| Instructor |
Dr. José Iovino.
Office: Science Building 4.01.34. Office hours: T, Th, 3-4 pm, or by appointment. Email: iovino@math.utsa.edu
Office phone: (210) 458-5531. (Please do not leave messages asking me to call you.) |
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| Textbook | David C. Lay, Linear Algebra and its Applications, third edition, Addison Wesley, 2003. | ||||||||||
| Content of the Course | The goal is to cover Chapters 1-5 of the book. | ||||||||||
| Homework and Exam Policy |
After every class, I will post on the web page
of the course a list of homework exercises. The tests will be based on
these exercises, as well as the examples discussed during the lecture.
The written solutions will normally be due on the Monday following the posting date. Homework will be due in class. Late homework will not be accepted. I urge you to work on the exercises on the same day they are posted. Don't make the mistake of waiting until the weekend! The course moves very fast; if you postpone your work, you are almost sure to get behind, and it will then be very hard to recover. On average, I believe that you should dedicate at least two hours per day to the exercises alone. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is that you dedicate enough time and effort to the exercises. The only way to learn mathematics is by doing mathematics, i.e., solving problems. You see, it is impossible to learn mathematics by watching somebody else work on examples (although this is important as a starter), or by reviewing exercises that one has already solved, or by memorizing something that has been emphasized in class. You really have to train yourself to face a new situation every time you work on a new problem, and this is actually the one part of the course that will stay with you even after you graduate. In your written work, you should show clearly how every step follows from previous steps. An assertion without justification will not count towards credit. The organization of your written solutions will be into account for the evaluation. An important goal of this course (and of any mathematics course) is that you learn to organize your ideas in your mind. Disorganized work often shows disorganized ideas, so disorganized solutions will not be graded. This applies to homework, quizzes, and exams. Also, if your homework solution includes more than one sheet, please do not forget to staple all the sheets together. We cannot be responsible for loose sheets. There will be weekly quizzes, a midterm, and a (comprehensive) final. The dates are posted on the web page of the course. There will be no makeup quizzes or exams. If you miss an exam due to medical or other (verifiable) reason beyond your control, then the final exam score may be adjusted to replace the missing test grade. |
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| Evaluation |
The grading scale will be the standard one: A=90-100, B=80-89, C=70-79, D=60-69. | ||||||||||
| Attendance | You are urged to attend every lecture, and it is your responsibility to be present for the exams and quizzes. Attendance will otherwise not be controlled. Keep in mind, however, that some of the questions on the exams or quizzes may be based on examples that have been discussed in class. |
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