Math 405, Linear Algebra

Spring 2012

MWF Noon – 12:50pm, MTH 0411

Instructor: Dr. Niranjan Ramachandran, MTH 4115, 5-5080, atma @ em eh tee h dot u m d dot edu

Prerequisites: MATH 240 or MATH 461.

Text: Yitzhak Katznelson and Yonatan R. Katznelson. A (Terse) Introduction to Linear Algebra,

Student Mathematical Library 44, Paperback edition, 215 pages American Mathematical Society (December 19, 2007)

ISBN-10: 0821844199 ISBN-13: 978-0821844199 (a draft of the book is available here)

Course page: www2.math.umd.edu/~atma/405.html

(This document is a slight modification of one due to Professor S. Antman available here.)

Syllabus. The syllabus is given on the web page: http://www.math.umd.edu/undergraduate/courses/syllabi/syllabusMATH405.html

You are only responsible for the material covered in lecture and for the corresponding material in the text book.

Grades. Grades will be based on two 50-minute midterm tests (approximately 40%), several short (unannounced) quizzes and homework assignments (approximately 20–25%), and the two-hour final exam (approximately 35–40%). (The actual weighting is not determined until after the final examination is graded. It is based on the amount of homework assigned, on the number of quizzes, on the efficacy and difficulty of tests, etc.) Grades of A–, B–, C–, D– are guaranteed with averages exceeding 90%, 80%, 70%, 60%, respectively. Grades are not curved: Your grade is based on your demonstrated mastery of the material, and is not influenced by the abilities or lack thereof of your fellow students. The course and the grading system are designed under the expectation that you put in nine hours per week of out-of-class preparation.

Tests and Quizzes. There will be two 50-minute midterm exams, tentatively on 2/24 and 3/30. There will be several unannounced short quizzes with a duration of 15–20 minutes. These quizzes will test material covered up to one week before the quiz. The lowest quiz grade will be dropped. The test and quiz papers must be clear and legible. Illegible material will not be given a positive grade. Explanations supporting the mathematical arguments must be given in coherent English sentences. The grader will not guess your thought processes.

Minor algebraic and numerical errors on a test or quiz, such as missing a sign, that are not symptomatic of a conceptual misunderstanding will be penalized minimally. Egregious errors, such as + = or ln(a + b) = ln a + ln b, will be penalized severely.

Since the course emphasizes concepts, technique, and analytical skill, there is no need for calculators on any test or quiz. Accordingly they are prohibited.

There are no make-up quizzes and no make-up mid-terms (unless there are truly exceptional circumstances); If you are absent from a quiz, you will get a zero, which will be one of the grades to be dropped. If you are absent from a mid-term exam for whatever reason, your final grade will be computed with an alternative weighting.

If you feel that you are entitled to more points on a test or a quiz or a homework set, resubmit the paper with a covering note explaining precisely why you feel your grade should be changed. (Since each questioned problem will be very carefully reexamined, it is possible that you could actually end up losing points in the reevaluation.)

Office Hours: TBA or by appointment. Since I am occasionally called away for pressing and unexpected business, it is a good idea to check with me as to whether I will be in my office at the indicated hours, especially if it would inconvenience you to come at that time. Unless I am notified to the contrary, I presume that if no students arrive within the first 15 minutes of office hours, then I am free to leave my office. Students coming to office hours should have specific and well-defined questions: Office hours are not designed for extensive private tutoring.

E-mail: I can always be contacted by e-mail, but I cannot always be contacted instantaneously by e-mail, and even if I am, I cannot always respond within 24 hours.

Academic Integrity: The student-administered Honor Code and Honor Pledge prohibits students from cheating on exams, plagiarizing papers, submitting the same paper for credit in two courses without authorization, buying papers, submitting fraudulent documents and forging signatures. On every examination, paper or other academic exercise not specifically exempted by the instructor, students must write by hand and sign the following pledge:

I pledge on my honor that I have not given or received any unauthorized assistance on this examination (or assignment).

(Discussing homework problems with other students is ok, even encouraged, but please do write up your solutions by yourself. In exams and quizzes, of course, you are assumed to be working by yourself.)

Students With Disabilities. If you have a documented disability and need academic accommodations, please contact me as soon as possible.

Religious Observances. If you will be absent from class because of religious observances, please submit a list of the dates of your absences within a couple of days.

Miscellaneous. Matters such as class cancellations, room changes, etc. will be communicated to the students by email (and will be reflected on the class webpage). Please notice that class lectures and other materials are copyrighted and that they may not be reproduced for anything other than personal use without written permission of the instructor.

You may find useful the links “How to study” and “Guidelines on proofs” from here

Final Exam: Thursday, 17 May, 8:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m.

Homework. Homework must be submitted at the beginning of the class on the date the assignment is due. You may consult a fellow student about homework problems, but you must write up the solutions yourself. You may consult any written reference, which may even provide solutions to your problems. If you use such a solution, you must convert it into the notation used in this course. You should cite any references used. The requirements of legibility and clarity for tests apply even more strongly to homework sets, because you have time to polish them. (It is good practice to work out solutions on scratch paper, and then to write them up neatly.) You are encouraged to prepare your homework sets by using a word processor. Illegible material will be given a grade of 0. Typically, only a random sampling of each homework set of problems will be graded.