Math 342	Elementary Linear Algebra	Spring 2009
CRN 33430	***Preliminary Version***	Prof. M. 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, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, 10:00–10:50 a.m. in Deady 306

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 year sequence of calculus at the university level as well as Math 341. In Math 341-342 we study the following topics: systems of linear equations; vector and matrix algebra; vector spaces; linear combinations; linear independence, bases, and dimension; linear functions (a.k.a. linear transformations); rank and nullity; determinants; inner product spaces; eigenvalues, and eigenvectors. 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 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 346-5633. My office hours tentatively are:

Mon.

2:00 –3:30

Tues.

11:00 – 11:40

Weds.

9:30 – 10:00

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

Exams/Homework: I will assign homework problems each week; check Blackboard for updates. All assignments are due at 10 am at the beginning of class on the date due. Since we might discuss the assignments at that time, your paper must be turned in at 10 am to receive credit. Late homework will not be accepted. If you think you have a legitimate reason to argue for an exception to this rule, make sure that you communicate it prior to the due date. I will drop the lowest homework score. It is essential that you do the homework; you can work with others but you must write up the solutions yourself. There will be an in-class midterm and a final exam. In addition, there will be a weekly quiz during the last 10 minutes of the Tuesday class, except during the first (and possibly last) week and during the week of the midterm. The final exam is on Wednesday, June 10^th, at 10:15 a.m. 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%

Quizzes: 25%

Midterm: 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:

April 6	Last day to drop without a grade of “W”
April 8	Last day to add, change from credit to audit or audit to credit
May 6 (W)	Midterm
May 17	Last day to: drop with a grade of “W” recorded, change grade options or variable credits
May 25 (M)	Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday-no classes
June 10 (W)	Final Exam 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 academicdishonesty.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 both my and university guidelines.