Math 342 Tentative Syllabus - Spring 2013



Instructor: Professor Marie A. Vitulli

Office: 3 Deady

E-Mail: vitulli@uoregon.edu

Lectures: MTWF 10:00 - 10:50 a.m. in 301 Deady

Phone: (541)-346-5530

Office Hours: M 11:00 - 11:50, Tu 1:00-2:30, W 11:00 - 11:50

Textbook: Linear Algebra and Its Applications, 4th Edition, by David C. Lay (or the Custom Edition for the University of Oregon or the Custom Edition for SUNY Buffalo). I urge you to familiarize yourself with the website for the text. Beware that if you buy 3rd edition of the text, the exercises won't match up with the exercises found in the 4th edition, which is identical to the custom edition, except the custom edition is paperback rather than hardcover. You will be responsible for getting the correct version of all assigned problems.

Prerequisites/Course Content: The prerequisite for this course is Math 341 or the instructor's consent. Unless you have spoken with me privately, I will assume you have had a two-term sequence of calculus at the university level as well as Math 341 (Chapters 1 – 3 and Sections 4.1 – 4.2 in Lay). In Math 342 we study the following topics: coordinate systems, the dimension of an abstract vector space, change of basis and coordinates, eigenvalues and eigenvectors, orthogonality,least squares, and quadratic forms. We will also cover many applications of these topics.

Expectations: I expect that you will attend lectures and actively participate. I expect that you will read the text 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.

Exams/Homework: I will assign homework problems each week; check the course website on Blackboard for updates. Late homework WILL NOT be accepted; I will drop the lowest homework score. It is essential that you do the homework; you may work with others but you must write up the solutions yourself. There will be 2 in-class exams (tentative dates below) and a final exam. Make-ups for the exams will be given only if you have my PRIOR CONSENT at least 48 hours in advance 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. You should check the Blackboard web site for solutions to the homework and exams, exam reviews,and other updated course information.

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 exams, but you will have to show all intermediate steps for credit. See manuals/guide books on websites below.


Important Dates


April 8th [M]
Last day to: drop a class without a mark of ‘W’ recorded
Aprll 10th [W]
Last day to: add a class; change from audit to credit or credit to audit
April 24th [W]
Math 341 Exam 1 at 10:00 a.m.
May 15th [W]
Math 342 Exam 2 at 10:00 a.m.
May 19th [Su]
Last day to: drop a class with a mark of ‘W’ recorded; change grade options; change variable credits
May 27th
Memorial Day holiday; No classes
June 11th [U]
Math 342 Final Exam at 10:15 a.m.

Classroom Behavior:
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. 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 both my and university guidelines.

Tentative Schedule (Watch for updates)


Week
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Friday
1.
April 1 - 5
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
2.
April 8 - 12
4.5
4.6
4.7
HW #1 due
4.8
3.
April 15 - 19
4.9
5.1
HW #2 due
5.2
4.
April 22 - 26
5.3
Review
HW #3 due
Exam 1
5.4
5.
Apr 29 - May 3
5.5
5.6
HW #4 due
5.7
6.
May 6 - 10
6.1
6.2
HW #5 due
6.3
7.
May 13 - 17
6.4
Review
HW #6 due
Exam 2
6.5
8.
May 20 - 24
6.6
6.7
HW #7 due
6.8
9.
May 27 - 31
No class
7.1
7.2
HW #8 due
7.3
10.
June 3 - 7
7.4
TBA
HW #9 due
Review
11.
June 10 - 14

Math 341 Final
10:15 a.m.