Some of the policies relating to this course (such as the drop deadline) are governed by its administrative home, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, 120 Schaeffer Hall.
Instructor: Laurent O. Jay
Office: 225L MLH
Office hours: On Zoom: Tuesday 9:30AM-noon. I may also be available at other times. Just send me an e-mail to make an appointment.
Phone: (319) 335-0898
E-mail: laurent-jay@uiowa.edu
Mailbox: in Mailroom 15 MLH
DEO contact information: Professor Weimin Han, 14 MLH, E-mail: weimin-han@uiowa.edu. The Department of Mathematics has offices in 14 MLH. To make an appointment to speak with the DEO, call 335-0714 or contact the Departmental Secretary in 14 MLH.
Course information: Assignments and other information about the course will be given on ICON. Students are responsible for checking regularly ICON. Recommended readings will also be posted on the course web page at http://www.math.uiowa.edu/~ljay/m4040_22.html.
Prerequisite:
Description of course: This is a rigorous course on linear algebra. We will cover as many topics as possible, but some may be skipped due to time limits.
Objectives and goals of the course: The goal is to understand the many concepts of linear algebra in deeper and more conceptual ways.
Textbook: Linear Algebra by Kenneth Hoffman and Ray Kunze, Pearson India; 2nd edition (September 24, 2015), 407 pages, Paperback, ISBN-10: 9332550077, ISBN-13: 978-9332550070, list price: 429 rupees. Library reference: MATH QA251. H67 1971. The book on amazon.com. This is a classical textbook on linear algebra that was first published in 1961 and that has served many generations of mathematicians.
Class procedures: The majority of each class period will be lecture oriented. It is strongly advised to read the material from the textbook to be discussed before coming to class. Therefore, if there is a difficult point, you will know beforehand where it arises, so that you can benefit from the lecture more effectively. If a point remains unclear you can ask questions in class. Readings may be assigned. Standard out-of-class preparation is at least six hours per week.
Homework: Will be assigned approximately weekly. Presentation of your results is very important. Scratch paper will not be accepted. Do not expect good grades if your solution to a problem is poorly communicated. Like for everything, if you cannot explain something in great details, you certainly have not fully understood it. The importance of doing homework cannot be overemphasized, most of human people learn by doing, not only by watching and/or listening. Late homework may not be accepted, you need to request permission first or to provide a reasonable justification. Late homework is not accepted once a correction is given.
Grading procedures: The final grade will be based on one mid-term examination, the final examination, and homework, as follows:
The examinations are open books and open notes examinations. In assigning grades, plus/minus grading will be used.
A Word about the Date and Time of the Final Exam: The final examination will be held on Thursday May 12, 2022, 10:00 AM-12:00 PM in room 210 MLH. Do not plan your end of the semester travel plans until the final exam schedule is made public. It is your responsibility to know the date, time, and place of the final exam. According to Registrar's final exam policy, students have a maximum of two weeks after the announced final exam schedule to request a change if an exam conflict exists or if a student has more than two exams in one day (see the complete policy here). The final examination will be done with open books and open notes. Smartphones/computers are not allowed.
Course policies: Your responsibilities to this class and to your education as a whole-include attendance and participation, check in particular the CLAS policies related to student attendance and absences. You are also expected to be honest and honorable in your fulfillment of assignments and in test-taking situations (the College's policy on plagiarism and cheating is on-line in the College's Student Academic Handbook). You have a responsibility to the rest of the class-and to the instructor-to help create a classroom environment where all may learn. At the most basic level, this means that you will respect the other members of the class and the instructor, and treat them with the courtesy you hope to receive in turn. Smart phones, cell phones, and pagers must be on silent mode during lecture and they are not allowed in class during exams. If you do bring a phone or pager to an exam, you may leave it in the front of the class during the exam. If a student is found to have a phone or pager during an exam, the phone or pager will be taken from the student and procedures for cheating will be followed.
Student Collaboration on homework: The homework for this course is designed to help you master your knowledge related to the topics covered during lecture. As such, you may discuss on the homework problems with others or use online resources. However, please be aware that to master the skills needed for this class, practice is required and that to do well on the final exam you will need to work many of these problems multiple times without help. Be sure to test your knowledge by doing much of the homework on your own. Students are allowed to partially collaborate with others on homework through discussion for the most difficult problems. However, each student must turn in their own homework and it must not be a copy of someone else homework. Students are responsible for understanding this policy; if you have questions, ask for clarification. Word per word copies will not be tolerated. In extreme cases students may be requested to stop any kind of collaboration with other students.
Grader: Ryan Bianconi, office: 325C MLH, mailbox is in 15 MLH (MacLean Hall), e-mail: ryan-bianconi@uiowa.edu.