W Stephen Wilson email: wsw@math.jhu.edu
Textbook: Linear Algebra, 4th edition, Friedberg, Insel and Spence. ISBN 0-13-008451-4
Monday, Wednesday, 1:30-2:45, Krieger 308 Section, Friday, 1:30, Krieger 308.
Office hours are Monday, 2:45-3:45. However, the way this works is I'll be there for the first 15 minutes, and if no one comes, I'll feel free to leave unless someone has emailed me and told me they are coming but won't be there in the first 15 minutes.
Your TA is Jordan Paschke, and his office hours are 3:15-4:15 Thursdays in Krieger 201.
In addition, you should all know about the math department help room that is open nearly all day and most evenings during the week. It is in Krieger 213. Your TA will be there in the help room on Thursdays from 1pm to 3pm.
Linear algebra videos relevant to the course. These will be updated all during the semester.
The Honors Linear Algebra course is designed for students with the mindset of a math major even if the student is not majoring in math. It is for students who have self selected because they are brighter, harder working, and more motivated. In particular, they are happy to be free to learn. The prerequisites are 113, Calc II, or a 5 on the AP BC exam.
Students are expected to make the transition to proving things in this course if they have not already made that transition. Few will have done this already. It is a great introduction to proving things because everything in the course is simultaneously geometric and algebraic. Great material, and you use linear algebra in nearly every math, science, and engineering course you take.
The transition to proving things is a difficult one, but the course will be fast paced. It is best for students to keep an eye on the regular linear algebra course so they can drop down to it if it looks like the honors course will not go well.
The first few minutes of class on Monday (at exactly 1:30) will be for a short test to determine if you have read and understood the material. This will count as 40% of your grade. The test will usually be two questions made up from homework problems you have already handed in and proofs of theorems you have read in the book. The theorems from the book will be from a list that will be posted before the exam.
After the test, I will give a short lecture explaining what was really important in the material you read. I might also give this lecture the week before you read the material so you'll know what to look for.
On Mondays, the reading will be assigned for the next week, and this material will also have a homework assignment that will be due in Section on Friday of the following week. That's 11 days for homework. No excuses for late homework. Do it early if it is going to be a problem.
The rest of class time will be discussion. In particular, we can work on the homework problems in class. I anticipate this will break up into 3 types of students: (1) some who will leave, (2) some who will sit quietly and work and (3) some who will participate in what is known as education by public humiliation. For this last group, someone will go to the board to prove one of the homework problems. The other participants, with my guidance, will "help" the student. This approach is said to be very effective for helping students through the difficult transition of learning how to prove things. It will be voluntary, but those who don't learn how to prove things will flunk.
Homework will be the other 60% of the grade. We can talk about the homework in class, endlessly if desired. Students can talk about the homework outside of class and in class. They can work on the homework together. In the end, students must write up the homework by themselves in their own words. If you talk to others, you must list them on your homework and say, roughly, how much you talked to other students. If this class format breaks down for any reason, we will revert to regular midterm tests and there will be a different formula for grades.
I will give you your class standing every week. Students in the bottom half of the class will be required to attend class and participate and if they don't, their grade will suffer significantly.
The draft syllabus, subject to, but not likely to, change.
Wed, Sept 4, first class. Reading assignment # 1 (and homework on) Chapter 1, Sections 1-4. (Homework # 1 due Fri, in section, Sept 13.)
Mon, Sept 9: Quiz # 1: You will be given the statement of 2 theorems in the reading and have to prove them. The Theorems are Theorems 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, and 1.4, plus Corollaries 1 and 2.
Reading assignment # 2 (and homework on) Chapter 1, Sections 5-6. (Homework # 2 due Fri, in section, Sept 20.)
Mon, Sept 16: Quiz # 2: There will be two problems. I can ask you to do problems that were on the problem set handed in Sept 13 or ask you to prove any of Theorems 1.6, 1.7 or 1.8, or Corollary to Theorem 1.6 or Corollary to Theorem 1.10.
Reading assignment # 3 (and homework on) Chapter 2, Sections 1-3. (Homework # 3 due Fri, in section, Sept 27.)
Wed, Sept 25: Quiz # 3 There will be two problems. I can ask you to do problems that were on Problem Set # 2, or ask you to prove any of Theorems 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.7 or 2.9.
Reading assignment # 4 (and homework on) Chapter 2, Sections 4-6. (Homework # 4 due Fri, in section, Oct 4.)
Mon, Sept 30: Quiz # 4. There will be two problems. I can ask you to do problems that were on Problem Set # 3, or ask you to prove any of Theorems 2.17, Corollary to 2.20, or Th. 2.23.
Reading assignment # 5 (and homework on) Chapter 3, Sections 1-3. (Homework # 5 due Fri, in section, Oct 11.)
Mon, Oct 7: Quiz # 5: There will be two problems. I can ask you to do problems that were on Problem Set # 4, or ask you to prove any of (parts of) Theorems 3.7, 3.8, or the Corollary after 3.8.
Reading assignment # 6 (and homework on) Chapter 3, Section 4 and Chapter 4, Section 5 (skim 4.1-4). There are videos on this approach to determinants on the video website down at the bottom. You are required to watch them. (Homework # 6 due Fri, in section, Oct 18.)
Tue, Oct 15, (JHU has no classes on Monday this week, but the normal Monday classes will be held on Tuesday.) Quiz # 6: I can ask you to do problems that were on Problem Set # 5 or prove Theorem 3.13.
Reading assignment # 7 (and homework on) Chapter 5, Sections 1-2. (Homework # 7 due Fri, in section, Oct 25.)
Mon, Oct 21: Quiz # 7: I can ask you to do problems that were on Problem sets # 5 or 6. Also, theorems 5.2 and 5.4.
Reading assignment # 8 (and homework on) Chapter 5, Section 4 and Chapter 6, Section 1. (Homework # 8 due Fri, in section, Nov 1.)
Mon, Oct 28: Quiz # 8: I can ask you to do problems that were on Problem set 7, or prove theorems 6.1 or 6.2.
Reading assignment # 9 (and homework on) Chapter 6, Sections 2-3. Watch the videos on least squares. There is a whole sequence of them better than the text. (Homework # 9 due Fri, in section, Nov 8.)
Mon, Nov 4: Quiz # 9: I can ask you to do problems that were on Problem set # 8 or any of Theorems 6.3 (and Corollaries 1 and 2), Theorems 6.10 and 6.11 (and lemmas 1 and 2 on page 362) and Theorem 6.12.
Reading assignment # 10 (and homework on) Chapter 6, Sections 4 and 5. (Homework # 10 due Fri, in section, Nov 15.)
Mon, Nov 11: Quiz # 10: I can ask you to do problems that were on Problem set # 9 or any of Theorems 6.15 or 6.17, plus Lemma (a) on page 373.
Reading assignment # 11 (and homework on) Chapter 6, Sections 6-7. (Homework # 11 due Fri, in section, Nov 22.)
Mon, Nov 18: Quiz # 11: I can ask you to do any problem on Problem Set # 10.
I'm taking Jordan's class on Friday, Nov 22. I'm putting off the "lecture" on 6.8 until the Monday of Thanksgiving week, i.e. Nov 25. We'll do the true-false for it on Monday Dec 2.
Reading assignment # 12 (and homework on) Chapter 6, Section 8. (Homework # 12 due Fri, in section, Dec 6.)
Mon, Nov 25, class but no quiz. No class the Wed of this week because of Thanksgiving.
Mon, Dec 2: Quiz # 12: I can ask you to do any problems on Problem Set # 11 and also Theorem 6.31 and Corollary 1 on page 425.
No reading or homework assigned. Last week of class. Final homework due that Friday. Some material not covered will be discussed.