Math 221 - Introduction to Linear Algebra
Summer 2006 - Matthias K. Gobbert
Section 6060 - Schedule Number 0286
This page can be reached via my homepage at
http://www.math.umbc.edu/~gobbert.
Basic Information
- Matthias K. Gobbert,
Math/Psyc 416, (410) 455-2404, gobbert@math.umbc.edu,
office hours: TTh 05:00-06:00 p.m. or by appointment
- Classes: SOND 105, TTh 06:00-08:05 p.m.;
please see the learning plan and
detailed schedule for
more information on the
hybrid format
of the course.
- Prerequisites: Math 151 or Math 155,
or instructor approval
- Required textbook:
David C. Lay, Linear Algebra and Its Applications,
third edition, Addison-Wesley, 2003 (or updated edition 2006).
Associated webpage:
http://www.laylinalgebra.com
- Grading policy:
Homework
| Quizzes
| Participation
| Test 1
| Test 2
|
10%
| 5%
| 5%
| 40%
| 40%
|
In addition to these formally graded course components,
your professional behavior and
active participation in all aspects of the course are required.
In particular, you are required to read assigned sections
in the textbook ahead of their coverage in class.
-
The homework problems are listed
on the homework page.
Working the homework is vital to understanding the course material,
and you are expected to work both the recommended and required
problems; but turn in only the required problems, some of which
will be graded.
The homeworks are due at the beginning of class on the dates
listed in the detailed schedule.
-
The quizzes are administered within the course management
system Blackboard; see below. They provide you immediate feedback on
your understanding of a section from the textbook and serve to
prepare you for discussion in class.
See the learning plan
for more information and the
detailed schedule for the due dates.
-
The participation measures your active participation
in all aspects of the course, in particular in the work of your
learning group; extra credit applies for providing answers
to other students' questions in the Blackboard Discussion Board;
see below.
-
The tests
are traditional in-class exams;
to help you focus on what is relevant,
they are closed-book, closed-notes,
and no calculators/computers allowed.
See the detailed schedule for the dates
of the exams and their coverage.
Late assignments are not acceptable under any circumstances
due to the organizational difficulties associated
with the communcation to the grader;
but a sufficient number of homework and quiz scores will be dropped
in order to avoid penalizing infrequent absences.
Additional details or changes will be announced as necessary.
Announcements may be made in class, by e-mail, or in Blackboard.
You are responsible for checking the course's Blackboard site
and your UMBC e-mail address sufficiently frequently.
-
Blackboard
is a course management system that allows for posting
and communicating among registered participants of a course.
To log in, I suggest to go to myUMBC
and then use the Blackboard link on the left.
Then look for MATH 221 (SU2006) under "My Courses".
We will actively only use the following areas in Blackboard:
- Under "Course Documents", you will find all material for
each section, including guidance on reading, the worked-out examples,
and the quizzes.
- Under "Communication", we will use the Discussion Board for
on-line discussions of questions on homework or any other class material.
I will check the Board at least twice a day every day of the week,
but to increase the speed to get answers, I encourage all of
you to answer each others' questions, too.
Extra credit will be given for actively helping other students
with correct answers.
In particular, the Discussion Board will be available and I will
check it very frequently on the day preceeding each test;
see the detailed schedule.
- I will also use Blackboard to send e-mail to the class.
Therefore, you must either check your UMBC e-mail regularly
or have the mail forwarded to an account you check frequently.
We will demonstrate and discuss the use of Blackboard
during the first class.
Course Description
Linear Algebra deals with problems that are posed
in terms of matrices, which are rectangular arrays of numbers.
Typical problems include systems of linear equations
and eigenvalue/eigenvector problems.
The course also introduces the concepts and properties of vector spaces
to demonstrate the rationale and power of mathematical abstraction.
Linear Algebra is used in just about any scientific field,
for instance, economics, engineering, statistics, and, of course,
mathematics itself.
This course will develop both a proficiency with calculation techniques
and with the underlying abstract concepts and their use to solve problems.
This approach reflects the fact that it is both the
calculation techniques and the fundamental concepts,
including the language of Linear Algebra itself,
that are ubiquitous in the application areas.
Course Details
UMBC Academic Integrity Policy
By enrolling in this course, each student assumes the responsibilities of
an active participant in UMBC's scholarly community in which everyone's
academic work and behavior are held to the highest standards of honesty.
Cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, and helping others to commit these acts
are all forms of academic dishonesty, and they are wrong. Academic
misconduct could result in disciplinary action that may include, but is
not limited to, suspension or dismissal.
To read the full Student Academic Conduct Policy, please consult the
UMBC Student Handbook, the Faculty Handbook,
and the UMBC Academic Integrity webpage at
www.umbc.edu/integrity.
Copyright © 1999-2006 by Matthias K. Gobbert. All Rights Reserved.
This page version 2.2, June 2006.