MATH 60 - First Day Handout
Linear Algebra - Spring 2013
General information
The class webpage is a good source
for all class related information; in particular, homework
assignments will be posted on the class webpage weekly. Please
check it regularly.
Textbook: (Required)
Linear Algebra with
Applications, 7
th
edition, by Steven J. Leon
Course description
Topics to be covered:
Linear equations and matrices; real vector spaces, linear
transformations, change of bases, determinants, eigenvalues and
eigenvectors, diagonalization, inner products.
This is a one semester course designed to cover the material in
the text listed above. We will follow the text closely, covering
most of the first six chapters of the book.
Prerequisite: MATH
32 or instructor's consent.
Grading policy
Class attendance and homework completion are required parts of
the course. Homework assignments will be regularly posted on the
course webpage and collected every Wednesday. Late
homework will not be
accepted. There will be two in class midterm exams and the final
exam. Here is the tentative
exam schedule.
Midterm 1: Wednesday, February 27, in
class
Midterm 2:
Wednesday, April 10, in class
Final:
Monday, May 13, 7:00 - 10:00 pm in RN
105
Make-ups for exams will
only be given with documented CMC-approved excuses (see College
Regulations).
The grade break-down will be as follows:
The grading scale used for this class will be:
- 95-100% = A, 90-94% = A-
- 85-89% = B+, 80-84% = B, 75-79% = B-
- 70-74% = C+, 65-69 % = C, 60-64% = C-
- 57-59% = D+, 52-56% = D, 50-51% = D-
- 0-49% = F
I reserve the right to introduce
a curve (up or down) at the end of the semester depending on the
class's overall performance.
Additional resources
There is tutoring
available in Adams 209 Sunday through Thursday from 8 to 10 pm.
Here is also information about the Claremont Center for Mathematical Sciences
(CCMS) Software Lab, a valuable source of software
assistance:
The CCMS Software Lab is a collaborative
consortium-wide effort that provides timely and much needed software
support to any member of the Claremont community who requests it.
Our Lab Mentors are undergraduate and graduate students of the seven
institutions of the Claremont University Consortium who are trained
to work with other students in projects involving the use of a
variety of advanced mathematical, statistical or data analysis
tools. We provide drop-in support on several packages including
STATA, R, LaTeX, SPSS, MATLAB, Java, C++. You can find us in our
special computer lab at the Honnold-Mudd Library! For more
information, including our weekly schedule, please check out:
http://ccms.claremont.edu/CCMS-Software-Lab
Special policies
Please
notice that confidentiality reasons prevent me from providing
you with any information regarding your performance in this
class except for in person. Please DO NOT email or call
with any kind of grade inquiries.
The following are basic rules that all students should follow in
order not to disturb the class.
- Please make sure to turn off all you cellular phones, pagers,
and any other devices that make noise before entering class.
Please do not text during the lecture.
- Please do not come late or leave early; if on some occasion it
is necessary and cannot be avoided, please do it in a way that
does not disturb the class.
The use of
calculators, or any other electronic devices, as well as any books
or notes, is prohibited during all tests.
Important dates
- February 4,
Monday: Last day for adding courses for the
Spring semester.
- March 14,
Thursday: Last day to drop courses; last day to opt
for CR/NC grading in elective courses.
- March 18-22,
Monday-Friday: Spring break.
- May 8,
Wednesday: Last class meeting.
The instructor reserves the right to make changes
to the class policies.
All printed handouts and
web-materials are protected by US Copyright Laws. No
multiple copies can be made without written permission
by the instructor.