Spring 2011 Course Syllabus

Course: Mathematics 2101.002.
Course Title: Linear Algebra.
Time: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, 11:00-11:50.
Place: Barton Hall (BB) 401.
Instructor: Conrad, Bruce P.
Instructor Office: Wachman Hall (CC) 616.
Instructor Email:
Instructor Phone: 215-204-2896.
Course Web Page: The course is on Blackboard
Office Hours: MTWRF 10:00-10:50 or by appointment.
Prerequisites: Math 0086 or equivalent (two semesters of calculus).
Textbook: Introduction to Linear Algebra, fourth edition, by Gilbert Strang. ISBN 0-98-023271-6.
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, vector spaces & linear transformations, quadratic forms.
Course Grading: Your grade will be computed on the basis of the following data: Class participation (5%), Quizzes (10%), Homework (10%), two tests (20% each) and final exam (35%).
Exam Dates: Test 1: Friday, February 18; Test 2: Friday, March 25; Final Examination: Friday, May 6, 10:30-12:30.
Attendance Policy: I require attendance. If you must be absent, please e-mail me to explain.
Quizzes: There will be weekly quizzes on homework problems (except on weeks in which there are tests). The quizzes will be on Fridays unless an announcement to the contrary is made. Your lowest two quiz scores are dropped.
COW: I will make online assignments. The assignments will be arranged in three segments with deadlines being the dates of the two tests and the final exam. (No extensions are offered.) You will receive a separate letter grade for each segment, and these will be averaged to obtain your COW grade. The grades are on the usual scale: C between 73% and 77%, etc. with the following modification: Below 50% is F- and above 97% is A+. When averaging, F- counts as 0, and A+ counts as 100; all other grades are counted in the middle of their ranges (examples: F = 55, C=75).
Makeup exams and quizzes: There are no makeup quizzes. Missed quizzes are graded 0 and are typically among the two quiz scores that are dropped. I will give makeup exams if there is a documented and acceptable reason that the exam was missed.
Incompletes: As noted in the boiler plate below, the "I" grade is meant for situations beyond the student's control that prevent him or her from finishing the course, although significant progress has been made. A student who has not shown commitment to the course by passing tests 1 and 2, participating in class discussion, and handing in all homework due on or before March 28, cannot expect to receive an "I" grade.
Calculator policy: Calculators are not permitted on quizzes or exams.

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, January 18.
• The last day to drop/add (tuition refund available) is Monday, January 31.
• Spring recess is the week of Sunday, March 6.
• The last day to withdraw (no refund) is Monday, March 28.
• The last day of classes is Monday, May 2.

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.