| Honors Linear Algebra - MA 442 - Spring 2020 |
| Course Home Page |
Course: MA 442, Honors Linear Algebra
Instructor: Jared Weinstein
Lectures: MWF 11:15 am - 12:05 pm in CAS 314
Office Hours: W 9:30 am - 11:00 am in MCS 238
Linear algebra is the study of vector spaces. The study of linear algebra begins with the determination of the solution set of a system of linear equations. Unlike in MA 242, there will be a focus on abstract vector spaces, rather than on Euclidean space. Topics include: Linear transformations, characteristic polynomials, diagonalization and Jordan normal form, inner products, and spectral theory.
Now that lectures have gone virtual, I will be posting lecture notes here.
Lecture notes for March 16 and March 18.
Lecture notes for March 20 and March 23.
Lecture notes for March 27 and April 1.
Lecture notes for April 3 and April 6.
Lecture notes for April 10, 13, 15, 17, 22, 24..
Linear Algebra, by Friedberg, Insel, and Spence, 4th ed., Prentice Hall. Some files relevant to this course can be found here.
The course has time blocked out for a discussion section, but I have decided to replace this completely with 90 minutes of office hours each week. You are welcome to come by and discuss the assignments with me then.
I will be assigning problem sets roughly every week which will usually be due on Fridays. The problem sets are posted in the table below. You are allowed and encouraged to work together on homework assignments, but you must hand in solutions which are written in your own words. Select problems from each problem set will be graded and returned to you the following week.
There is one midterm, on Monday, February 24, given in class.
The final exam will be held on Thursday, May 7, 12:00 pm -- 2:00 pm, location TBA. You must take the final exam to receive a passing grade.
| HW | Assignment | Due |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | §1.2: 1, 3, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 21. §1.3: 5, 8(a)-(c), 19, 20, 23 | Jan. 31 |
| #2 | §1.4: 1, 2a, 2b, 8, 13, 15. §1.5: 1, 9, 10, 13a. | Feb. 7 |
| #3 | §1.6: 1, 4, 12, 13, 15, 20, 26, 29a. §1.7: 3. | Feb. 14 |
| #4 | §2.1: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 15, 16, 17, 21 | Feb. 21 |
| #5 | §2.2: 1, 2(a)-(d), 4, 8, 15 | Feb. 28 |
| #6 | §2.3: 1, 3(a), 9, 11, 12. §2.4: 4, 6, 9, 17. | Mar. 6 |
| #7 | CANCELLED | Mar. 20 |
| #8 | §2.5: 3a, 3b, 4, 5. §3.2: 1, 5(a), 5(c), 5(e), 21, 22. §3.3: 1, 2(d), 3(d). | Mar. 27 |
| #9 | §4.1: 1, 5, 6, 9. §4.2: 2, 3, 5, 7, 25, 26. §4.3: 10, 11, 12, 15. | Apr. 3 |
| #10 | §5.1: 3a, 3c, 8a, 8b, 11, 15a, 17. §5.2: 2a, 2b, 2c, 3a, 3b. §5.3: 2a, 2c, 6, 7. | Apr. 10 |
| #11 | §6.1: 1, 3, 11, 12, 16. §6.2: 2a, 2i, 6, 13a, 13b, 13c. | Apr. 17 |
| #12 | §6.3: 12, 13, 14, 24. §6.4: 6, 7b, 9. §6.5: 2a, 2b, 4, 7, 10. | May 1 |
The grading scheme is: Homeworks 60%, Midterm 15%, Final 25%. Because emergencies sometimes arise, I will drop the two lowest homework grades from your homework average. Late homeworks will not be accepted at all. If you can't come to class on a Friday but still want credit for homework, just place it in my mailbox (MCS 123) sometime before that day's lecture.
| MA 442 Home Page | Jared Weinstein | Department of Mathematics | Boston University |
| This page was last updated: Jan. 14, 2020 by jsweinst@math.bu.edu |