Applied Linear Algebra

MATH 3350 (UVA)

Course information

  • Lectures: Mondays & Wednesdays, 3:30pm-4:45pm
  • First Lecture: 19. January, 2022
  • Office: 311
  • Office hours: Friday 3:00-5:00pm. Additional office hours by appointment.
  • Course text: Linear Algebra 4th Edition, by Jim Hefferon.
  • Other Section: There is another section of this course, taught by Mark Pengitore. We will be using the same assignments, and covering the same material. You should feel free to use resources from the other section, to attend office hours for the other section, and to collaborate with students from the other section.

About

Linear Algebra is a discipline with a wide variety of descriptions: it is the study of systems of linear equations, but equally, it is the study of lines, planes, and their higher-dimensional generalizations. The techniques of linear algebra find application in nearly every branch of mathematics and natural science, and form a core of mathematical knowledge common to practitioners of those disciplines. This semester will constitute an introduction to the techniques of linear algebra. We will study the relation between the geometry of linear spaces and the study of systems of equations.

This course will cover a number of techniques and concepts from linear algebra, including: Gaußian elimination, matrices, linear maps, inner products, orthogonality, factorizations, determinants, eigenvalues and eigenvectors, and diagonalization.

Throughout the semester, we will make use of the scientific programming language GNU Octave. This software is free and open source, and runs on Mac, Windows, and Linux.

Below is a list of resources which may be of help in the course. I will periodically update the list throughout the semester

  • On Collab, I have enabled LaTeX, which should allow you to type mathematics more easily. A brief guide to writing equations in LaTeX is here. A short list of commands to produce specific mathematical symbols can be found here. Note that, on Collab, inline math is placed between single dollar signs, and display math is placed between double dollar signs. On Piazza, all math must be between double dollar signs.