Syllabus

Linear Systems - Mathematics 214 - Spring 2004

Class Meetings: MWF 9:30-10:25, Fowler 401.

Text: Linear Algebra, by David Poole. We will cover most of the sections in Chapters 1-5, and possibly a few from Chapters 6 and 7. Topics: vectors; matrices and systems of linear equations; linear independence, span, basis, dimension, vector space; linear transformations; eigenvectors and eigenvalues; orthogonality.

Homework: HW will be assigned in every class meeting, due the following class meeting. It will be graded, but will not count towards your grade: its purpose is not for me to evaluate you, but to help you learn and evaluate yourself. You are strongly encouraged to work with your classmates and/or get help from me or the CTL on problems you can't do. Doing HW is essential to learning mathematics—there is no way around it. You must take it seriously, and should expect to spend at least two to three hours every other day on it!

Midterms: There will be three exams, on the following dates (subject to change with prior notice): W 2/11, W 3/10, W 4/14.

Final : The final exam will be on Monday, May 3, 2004, 1:00-4:00 PM. Please make sure you do not have any time conflicts with this date and time (or any early travel plans), as I do not give early or late finals!

Make-ups: No make-up exams will be given. If you miss a midterm with a valid excuse (e.g., a medical reason), and provide documentation for it, that midterm will simply not count for you—instead, your other midterms and final exam will count proportionally more. This policy does not apply to the final exam.

Extra Credit Problems: On each exam there may be one or more challenging problems designated as extra credit problems. They do not carry any points; but, in borderline cases, they may help you earn a higher grade.

Grading: I use a "curve" to assign grades, but in a small class such as ours, the curve will necessarily be somewhat subjective: I will determine it according to the overall performance of the class, the material covered, exams, homework, etc. But you are guaranteed a grade of at least A- for 90% or higher, B+ for 87% or higher, B for 83% or higher and so on (every ten points). A score of 95% or higher guarantees you an A. Your total number of points for the semester will be computed according to the table to the right.

Midterms 65% Final 35%

Attendance: You are responsible for everything that goes on in every class meeting, such as announcements, handouts, taught topics that are not in the class notes, etc.  This means even if you miss a class for a valid reason, it is your responsibility to contact me and find out what you missed.

E-mail: When necessary, I will make announcements via the class mailing list, instead of in the classroom. You are expected to check your email at least once a day. You are encouraged to use our class email list, math214-L@oxy.edu, to send messages to everyone in the class.

Academic Honesty: I feel strongly about protecting honest and hard-working students against unfair and dishonest actions sometimes committed by a few. I don't give warnings; I refer all suspicious cases to the Judicial Examiner without hesitation.

Students with learning disability: you are welcome to see me and the CTL to arrange for any special needs.