Welcome to (theoretical) Linear Algebra,
Fall20O5..(4)..MAS4105 5441 ....LINEAR.ALGEBRA.1........MTWF5..MAT.3

Prof. Jonathan King			  squash@math.ufl.edu
Dept. of Mathematics			  <http://math.ufl.edu/~squash/
402 Little Hall  (Top floor, NE corner)	  392-0281 x270 
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The study of Linear Algebra unifies what appears to be different ideas in
disparate branches of mathematics.  Can you see anything "linear" about
spinning a basketball?  What is "linear" about solving certain systems of
differential equations?  How are the real numbers a linear-space w.r.t the
rational numbers?

Linear Algebra also clarifies the notion of "dimension" of a space.
Although we will mostly focus on finite-dimensional spaces, we will touch
upon certain infinite-dim'al spaces, such as the space of all polynomials.

Our textbook is 
	Linear Algebra edition 4/E (fourth edition), 
	by Friedberg, Insel, Spence. [Prentice Hal ISBN: 0-13-008451-4l] 

which is in the UF bookstore, and perhaps some other local bookstores. As
the semester progresses, you will also need to print-out a few pages of
handouts that I have prepared for you,  REQUIREMENT:  You will need to be
able to print out POSTSCRIPT (.ps) files, and PDF files.  Please install
(free) postscript-printing software ASAP.

We will cover all of chapters 1-4, most of 5 and parts of chapter 6, as
well as some additional topics that I have prepared. Along the way, we'll
introduce complex numbers, the general notion of a field, and the notion
of a field being "algebraically closed".  We'll also compute the
approximate running-time for several matrix algorithms.

Teaching Page:	http://math.ufl.edu/~squash/teaching.html
Course Page:	http://math.ufl.edu/~squash/course.linalg.html


There will be three exams, A, B and C.  Exam A will have a take-home part
(A-home) and an in-class part (A-class). For the take-home you will work
in TEAMS of (usually) 3 students. The take-home must be carefully typed
and proofread. You will have about 1 week for the take-home part.  

Each student needs to be in Gainesville during all the week of the exam,
as you are responsible to your teammates.

Take-home exams are open notes/library and you may use calculators
or computers.  

Each student takes the in-class part individually; his score on A is that
of A-home plus A-class.  Exams B and C run similarly, but C (the last
exam) will have no in-class component. C-home will be due around the last
week of class. 

There will be NO final exam. The in-class exams are open-brain, closed
book/notes/calculators.  Dates of exams are to be determined.

    There will also be a small number of "miniscores"; quizzes, graded-hw,
in-class presentations...

HOMEWORK: For Friday, 26Aug2005: Please read sections 1.1 through 1.3.
Please hand in: P.12: 1,3,4.

For Monday, 29Aug:  Read 1.4, 1.5.  Please hand in: P.19: 1,2,3,4.

We will have an "How to use the Mailing List & Archive",
in the Little Hall Atrium (3rd floor, center) from

	5:10-5:40PM on 24Aug2005.
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