Math 341	Elementary Linear Algebra	Fall 2009
CRN 13714	***Preliminary Version***	Prof. M. Vitulli

Office: 310 Fenton Hall	Phone: 541-346-5633
E-mail: vitulli@uoregon.edu	Web: http://www.uoregon.edu/~vitulli

Text: Linear Algebra and Its Applications, Third Edition, by David C. Lay. I urge you to familiarize yourself with the website for the text:

http://www.laylinalgebra.com/free_site/index.html.

Beware that if you buy the Updated 2^nd Edition of the text, the exercises won't match up with the exercises found in the 3^rd edition.

Lectures: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 10:00–10:50 a.m. in Deady 106

Prerequisites/Course Content: The prerequisite for this course is Math 253 or the instructor's consent. Unless you have spoken with me privately, I will assume you have had a year sequence of calculus at the university level. In Math 341-342 we study the following topics: systems of linear equations; vector and matrix algebra; vector spaces; linear combinations; linear independence and dimension; linear functions (a.k.a. linear transformations); rank and nullity; and determinants. We will also cover many applications of these topics.

Expectations: I expect that you will attend lectures and actively participate. You must read the text book with a pencil and paper nearby and figure out the answers to the questions posed in the text as well as convince yourself of the veracity of the author's assertions. You must learn the definitions so well that you can repeat them virtually verbatim. Mathematics courses are like language courses: you must prepare between class meetings to avoid falling behind. I expect you to work on the homework problems as we cover the material in class.

Office Hours/Contact Info: My office is 310 Fenton Hall and my campus phone number is 541–346–5633. My office hours tentatively are:

Mon.

2:00 –3:00

Tues.

2:00 – 3:00

Weds.

2:00 – 3:00

You can reach me by e-mail at vitulli@math.uoregon.edu. You should check the web site for this http://blackboard.uoregon.edu/ information on exams, office hours, etcetera.

Exams/Homework: I will assign homework problems each week; check the course website on Blackboard for updates. It is essential that you do the homework. You can work with others but you must write up the solutions yourself. I will drop the lowest homework score. Late homework will not be accepted. There will be 2 in-class exams and a final exam; see Important Dates below for the tentative schedule. Make-ups for the exams will be given only if you have my PRIOR CONSENT and the circumstances are extraordinary. On the exams many of the problems will be based on the homework problems. When writing explanations, make sure you write complete sentences that follow the usual rules of grammar.

Course Grade: I will tentatively determine your course grade by the following weights:

Homework

20%

Exam 1

25%

Exam 2

25%

Final

30%

Technology: I expect you to be able to carry out matrix calculations by hand so as to gain a solid understanding of what these calculations entail. You may use technology (graphing calculators, Mathematica, etc.) on your homework problems unless you are explicitly told not to. You will be allowed to use graphing calculators on your quizzes and exams, but you will have to show all intermediate steps for credit. Texas Instruments and Hewlett Packard have copies of their manuals on the Web at the addresses below.

TI Website for Graphing Calculators http://education.ti.com/educationportal

HP Website for Graphing Calculators http://h20180.www2.hp.com/apps/

Important Dates

October 5 (M)	Last day to drop without a grade of “W”
October 7 (W)	Last day to: add, change from credit to audit or audit to credit
October 23 (F)	Exam 1
November 15 (Su)	Last day to: drop with a grade of “W” recorded, change grade options or variable credits
November 20 (F)	Exam 2
November 26 – 27	Thanksgiving Holiday, no classes
December 8 (U)	Math 341 Final at 10:15 a.m.

Classroom Behavior:

• Class starts promptly at 10:00 a.m. You should be in your seat and ready to begin class at this time. Class ends at 10:50 a.m. Packing up your things early is disruptive to your fellow students and to me.
• If you enter the classroom late or need to leave early please sit near a door. Walking across the room during the lecture is disrespectful of your fellow students and me.
• Attendance and classroom participation is a necessary part of this course. To participate you must attend class having prepared the materials for the day.

• Please raise your hand to be recognized.
• Please turn your cell phones off during class. If the phone rings it will be embarrassing for you and disturbing for everyone else in the class.
• Remove your ear buds and close down your computers. I won’t tolerate web surfing or email activities during lecture.
• Classroom discussion should be civilized and respectful to everyone and relevant to the topic we are discussing. If you miss a lecture please ask someone else in the class for lecture notes; we can’t use class time to revisit a topic that was covered in your absence.

Academic Dishonesty: The university has detailed guidelines covering various forms of academic dishonesty including plagiarism, fabrication, cheating, and academic misconduct. This information can be online at academic-dishonesty.html. You may work with fellow students on your homework assignments but I expect that what you turn in or complete online is your own work in your own words. I expect that you won’t consult anyone else’s paper on exams. I will hold you responsible for academic dishonesty if you don’t follow my and university guidelines.