Fall 2008 Course Syllabus
Course: 8014.001.
Course Title: Numerical Linear Algebra.
Time: Monday, Wednesday (and Friday), 1:10-2:30.
Place: Wachman 527.
Instructor: Szyld, Daniel B.
Instructor Office: Wachman 506.
Instructor Email: daniel.szyld@temple.edu
Instructor Phone: 215 204 7288 (no voice mail).
Office Hours: by arrangement.
Prerequisites: Undergraduate Linear Algebra. Basic concepts of numerical analysis.Knowledge of some programming, such as Matlab would be helpful.
Textbook: Iterative Methods for Sparse Linear Systems, by Yousef Saad, Second Edition, SIAM Press, Philadelphia, 2000, ISBN 0-89871-534-2 (pbk.). Available at a large discount to Temple students from the publisher at SIAM, 3600 Market St., Philadelphia. (9:00-4:45 M-F).
Course Goals: Theory and implementation issues of iterative methods for the solution of large linear systems, especially those arising from the discretization of differentialequations.
Topics Covered: Krylov subspace methods. Variational formulaitons for symmetric andnonsymmetric problems. Convergence estimates. Relations to orthogonalpolynomials. Preconditioning techniques. Incomplete factorizations. Multigrid. Domain Decomposition.
Course Grading: Seventy percent: homeworks, midterm, exams, quizzes, projects. Thirty percent: final exam or final project.
Exam Dates: first midterm: week of Oct 21.
Attendance Policy: Students are expected to attend every class. If the student cannot attend a class for some justifiable reason, he or she is asked to contact the instructor before class if at all possible.
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.