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MATH 2318:

 Linear Algebra

Spring 2024

Class syllabus can be found here. Please note that the instructor may need to make modifications to the course syllabus and may do so at any time. Notice of such changes will be announced as quickly as possible through UH email.

Class Place/Time  

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Technology requirements

You should have a scanner or certain smartphone apps that allow you to scan your handwritten homework into a pdf file. Alternatively, certain tablets and tablet apps allow you submit your written work directly from the tablet.

Recording of Class

Students may not record all or part of class, live stream all or part of class, or make/distribute screen captures without advanced written consent of the instructor. If you have or think you may have a disability such that you need to record class-related activities, please contact the Justin Dart Jr. Student Accessibility Center. If you have an accommodation to record class-related activities, those recordings may not be shared with any other students, whether in this course of not, or with any other person or on any other platform. Classes may be recorded by the instructor. Students may use instructor's recordings for their own studying or notetaking. Instructor's recordings are not authorized to be shared with anyone without the prior written approval of the instructor. Failure to comply with requirements regarding recordings will result in a disciplinary referral to the Dean of Students Office and may result in disciplinary action.

Contact

Email: anna@math.uh.edu

Please include "MATH 2318" in the subject, so that your email won't be regarded as spam. For security reasons I will reply only to emails sent from official UH emails (i.e. ending in "uh.edu").

When writing an email, make sure it adheres to the protocol of formality, which is standard in academia. Read more about it here, for example.

Normally, I answer urgent emails within one-two business days. Generally, I do not repeat information that can be found on this website or was communicated in class. If I do not respond to your email within two working days, please resend the email. If you again do not hear from me within one more working day, it is likely that your email is not coming through and you should speak with me before or after class. It is your responsibility to ensure that I am aware of issues you may have with the course; failure to effectively initiate timely communication is not a valid basis for a grade grievance and cannot be used as such.

I will not respond to Teams chat messages or video calls.

Bring comments or complaints to my attention as soon as possible. Don't wait until the end of the semester to bring up a matter which we could deal with and solve early on.

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UH Email

Please check and use your Cougarnet email for. communications related to this course. Faculty use the Cougarnet email to respond to course-related inquiries such as grade queries or progress reports for reasons of FERPA. To access your Cougarnet email, login to your Microsoft 365 account with your Cougarnet credentials. Visit University Information Technology (UIT) for instructions on how to connect your Cougarnet email on a mobile device.

UH policy states that all required written notices shall be addressed to the student via their UH email. Notices properly addressed and so sent shall be presumed to have been received by the student. Thus, you are responsible for the content in emails sent to your UH account, regardless if your external (non-UH) email provider filters or blocks. Emails lost to external providers shall not be used as a justification to claim faculty are unresponsive, to appeal grades, etc.

Office Hours

Tutoring hours are: Wednesday 12-1pm in CASA, and Friday 8-9am in TBA. Our TA is Josh Flynn.

My office hours will be done in person in my office PGH 634 on Wednesday 10:00-11:00am. You don't need to make an appointment beforehand.

Textbook

We will be following the following book, which is required for this course: Linear Algebra and Its Applications (6th Edition), David Lay, Steven Lay, Judi McDonald

• MATH 2414

Course Overview    

During the course we aim to cover the following topics (see calendar for precise topics):
- Systems of Linear Equation
- Matrix Algebra
- Linear Transformations
- Determinants
- Diagonalization
- Eigenvalues
- Vectors, vector spaces
- Change of basis

Grading 

Your final grade will break down as follows:

• Attendance: 5%
  
• Homework: 15%
  
• Exam 1-4:  20% each

Homework will be assigned on Canvas. Please double check the deadline on Canvas and submit your work before it.

Four exams will be held during regular class times on dates indicated in class calendar below. The calendar lists chapters that will be covered in each exam. You are not allowed to use any help (notes, phones, books, internet, classmates,...) during the exam.

Missed Class

If you miss class for whatever reason, you are responsible for all material covered, all lecture material presented in class, and all announcements made in class. When you miss a class, here are the steps to take to catch up with the material:

1. Check the calendar below to see what chapter was covered in class. Calendar is updated a few hours after the class.

2. Contact your classmates/teammates for their lecture notes and to find our about any announcements made in class. Your classmates are the best resource for catching up with the material and preparing for tests.

3. Study the corresponding chapter in the textbook (such study must include working through examples whose solutions are given in the book, and also working on problems at the end of the chapter on your own for practice).

4. Do the suggested exercises for each chapter. These practice problems can be found under Assignments tab in Canvas, called Exam Preparation.
   

"I have a question": what to do

If your question is how homework was graded, then

1. if you don't know solution to the problems, attend tutoring and work through the problems;
   

2. if you still have a question, then come to my office hours.
   

If your question is how an Exam was graded, then

1. if you don't know solution to the problems, attend tutoring and work through the problems;

2. if you still have a question, and it has been no longer than two weeks after the grade was posted, then come to my office hours.

If your question is how to solve a homework problem or about class material, then

1. attend tutoring, a TA will be able to help you;

2. if a TA was not able to answer your question or for other questions, please attend my office hours.

Honor Code Statement

Students may be asked to sign an honor code statement as part of their submission of any graded work including but not limited to projects, quizzes, and exams: "I understand and agree to abide by the provisions in the University of Houston Undergraduate Academic Honesty Policy. I understand that academic honesty is taken very seriously and, in the cases of violations, penalties may include suspension or expulsion from the University of Houston."

Academic Honesty Policy
High ethical standards are critical to the integrity of any institution, and bear directly on the ultimate value of the conferred degree. All UH community member are expected to contribute to an atmosphere of the highest possible ethical standards. Maintaining such an atmosphere required that any instances of academic dishonesty by recognized and address. The UH Academic Honesty Policy is designed to handle those instances with fairness to all parties involved: the students, the instructors, and the University itself. All students ans faculty of the University of Houston are responsible for being familiar with this policy.

The chapters listed in the calendar are tentative, and are subject to change without notice. I will update the chapter we covered after each class.

Monday	Wednesday	Friday
	January 17 Introduction+ Systems of equations 1.1	January 19 Systems of equations 1.1
January 22 Systems of equation: reduced row-echelon form 1.2 Homework 0 Due	January 24 Systems of equation: vector equations 1.3	January 26 Systems of equation: matrix of equation Ax=b 1.4
January 29 Systems of equation: solution sets of linear systems 1.5	January 31 Systems of equation: application of linear systems 1.6	February 2 Systems of equation: linear independence 1.7 Homework 1 Due
February 5 Systems of equation: intro to linear transformation 1.8	February 7 Systems of equation: matrix of a linear transformation 1.9	February 9 Review Homework 2 Due
February 12 Exam 1	February 14 Matrices: operations 2.1	February 16 Matrices: inverse, characterizations 2.2-2.3
February 19 Matrices: LU factorization 2.5	February 21 Exam 1 Make-up	February 23 Matrices: subspaces of R^n 2.8 Homework 3 Due
February 26 Matrices: dimension and rank 2.9	February 28 Determinants 3.1	March 1 Determinants: properties 3.2 Homework 4 Due
March 4 Determinants: Cramer's rule 3.3	March 6 Review	March 8 Exam 2
March 11 Spring Break	March 13 Spring Break	March 15 Spring Break
March 18 Vector spaces: subspaces 4.1	March 20 Vector spaces: null, column, row spaces 4.2	March 22 Vector spaces: linear independence, basis 4.3
March 25 Vector spaces: coordinate systems 4.4	March 27 Vector spaces: dimension of a vector space 4.5	March 29 Vector spaces: change of basis 4.6 Homework 5 Due
April 1 Eigenvalues and eigenvectors 5.1	April 3 Eigenvalues and eigenvectors: characteristic equation 5.2	April 5 Eigenvalues and eigenvectors: diagonalization 5.3 Homework 6 Due
April 8 Exam 3	April 10 Eigenvalues and eigenvectors: linear transformations 5.4	April 12 Eigenvalues and eigenvectors: complex eigenvalues 5.5
April 15 Eigenvalues and eigenvectors: applications 5.7	April 17 Orthogonality 6.1	April 19 Orthogonality: orthogonal sets 6.2 Homework 7 Due
April 22 Orthogonality: orthogonal projections 6.3	April 24 Orthogonality: Gram-Schmidt process 6.4	April 26 Review Homework 8 Due
April 29 Exam 4

Excused Absence Policy

Regular class attendance, participation, and engagement in coursework are important contributors to student success. Absences may be excused as provided in the University of Houston Undergraduate Excused Absence Policy for reasons including: medical illness of student or close relative, death of a close family member, legal or government proceeding that a student is obligated to attend, recognized professional and educational activities where the student is presenting, and University-sponsored activity or athletic competition. Under these policies, students with excused absences will be provided with an opportunity to make up any quiz, exam or other work that contributes to the course grade or a satisfactory alternative. Please read the full policy for details regarding reasons for excused absences, the approval process, and extended absences. Additional policies address absences related to military service, religious holy days, pregnancy and related conditions, and disability.

Title IX/Sexual Misconduct

Per the UH Sexual Misconduct Policy, your instructor is a "responsible employee" for reporting purposes under Title IX regulations and state law and must report incidents of sexual misconduct (sexual harassment, non-consensual sexual contact, sexual assault, sexual exploitation,sexual intimidation, intimate partner violence, or stalking) about which they become aware to the Title IX office. Please know there are places on campus where you can make a report in confidence. You can find more information about resources on the Title IX website at https://uh.edu/equal-opportunity/title-ix-sexual-misconduct/resources/.

Mental Health and Wellness Resources

The University of Houston is committed to providing an academic environment and education programs that are accessible for its student. Any student with a disability who is experiencing barriers to learning, assessment or participation is encouraged to contact the Justin Dart, Jr. Student Accessibility Center (Dart Center) to learn more about academic accommodations and support that may be available to them. Students seeking academic accommodations will need to register with the Dart Center as soon as possible to ensure timely implement of approved accommodations. Please contact the Dart Center by visiting the website: https://uh.edu/accessibility/ calling (713)743-5400, or emailing jdcenter@Central.UH.EDU. If you have any accommodations for this class, please email me by Friday Janury 26th, so these accommodations can be made on time for the first homework/test, if necessary.

COVID-19 updates: https://uh.edu/covid-19/

Coogs Care: https://www.uh.edu/dsaes/coogscare/

Laptop Checkout Requests: https://www.uh.edu/infotech/about/planning/off-campus/index.php#do-you-need-a-laptop

Health FAQs: https://uh.edu/covid-19/faq/health-wellness-prevention-faqs/

Student Health Center: https://uh.edu/class/english/lcc/current-students/student-health-center/index.php