MATH 301, Spring 2012

MATH 301: Introduction to Linear Algebra
Boise State University, Spring 2012

Instructor: Stephen Brill

Office: MG 218-A

Phone: (208) 426-3122

Fax: (208) 426-1356

E-mail: brill@math.boisestate.edu

Class meetings:
1140 to 1230, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in room MG 108.

Textbook:
Introduction to Linear Algebra (Fifth Edition) by Johnson, Riess, and Arnold.

Office hours:
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 0940-1030. Tuesday 1140-1230. Other times by appointment.

Homework:
The purpose of homework is to give students the opportunity to work with and become familiar with the important concepts of the course. Homework will be assigned regularly but will not be graded. Collaborative work on homework exercises is encouraged. You will have the opportunity to discuss homework exercises in class.

Calculators:
Use of calculators is forbidden on tests and the final exam.

Academic honesty:
All students are expected to be familiar with and adhere to the policies and standards given in the BSU Student Code of Conduct.

Cell phones, paging devices, etc.:
If, during class, your cell phone, paging device, etc., makes a noise that I can hear, your score on the next test or exam will be reduced by five points. If such a noise occurs and no one admits to being responsible for it, then this penalty will be applied to the entire class.

Late work and/or extensions:
If you seek an extension on an assignment and the request occurs after the due date or time, your request will be summarily denied (except in the most extraordinary circumstances). Such requests that occur before the due date and time will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Contesting grades:
If you think I have graded you unfairly on a particular assignment, you must bring this to my attention within a week from the time that the assignment was returned to the class. After a week I will not consider any requests to review and possibly change my grading.

Tutoring and extra assistance:

Free tutoring is available at the Math Drop-In Centers.
Here's a list of private tutors.

Grading policy:
Your grade will be determined by your performance in four areas:

Three tests (30%) -- Tests will occur during regular class meeting times on 17 February, 16 March, and 27 April. Collaborative work on tests is not permitted. Solutions to tests.
Quizzes (25%) -- All quizzes are take-home and will be assigned and collected on a weekly basis (except those weeks when tests occur). Generally, quizzes are available online on Mondays and are due at the beginning of class on the following Wednesday. Although collaborative work on quizzes is encouraged, each student must hand in his/her own quiz paper. The lowest quiz score for each student will be "dropped".
Computer Exercises (15%) -- At the end of each chapter of the text is a set of exercises using the Matlab software package. Such exercises will be assigned on a semi-regular basis. You may work on these exercises in groups of at most three.
Final exam (30%) -- Thursday, 10 May, 1030 to 1230. Collaborative work on the final exam is not permitted.

Your grade will be computed via the following algorithm. Let x be the number of points accumulated throughout the semester (between 0 and 100):
A+: x > 97
A: 93 < x < 97
A-: 90 < x < 93
B+: 87 < x < 90
B: 83 < x < 87
B-: 80 < x < 83
C+: 77 < x < 80
C: 73 < x < 77
C-: 70 < x < 73
D: 60 < x < 70
F: x < 60

This page was most recently updated on 18 January 2012.
http://math.boisestate.edu/~brill/teaching/m301_s12/syll.html

MATH 301: Introduction to Linear Algebra Boise State University, Spring 2012

MATH 301: Introduction to Linear Algebra
Boise State University, Spring 2012