Fall 2008 Course Syllabus
Course: 2101.001.
Course Title: Linear Algebra.
Time: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays: 12:40-13:30.
Place: Barton Hall (BB) 405.
Instructor: Conrad, Bruce P.
Instructor Office: Wachman Hall (CC) 616.
Instructor Email: bruce.conrad@temple.edu
Instructor Phone: 215-204-2896.
Office Hours: Mondays, Fridays 10:10-11:00; Wednesdays 16:00-16:50. If you can't make it to these office hours, you are welcome to make an appointment at a more convenient time.
Prerequisites: Two semesters of calculus.
Textbook: \emph{Linear Algebra}, by Jim Hefferon. This text is available as a PDF file for download at\\ \begin{verbatim} http://joshua.smcvt.edu/linearalgebra/ \end{verbatim} It can also be downloaded from the course Blackboard site (in ``Course Documents'').
Course Goals: Linear algebra is applicable mathematics, and a knowledge of it will pay off, especially in courses such as differential equations. It is also a good introduction to upper level mathematics, because there are proofs. The goal is to have you learn enough linear algebra so that it will do you some good, and to get you to think a little bit like a mathematician.
Topics Covered: Vectors, matrices, linear equations, determinants, eigenvalues \& eigenvectors, inner products, orthogonal matrices, vector spaces \& linear transfromations.
Course Grading: Your grade will be computed on the basis of the following data: Quizzes/attendance, (10\%), COW, (10\%), two tests (20\% each), and final exam (40\%). The average, as a pecentage, is converted to a letter grade according to the following table:\\ \begin{tabular}{ or c or c or c or c or c or c or c or c or c or } \hline 60+ &70+&73+&77+&80+&83+&87+&90+&93+\\ D &C- &C &C+ &B- & B &B+ &A- &A\\ \hline \end{tabular}.
Exam Dates: Exam 1: September 26; Exam 2: November 7. Final Examination: Wednesday, December 17, 11:30-13:30.
Attendance Policy: I require attendance (your quiz score will suffer if you cut classes). If you must be absent, please e-mail me to explain; this will avoid a penalty (see under the heading {\bf Quizzes} for details).
Any student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately to discuss the specific situation as soon as possible. Contact Disability Resources and Services at (215) 204-1280, 100 Ritter Annex, to coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities.
Freedom to teach and freedom to learn are inseparable facets of academic freedom. The University has adopted a policy on Student and Faculty Academic Rights and Responsibilities (Policy # 03.70.02) which can be accessed here.
Students will be charged for a course unless a withdrawal form is processed by a registration office of the University by the Drop/Add deadline date given below. For this semester, the crucial dates are as follows:
- The first day of classes is Tuesday, September 2.
- The last day to drop/add (tuition refund available) is Monday, September 15.
- Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 27.
- The last day to withdraw (no refund) is Monday, November 3.
- The last day of classes is Wednesday, December 10.
During the first two weeks of the fall or spring semester or summer sessions, students may withdraw from a course with no record of the class appearing on the transcript. In weeks three through nine of the fall or spring semester, or during weeks three and four of summer sessions, the student may withdraw with the advisor's permission. The course will be recorded on the transcript with the instructor's notation of "W," indicating that the student withdrew. After week nine of the fall or spring semester, or week four of summer sessions, students may not withdraw from courses. No student may withdraw from more than five courses during the duration of his/her studies to earn a bachelor's degree. A student may not withdraw from the same course more than once. Students who miss the final exam and do not make alternative arrangements before the grades are turned in will be graded F.
The grade I (an "incomplete") is reserved for extreme circumstances. It is necessary to have completed almost all of the course with a passing average and to file an incomplete contract specifying what is left for you to do. To be eligible for an I grade you need a good reason and you should have missed not more than 25% of the first nine weeks of classes. If approved by the Mathematics Department chair and the CST Dean's office, the incomplete contract must include a default grade that will be used in case the I grade is not resolved within 12 months.