Math 3242 (Linear Algebra) - Fall 2005

                                                        Schedule                                   Homework                                    Exams


Professor: MAGDALENA MUSAT  

¤  Lectures: MWF 10:20-11:15 pm, 251 DUNN HALL.
    Office Hours: Mon,Wed, Fri 9:30-10:15 am, 367 Dunn Hall.
Office: 367 Dunn Hall; Phone: 901-678-2488; E-mail: mmusat@memphis.edu
The final exam is on December 12, 8:00-10:00 am in 251 DUNN HALL.  
Click here for a Practice Final Exam

 

Textbook:  David C. Lay, Linear Algebra and its Applications, 3rd edition .

 


GRADING POLICY

Each hour exam is worth 100 points. The lowest exam score will be dropped. The final exam is worth 200 points. The maximum score you can achieve in the class is 500 points. The final letter grade will be assigned using the following scale:

    95-100%=A, 90-95%=A-, 87-90%=B+, 84-87%=B, 80-84%=B-, 77-80%=C+, 74-77%=C, 70-74%=C-, 67-70%=D+, 60-67%=D, 0-60%=F.

 

WHAT IS LINEAR ALGEBRA?

Linear algebra is a collection of ideas and methods related to linear equations.  It is an important tool in mathematics and statistics and in many areas of science and engineering.  In some areas, linear algebra is more important than calculus and, in others, it is intertwined with calculus. It seems to be a fact of life that widespread application requires abstraction in mathematics (even "number" is an abstraction---"things" exist but numbers don't) and science (compare modern physics with physics in the time of Kepler and Galileo).  Linear algebra is no exception: Its concepts and methods are rather abstract.  This requires you to learn the language involved.  You will probably find that over half the battle with most problems in Math 3242 is understanding what is being asked.  Because of the new concepts, this course appears to move at a faster pace than the calculus courses. To really understand tools, we must use them to work problems.  

A Few of the Many Applications of Linear Algebra

 Subject Area

 Application

 philosophy

 modelling the concept of space (and time)

 physics

 laws for elementary particles

 economics

 input-output analysis (used in planning)

 software

 computer graphics

 engineering

 Fourier series

 pure math.

 approximating curved manifolds

 applied math.

 numerical solution of partial differential equations