Faculty of Science Course Syllabus
Department of Mathematics & Statistics

MATH 2135: Linear Algebra (Winter 2022)

Instructor: Theo Johnson-Freyd, theojf@dal.ca.
Lectures: Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, 16:35-17:25 Atlantic Time. LSC-Common Area C244.
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Wednesdays 13:05-14:25 Atlantic Time, or by appointment. Chase 214.
Course website: http://categorified.net/22Winter5055/.

This course is governed by the academic rules and regulations set forth in the University Calendar and by the Senate.

Course Description

Vector spaces, linear transformations, inner product spaces, symmetric and orthogonal transformations, bilinear forms, similarity and diagonalization, the solution of linear differential equations, and various applications.

Prerequisites

MATH 1030 or 2030 & MATH 1000.

Course materials

The main textbook for the class is Linear Algebra Done Right by Sheldon Axler. This book is available from the Dalhousie Bookstore and from the author's webpage.

Homework, notes, and so on will be available on the Course Content page.

Course Delivery

Lectures will be given over Zoom until January 31. The Zoom link will be https://pitp.zoom.us/j/94494903925, and the password is "Dal-1234" except with the numbers replaced by the course number. You must be logged into your Zoom account to join the meeting. If for some reason you cannot access Zoom, contact the instructor as soon as possible.

Office hours are Tuesdays and Wednesdays 13:05-14:25 Atlantic Time, or by appointment, and will also be held over Zoom until at least January 31. The Zoom link will be https://pitp.zoom.us/j/95588046787, and the password is "Chase-123" except with the numbers replaced by the instructor's office number.

We will transition to in-person meetings beginning January 31. When we do transition to in-person meetings, the class will meet in LSC-Common Area C244, and office hours will be in Chase 214.

Although attendance is not mandatory, participation is strongly encouraged. The lectures will not be recorded. When possible, please keep your cameras turned on during the lectures in order to maintain an interactive online environment.

Course Assessment

The course grade will be based on homework assignments, a midterm exam, and a final exam. The homework assignments will be posted weekly on the Course Content page of the course website, and due one week later. Assignments should be submitted via email attachment to the instructor. Your homework must be submitted as a single PDF. No other formats will be accepted.

I encourage you to work together to complete your homework assignments. Studies have shown that social ties are a main predictor of success in STEM classes. Although you are encouraged to work together, the homework you submit must be written by you individually. Work that is too similar to another student's will not be accepted.

There are many online resources offering solutions to homework at all levels. If you choose to use such resources, please be cautious: they often provide too detailed an answer, and students can trick themselves into thinking that they understand more than they do by copying those answers. Much better is to work with your classmates and to ask questions during office hours.

Late submissions will not be accepted and will result in a grade of 0 unless a prior arrangement was made. There will be some flexibility for late submissions resulting from technology malfunction.

The midterm exam will be held in-class on Tuesday, March 1, and the final exam will be Saturday, April 9, at 7pm. Students who do better on the final than on the midterm will have their midterm score replaced by their final exam score. Unlike the homework, each student must complete their own exams alone, without consulting other people or resources, except as specified by the instructor.

Component weighting

Homework: 50%.
Midterm: 20%.
Final exam: 30%.

Conversion of numerical grades to Final Letter Grades follows the Dalhousie Common Grade Scale

A+ (90-100)
A (85-89)
A- (80-84)
B+ (77-79)
B (73-76)
B- (70-72)
C+ (65-69)
C (60-64)
C- (55-59)
D (50-54)
F (<50)