Math 630 - Matrix Analysis
Spring 2007 - Matthias K. Gobbert
Learning Goals
This page can be reached via my homepage at
http://www.math.umbc.edu/~gobbert.
Learning Goals
By the end of this course, you should:
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understand and remember the key ideas, concepts, definitions,
and theorems of the subject.
Examples include matrix factorizations (e.g., LU or SVD),
finite-precision arithmetic, vector and matrix norms,
and convergence theorems.
More broadly, you should also understand the purpose of
numerical linear algebra and
some of its major applications and methods.
--> This information will be discussed in the lecture as well as
in the textbook. You will apply and use them on homework and tests.
-
have experience using a professional software package,
writing code in it, and understanding how some of its functions work.
We will focus on the package Matlab in this course,
which is the most popular package in mathematics and many application areas.
Writing code in this context includes the requirements to deliver code
in a form required, such as writing code to stated specifications,
using a requested method, complying with a required function header, etc.
The knowledge and skills in this item are valuable job skills,
which justifies the emphasis here.
To the same end, I suggest that you use this opportunity to
gain significant experience with the Linux operating system.
--> This is one of the purposes of the homework and most
learning will take place here.
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have some experience how a research paper looks like
and foundational experience in writing a professional-grade report
in Mathematics.
Reading a paper will give you exposure how a professional report
should look and sound like.
Learning from written material is a crucial skill to develop over time,
thus the requirement of reading the textbook ahead of class and
the fact that you are responsible also for material not discussed in class
in detail.
More specifically, you need to learn how to obtain information
from research papers, thus there will be a first exposure to research papers.
You will then use your observations about structure and style of these
papers to write a technical report yourself and gain experience with
the process of receiving feedback, editing and revising, and re-submitting.
On a technical level, writing the report should expose you to the
relevant software in this field, therefore, the use of the
typesetting system LaTeX is required for full-time Mathematics students.
--> I will supply some papers carefully
selected for their readability and relevance to the course.
The writing, giving and receiving feedback, and editing of the
report will take place during the second half of the semester.
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have experience working with peers in a group.
Group work requiring communication for effective collaboration
with peers and supervisors is a vital professional skill,
and the development of professional skills including this networking
is a declared learning goal of this course.
Additionally, getting to know other students as part of learning groups
will prove invaluable on the homework, for the tests in this class,
and in preparing for comprehensive exams, and more
generally for success in a graduate program.
In this spirit, it also a stated goal to help identify the skills
needed to be first a successful graduate student and then
a responsible scholar in Mathematics.
--> The groups will be assigned by the instructor and used
for group quizzes in class, but also for other group work.
We will discuss the skills and expectations explicitly in class, but
you should also try to learn by observing your peers and the instructor.
Copyright © 2007 by Matthias K. Gobbert. All Rights Reserved.
This page version 1.0, January 2007.