MTH 165 "Linear Algebra with Differential Equations"

Format: We will use the same setup this course had in the previous semester under the administration of Michael Gage and Aaron Heap, which is that instead of recitations there will be workshops. There are quite a few differences between a recitation and a workshop. First, a workshop lasts for 2 hours, which is almost double the time of a recitation session, allowing for more applications to the theory to be discussed. Secondly, while in a recitation the students are in more of a passive role and the TA is almost a lecturer, the workshops are more interactive, with the TA acting most of the time as a moderator. We believe that this type of atmosphere would be more fruitful for you all.

Syllabus: Linear equations. Matrices. Determinants. Eigenvalues and eigenvectors. Ordinary differential equations with an emphasis on linear differential equations, second order equations with constant coefficients and systems of differential equations.

Comments on the syllabus: The linear algebra part of the material will be covered from the book. In terms of the part related to differential equations, we will use the lecture notes (that can be downloaded from this website in pdf format) written both by Mike and Aaron during the fall semester (for which we are extremely grateful). Lay's textbook contains sections of applications to differential equations, but not to the extent we consider appropriate for this course. A natural question would be why we chose to use this book and not another one that might contain also more on differential equations. The answer is that Lay's book is totally in a different class when it comes to linear algebra and we thought the other part of the syllabus is perfectly covered in the attached lecture notes.

Prerequisites: MTH 143, MTH 162, or MTH 172.

Textbook: David C. Lay, Linear Algebra and Its Applications (3rd Edition), Addison Wesley, 2002. Book's website (very useful, containing study guides, review sheets and practice exams).

Grading: Workshop 5%, Webwork 25%, Midterm 30%, Final 40%.

There will be 14 Webworks from which the best 10 will be counted towards your grade. For this reason NO EXTENSIONS WILL BE GRANTED, except for documented medical or family reasons. START WORKING ON THE WEBWORK AS SOON AS IT IS ASSIGNED IF YOU WANT FEEDBACK FROM THE WEBWORK TA IN TIME. DO NOT SEND QUESTIONS ON SUNDAY AND EXPECT THEM TO BE ANSWERED.

There will be NO MAKE-UP EXAMS. If you miss an exam you will receive a score of 0. The final exam will consists of two parts. Part 1 will test the same material as the midterm. If your score on Part 1 of the final is higher than your midterm score, it will replace that midterm grade.

Example: If your scores are Workshop =100/100 (perfect attendance), Webwork = 80/100, Midterm = 60/100, Final Part 1 = 90/100, Final Part 2 = 70/100 (Final exam score is the average: 80/100.), then the midterm score of 60/100 is replaced by your Final Part 1 score of 90/100, for a course grade of (0.05)Workshop + (0.25)Webwork + (0.3)Part 1 + (0.4)Final = (0.05)100 + (0.25)80 + (0.3)90 + (0.4)80 = 84

Exams:

The MIDTERM EXAM is on 03/20, 8-9:15am, in Hoyt Hall.

Practice midterms: Sample 1, Sample 2. Disclaimer: These midterms were administered in Fall 2006. Our course has only one midterm so it may contain materials from both of them. However, to be precise, the material on the midterm will include everything that is discussed up to the spring break.

The FINAL EXAM is on 05/07, 12:30-3:30pm, in Hoyt Hall. Please arrive by 12:15, such that we can start the exam at 12:30 sharp.

Extended office hours for the final exam:

There will be also two Final Exam Review Sessions held in Lander Auditorium on the following days and times: Thursday, May 3 from 8:30 pm - 10:30 pm, and Saturday, May 5 from 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm. The Final Exam Review Sessions will be run as question-and-answer sessions, so bring any questions that you have.

To do well on the exams you will need to know how to solve many different types of problems. Webwork needs to be combined with the problems discussed each week in the workshops in order for you to be well prepared for the tests.

NO CALCULATORS are allowed during the exams. You may bring one formula card (4X6) to the midterm. IN ORDER TO AVOID MISUNDERSTANDINGS, LIKE THE ONES CREATED AT THE MIDTERM, ON WHAT YOU CAN HAVE IN TERMS OF FORMULAS ON YOUR CARDS, WE DECIDED NOT TO ALLOW ANY TYPE OF FORMULA CARDS OR SHEETS AT THE FINAL.

Webwork:

Webwork assignments are due Monday morning at 6:00am, one week after they were assigned.

Workshops:

Registration and attendance is mandatory. All the workshops will be held in Hylan 1104. I also encourage you to take full advantage of the office hours of your instructor and of the Math Study Hall (Hylan 1103, Tu 10:00am-6:00pm and Th 11:00am-5:00pm).

Weekly schedule: