizzes, and they may or may not be announced in advance.

Advice about tests (and good for homework too): Often there are several ways to solve a problem. Some may be faster than others. Your ability to find efficient solutions will be a factor in taking tests. If you find inefficient, long solutions to some problems, you may not have enough time to finish a test. This is not speed, it is knowing how to find good ways of solving problems. You develop this by practice. Keep it in mind!

Homework: Most problems will not be graded; they will be discussed in class (as time allows), usually one or two days a week. (You may ask about any problem, not necessarily assigned--again as time allows.) I'll specify a few hand-in problems that will be collected and some graded. They are due at the beginning of class. I do not accept late HW. (Early HW is fine. You may leave it in my mailbox or on the door of my office any time before the deadline. Not under my door, preferably!)

HW grading system (with an occasional exception): Each problem gets 4 "HW points".

4 HW points for a complete and correct solution.
2-3 for a nearly correct solution or a good partial solution.
1 for a very partial solution or a good start.
0 for no work, a poor start, or an unsupported answer.

I expect all answers to be fully justified (unless my instructions say otherwise). A ``HW point'' is worth about 0.03%, more or less, so don't worry about a point on the homework, but do worry if you don't understand how to solve the problem or how it was graded! Then come and discuss it with me.

Homework Assignments

Reading
sections		Practice exercises
Discussion day(s)		Hand-in
exercises
Week 1:1/23-27Preface (omit
  the long list),
1.1-1.4,
2.1-2.3 		All
Disc. on Fri. 		None
Week 2:1/30 - 2/32.3-2.6,
3.1		 All
Disc. on Tues., Fri. 		(I) Wed. 2/1:
(6)#1, (8)#1, (9)#1c, (10)#1
Week 3:2/6-103.1-7
(omit 3.4.2),
formulas of 3.8 		Wed.: All in 3.1-3
   (essential).
Fri.: all in 3.4-3.5.
Disc. on Fri. 		(II) Mon. 2/6: (7)1, (10)3-4,
(13)1, (15), (16)1,2a-e,4
Week 4:2/13-17 4.1-4.3.1 Tues.: all in 3.6,
  (28), (30)2, (31)-(33).		 (III) Mon.: (16)5, (20)1,
  (21)1b,2, (22)2,5, (23)3, (24)1,
  (25)1,2 for 2-row matrices only,
  (26)1b,2b
(IV) Fri.: (18)2, (27)2, (28)2,
  (30)2, (34)-(37)[should be (34) only]all
Week 5:2/20-24
Test I: 2/21		 Mon.: review
Wed.-Fri.: 4.3 		Mon.: test review.
Week 6:2/27-3/3 4.3-4.5 Tues.: discuss 4.3-4.4.3,
  do (35)-(39)all
Fri.: 4.4 all, do (40)all		 Wed.: HW V (PDF file)
Week 7:3/6-10 4.4-4.6 Fri.: discuss 4.4-4.6.1
  do (40)all;
  do (41)1 and the same questions for the 3 matrices in (10)3-5		 Fri.: HW VI: Find bases of the null and column spaces of the matrix in (10)6
Week 8:3/20-24 4.6-4.7, 5.1 Wed.: discuss 4.6
Fri.: do (42)-(44)all		 Wed.: HW VII (PDF file)
Week 9:3/27-31 Mon.: Pn
Fri.: 5.1-5.2		 Mon.: do HW VIII (PDF file)
Tues.: Test II
Fri.: do HW IX (PDF file), ##1,2
Week 10:4/3-7 Mon.: 5.2 (and 5.3) and P Tues.: discuss 5.1-5.2
  do (45)1, HW IX (PDF file)		 Fri.: all of HW IX (PDF file) (Solutions (partial).)
Week 11:4/10-12 5.3-5.6.1 Work on (46)-(49)
Week 12:4/18-21 5.5.2-5.6.2 Work on (50)
Week 13:4/24-28 5.7 Wed.: HW X: (50)-(52)
Week 14:5/1-5 Mon.: Review
Tues.: Test III
Wed.-Fri.: 6.1-6.3.3
  Omit proofs on
  pp. 195-197.
  6.2.4 is optional.		 Mon.: HW XI (PDF) and
  (53)-(54) and
  (52)1 for n=2,3 and general n.
Fri.: Do determinants:
  all solved examples, and
  (55), (56), (58).
Week 15:5/8-12 Tues.: 6.3.3-6.4
  (omit Fibonacci
  nos.)
Fri.: 7.1 (omit
  Bilinearity and
  pp. 227-8)		 Wed.: Do (59),
  Optional (63)
Fri.-Sun.: (64), (65)1-4		 XII: Wed.: (60)-(62)
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