Course homepage: http://www.math.ksu.edu/~cochrane/m551/m551f03.html
Classroom: Lecture MWF 1:30 Ackert 144, Lab F 1:30 CW 041
Instructor: Todd Cochrane
Office: Cardwell 209 Office Hours: MWF 2:30
Phone: 532-0565
email: cochrane@math.ksu.edu
Text: Linear Algebra, Ideas and Applications, by Richard C. Penney, John Wiley & Sons, 1998. This is available at the campus bookstore.
Purpose of the course: This course will serve as an introduction
to some of the basic concepts and techniques of matrix theory. These
ideas are used throughout mathematics, the sciences, and engineering.
Meeting times: This is a little complicated. We will meet
on Mondays and Wednesdays and all but five Fridays at 1:30 p.m. in Ackert
144. This is a regular class which will usually be a lecture, but the class
period may also be used for exams, exam review, or homework discussion.
On the remaining Fridays we will meet in the computer lab, Cardwell 041.
Here you will be working on labs. Some of these are designed to elucidate
what we've covered in class, and others are designed to give an introduction
to an interesting application of the theory. The five Fridays we will meet
in lab are listed on the course schedule which follows.
Schedule: By the end of the semester we will cover most
of the material in this book. I will not deviate much from the order in
which the topics are presented in the text. The schedule which follows
lists the topics to be covered in each lecture as well as the homework
due dates, lab due dates and exam dates.
Assignments: There will be two types of assignments: homework
assignments and lab assignments.
Homework assignments are given nearly every week and consist of problems chosen from the book. These are to be handed in to the Math 551 homework box by 5 p.m. on the Friday due date. A portion of the problems on each homework will be graded and the assignment returned to you.
There are five lab assignments during the semester. The dates you will be working on these are listed on the schedule which follows. Also listed are the problems assigned for each lab assignment.
In addition to the assigned problems, your lab assignment should contain at least one or two paragraphs (at least half a page) which explain what you were trying to find, how you went about it, and what you found. In other words, you are to write a short lab report. Because good communication skills are essential for scientists and engineers, this will be graded carefully for clarity, as well as grammar, spelling and punctuation.
As you are sitting in the lab, you will be working with the computer and will be asked a series of questions. As you are going through these questions you should be taking notes or writing down the answers. Thus, you will essentially finish the lab problems during lab. However, sometimes you won't be able to finish the questions during the lab period so you'll need to finish the lab on your own time. And often the notes you take during the lab won't be legible or in polished form. You must take the time to write up the lab neatly and take care to respond, in complete sentences, to questions that require a verbal answer. Lab assignments should be handed in to the Math 551 lab homework box (different from the homework box) by 5 p.m. on the Friday due dates. Again, a portion of the problems will be graded and your lab assignment returned to you.
All labs will be done using the software MATLAB, mathematical software that works especially well for matrix computations. This is available not only in our computer lab, but on the university's Unix system.
All homework and lab assignments must be clearly labeled with the proper assignment number. Assignments are to be done on standard letter size paper which is not torn from a spiral notebook. Multiple sheets should be stapled together. Your writing should be neat and legible. Answers which cannot be read or are confusing will be counted as incorrect.
Examinations: There will be two midterm examinations and
a final exam. These are scheduled as follows:
Exam 1: Friday, September 26
Exam 2: Friday, November 7
The final exam will be held on Wednesday, December 17, from 11:50 a.m. until 1:40 p.m. This is the scheduled time for this course.
Your grade: Your grade will be computed by compiling a score
which will be sum of your scores on the individual components of the class.
Each of these components will receive points; the points are added and
your final grade is determined from your point total. Each component has
the following maximum possible points:
| Midterm exams, 100 pts. each | Total possible | 200 | |
| Final exam | Total possible | 150 | |
| Homework assignments, 8 pts. each | Total possible | 96 | |
| Lab assignments, 10 pts. each | Total possible | 50 | |
| Total for course | 496 | ||
I will grade on a relative basis (i.e., ``grade on the curve"); however, I do not feel obligated to give a certain percentage of the class each possible grade. If I feel that the class as a whole did better than average, then the grades may be higher than grading on the curve would dictate; conversely, if the class does worse than average, the grades could be lower.
Course bulletin board: There is a bulletin board for the
course in the hall of the first floor of Cardwell. Exam solutions will
be posted there. Exam solutions will also be posted on our home page.
Required Statements:
Affirmative Action: If you have any condition, such as a physical or learning disability, which will make it difficult for you to carry out the work as I have outlined it or which will require academic accommodations, please notify me in the first two weeks of classes.
Academic Dishonesty: Plagiarism and cheating are serious offenses and may be punished by failure on the exam, paper or project; failure in the course; and/or expulsion from the University and a letter placed in your permanent file. For more information refer to the academic dishonesty policy in the University handbook.