Math 20F: Linear Algebra, Winter 2011

Instructor: Hans Wenzl, APM 5256, tel 534-2734, email: hwenzl@ucsd.edu

Office hours: MW 11-12 and by appointment (just talk to me after class, or email/call me)

Teaching assistants:

Sections B04, B05, B06: Nicholas Nguyen: office: APM 6446, office hours: WF 12:40-1:40, email: ndn004@math.ucsd.edu tel: 534 9072

Sections B07, B08: Jorge Gonzalez: office: APM 6414, office hours: Th 1-3, email: jlg005@math.ucsd.edu tel: 534 4368

Sections B01, B02, B03: Brandon Meredith: office: APM 6343, office hours: W 4-6, email: mmeredit@math.ucsd.edu tel: 534 9064

Computation of grade: We will calculate the final grade according to the following two methods and pick the higher score. In both cases, the matlab score will be calculated from your four best assignments (4%) and the matlab quiz (6%):

Method1: Final 40%, 2 midterms 20% each, matlab 10%, homework 10% (we will drop your worst homework score).

Method2: Final 60%, best of 2 midterms: 20%, matlab 10%, homework 10% (we will drop your worst homework score).

Dates of exams/deadlines:

Final: June 10, 3:00-5:59pm

Midterms: Friday, April 22 and Wednesday, May 18

Homework: For assignments and deadlines, see homework

Matlab: See matlab problems

Course material: We will use the book `Linear Algebra with Applications', 3rd edition, by David C. Lay. For a tentative syllabus for the course click below.

course outline

This course will also include MATLAB problems. You can find the MATLAB assignments at

matlab problems

Midterm I: The first midterm will take place

in class for students in Sections B04-B08, i.e. for students whose TAs are Nicholas Nguyen or Jorge Gonzalez,

in Lecture hall Center 105 for students in Sections B01-B03, i.e. for students whose TA is M. Brandon Meredith.

Please make sure that you end up in the right lecture hall! The material for the midterm will go until Section 2.3 (only sections from which homework problems were assigned). The problems will be similar to problems in the homework. Below is a practice exam

practice exam

solution sketches

Other problems could be questions related to invertibility of a matrix, or to using linearity of matrix multiplication. You are allowed to use one hand-written cheat sheet (material can be written on both sides), but no calculator, books or other notes. I will say a little more about the exam in class, and I may add a few more things at this page closer to the exam.

Midterm II: The second midterm will take place

in class for students in Sections B01-B03 and Sections B07,B08, i.e. for students whose TAs are Brandon Meredith or Jorge Gonzalez,

in Lecture hall CSB 002 for students in Sections B04-B06, i.e. for students whose TA is Nicholas Nguyen.

Please make sure that you end up in the right lecture hall! The material for the midterm will be Chapters 3, 4 (only sections from which homework problems were assigned) and Chapter 5.1. The problems will be similar to problems in the homework. As we now have more advanced material, the problems may be a little harder than for the first midterm. Below is a practice exam. I may put up solutions later. The fact that I put up such a practice exam does not mean that all the problems in the midterm will be of the same type. Other types of problems: Calculate eigenspaces (Chapter 5.1), problems involving rank, nullspaces etc, or determinants.

practice exam; you may ignore Problem 3a

practice exam: solutions

Final: See the homework page for info.