Fall 2021: Math 340
Fall 2021: Math 340 - ELEMENTARY MATRIX AND LINEAR ALGEBRA
Lecture 4, TR 4:00 PM - 5:15 PM, B130 Van Vleck Hall
Course description: Matrix algebra, linear systems of equations, vector spaces, sub-spaces, linear dependence, rank of matrices, determinants, linear transformations, eigenvalues and eigenvectors, diagonalization, inner products and orthogonal vectors, symmetric matrices. Prospective math majors should instead consider MATH 341 for a proof based introductory linear algebra course.
Prerequisites: MATH 222. Not open to students with credit for MATH 341 or 375
Office hours:
T 2-3 PM, W 9-10 AM via Zoom
Textbook: Elementary Linear Algebra with Applications (9th Edition) by Kolman and Hill
Discussion Sections:
Course Section TA Day Begin Time End Time Room Assignment
340 361 Hardt, Will M 14:25 15:15 VAN VLECK B135
340 362 Hardt, Will M 15:30 16:20 INGRAHAM 225
340 363 Hardt, Will W 14:25 15:15 VAN VLECK B203
340 364 He, Qiao W 15:30 16:20 INGRAHAM 225
340 365 He, Qiao W 16:35 17:25 VAN VLECK B203
TAs' Office Hours:
Will Hardt: Monday, Wednesday 1-2 pm
Qiao He: Tuesday, Thursday 10-11 am
TAs' Office hours from other sections:
Jiwoong Jang (sec 001): Wednesday 11 am - 1 pm
Jerry Yu Fu (sec 001 and 003) : Monday 1-3 pm
Di Chen (sec 003) : Wednesday 2-4 pm
Yu Huang (sec 002): Wednesday 1-3 pm
Benjamin Wright (sec 002): Tuesday, Thursday 11 am-12 pm
Some highlights (More details are provided in the syllabus):
I strongly encourage you to come to my office hours (T 2-3 PM, W 9-10 AM via Zoom or by appointment) and TAs office hours if you have any questions or concerns. Students can also attend other TAs' office hours. Please feel free to come and discuss any questions about lectures, homework problems, and exams.
We will be using Piazza for class discussion. Participation in Piazza is required. You should make at least one contribution every three weeks. Contributions are posts, responses, edits, followups, and comments to followups (i.e., everything).
Midterm exams and the final exam will be in the evenings:
Midterm 1: Wednesday, Oct 6, 2021, 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
Midterm 2: Wednesday, Nov 3, 2021, 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
Midterm 3: Wednesday, Dec 1, 2021, 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
Final Exam: Wednesday, Dec 22, 2021, 7:25 PM - 9:25 PM
Make sure to reserve them in your calendar (Very important!). If you are unable to attend any of the exams, then you should let me know by the end of the first week (Sunday, Sep 12). Exam attendance is mandatory.
Weekly homework assignments will be posted every Wednesday in Canvas. Homework assignments are to be turned in through Canvas. Typically, homework will be due at 11:59 pm on Wednesdays.
Tentative Weekly Schedule
Week 1: Introduction, 1.1 (linear systems)
Week 2: 1.2-3 (matrices and matrix multiplications)
Week 3: 1.4-6 (matrix operations and transformations), 2.1
Week 4: 2.2-2.3 (row reduction/echelon form/elementary matrices), 2.4 (an introduction to determinants by properties)
Week 5: 3.1, 3.2 (the determinant and geometry), Midterm 1
Week 6: 3.3-5 (cofactor expansion, adjoint inverse)
Week 7: 4.1-3 (dependence/independence, span)
Week 8: 4.4-6 (basis and dimension)
Week 9: 4.7, 4.8 (homogeneous system, coordinates/isomorphism), Midterm 2
Week 10: 4.9, 6.1, (rank, linear transforms)
Week 11: 6.2, 6.3 (Kernel, rank, change of basis matrix, matrix representation of linear operators)
Week 12: 6.5, 7.1, 7.2 (similar matrices)
Week 13: 5.1, 5.3,(dot product, inner product), Midterm 3
Week 14: 5.4, 5.5 (Gram-Schmidt process, orthogonal decomposition theorem).
Week 15: 7.3 (diagonalization of symmetric matrices)
Final Exam
References.
"MATH 340 is a basic linear algebra course which focuses on vectors as ordered sets of real numbers and linear operators as matrices. In this course the focus is typically on computational aspects of the subject with some lighter treatment of the more theoretical points."
"In summary, MATH 340…
Is ideal for students who need functional knowledge of basic matrix algebra, and in particular, those looking for applications featuring discrete mathematics (i.e., computer science and possibly statistics);
Is not by itself sufficient for enrollment in advanced math courses."