Location and Times
Dwinelle 155, Monday, Wednesday, & Friday 12:00 pm - 12:59 pm
Office hours: Evans 971 Tuesday 1-3, Friday 2-4
Email: norman.sheu@berkeley.edu
Course Description
Basic linear algebra; matrix arithmetic and determinants. Vector spaces; inner product spaces. Eigenvalues and eigenvectors; linear transformations, symmetric matrices. Linear ordinary differential equations (ODE); systems of linear ODE. Fourier series.
A breakdown of course content can be found on the math deparment website here.
Since there was a change in instructor and course structure, some topics may not be covered.
Prerequisites
Math 1A-1B, 10A-10B or equivalent.
Textbook
Lay-Lay-McDonald, Linear Algebra and its Applications (6th edition) and Nagle-Saff-Snider, Fundamentals of Differential Equations and Boundary Value Problems (9th edition). A specially priced UC Berkeley paperback version (2nd edition) is available containing the chapters of both books needed for the course.
Grading policy
Work completed from previous instructor (10%) + Homework (15%) + Quizzes (15%) + Midterm 1 (15%) + Midterm 2 (15%) + Final (30%) = 100%.
Many students have completed work from the previous instructors. It is unreasonable for your GSIs to continue to grade and collect work from the previous instructors, so all students automatically have 10% added to their final class score.
If your final score is higher than one of your midterm scores after normalization, then the midterm with a lower score will be replaced by the final score after normalization, i.e. at most one midterm can be replaced by the final. Please read the Exams section for more details
There is also extra credit for discussion attendance. Please read the Extra Credit section for more details.
The class grade distribution will be based on what is recommended by the math department.
Homework
Homework will be collected once a week in section on Friday. You must submit a physical copy. Do not email your homework assignments to your GSI. Five problems wil be chosen at random to be graded for completion. No credit is given for homework turned in after the due date. Three of the lowest homework scores will be dropped. Working with others is encouraged, but you must write your solutions on your own and write the names of your collaborators at the top of the assignment.
Quizzes
Quizzes are given every Wednesday during the last 25 minutes of discussion in person. Quizzes cover material based on the homework that was submitted the previous Friday. No make-up quiz is available in any discussion session. Two of the lowest quiz scores will be dropped. No calculators or cheat sheets are allowed for quizzes.
Exams
There will be two midterms and one final. All midterms will be held in lecture during regular class hours. Midterms and finals will not be conducted remotely under any circumstances. There are no make-up midterms or final.
The first midterm will be held on March 10th.
The second midterm will be held on April 12th.
The time and location of the final exam can be found on CalCentral.
No calculators or cheat sheets are allowed in exams.
There is no regrading, unless there is a clear error on the part of the grader, such as adding up marks incorrectly or forgetting to grade a question. If you write a correct answer for a problem but your reasoning is incorrect or nonexistent then you will not get credit for it.
If you don't understand why you lost points on a question, please ask; but the number of points deducted cannot be changed, because we grade all the exams together according to the same standards, so regrading individual exams would be unfair to everyone else.
If your final score is higher than one of your midterm scores after normalization, then the midterm with a lower score will be replaced by the final score after normalization, i.e. at most one midterm can be replaced by the final.
If you miss any midterm, your final exam score replace the missed midterm's score after normalization. Your final exam score CANNOT replace both midterm scores, regardless if you took both exams or if you took one and missed the other. If you miss both midterms or the final, you will fail the class. This is regardless of the performance for your other items for this course.
The general difficulty for the exam is Midterm 1 <= Midterm 2 <= Final. There is no point to “strategically” miss any exam.
Extra Credit
If you attend all discussions in a week that has three discussion sections, you will receive extra credit that will add 0.6% to your final grade. A maximum of 3% can be added this way, which is equivalent to attending all the discussions in any five weeks that have three discussion sections. How attendance is taken is up to the discretion of your GSI, which can range from simply checking in to participating in some way in disucssion. Extra credit is applied after a grade distribution is determined.
Discussions and GSI Office Hours
You must attend the discussion you are enrolled in. You may go to any GSI's office hours.
Discussions and GSI Office Hours
I encourage you to check out the Student Learning Center (SLC). They have resources for Math 54 students including adjunct courses and drop-in tutoring.
Academic Integrity
Cheating is unacceptable. Students found cheating on a quiz or midterm will receive a score of 0 on that quiz or midterm. Final exam scores will not replace midterm scores given a 0 as a result of cheating. Students found cheating on the final exam will receive an automatic F in the course. Any student caught cheating will be reported to the Office of Student Conduct and Student Community Standards, and if found responsible for academic misconduct may receive sanctions ranging up to suspension or dismissal from the university.
DSP
Students with disabilities requiring accomodations for exams must submit a letter of accomodation from the Disabled Students Program and contact me at least two weeks in advance of any exam so that we can make the necessary arrangements. Requests may not be accomodated if this deadline is not met.
Incomplete Grades
Grades of Incomplete will be granted only for direct medical or personal emergencies that cause you to miss the final, and only if you have completed the majority of the coursework and your work up to that point is of passing quality.
Information for incomplete grades can be found here.
GSI Contact Information and Office Hours
Harper Wells, harper@math.berkeley.edu, 4pm-6pm Wednesdays in Evans 840 (no Office hours on Wednesday 22nd Feb)
Fangu Chen, fangu@berkeley.edu, 10-11am Mondays and Wednesdays in Evans 1040 (no office hours in the week of Mar.6)
Iris Rosenblum-Sellers, iris@math.berkeley.edu Fridays 9-11 AM in 830 Evans
Svala Sverrisdóttir, svala@math.berkeley.edu, 1-2pm Tuesdays and Thursdays in Evans 854
Daniel Etaat, danielbetaat@berkeley.edu, 2-4pm Mondays in Evans 720
Irit Huq-Kuruvilla, irithk@math.berkeley.edu, 1-3pm Mondays in Evans 1057
Yuji Okitani, yuji_okitani@berkeley.edu, Tuesday 11-12, Thursday 2-3, Evans 848
Weekly Lecture Schedule
This is a rough outline of when and what topics will be covered. Note that this may change depending on how lectures proceed and if the math department advises me to teach different topics.
It is recommended that you read the relevant sections before class, but it is not expected of you.
2/6, 2/8, 2/10: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4 (Lay-Lay-McDonald)
2/13, 2/15, 2/17: 1.5, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9 (Lay-Lay-McDonald)
2/22, 2/24: 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 (Lay-Lay-McDonald)
2/27, 3/1, 3/3: 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 , 4.1(Lay-Lay-McDonald)
3/6, 3/8: 4.2, 4.3 (Lay-Lay-McDonald)
3/10: Midterm 1 (Covers material through chapter 3)
3/13, 3/15, 3/17: 4.4, 4.5, 4.6 (Lay-Lay-McDonald)
3/20, 3/22, 3/24: 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6, 5.9 (Lay-Lay-McDonald)
4/3, 4/5, 4/7: 6,1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 6.5, 6.7 (Lay-Lay-McDonald)
4/10: 7.1 (Lay-Lay-McDonald)
4/12: Midterm 2 (Covers material through chapter 5)
4/14: 7.4 (Lay-Lay-McDonald)
4/17, 4/19, 4/21: 7.4, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5 (Lay-Lay-McDonald, Nagle-Saff-Snider)
4/24, 4/26, 4/28: 10.3, 10.4 (Nagle-Saff-Snider)