Stony Brook University
310 Linear Algebra -- Spring 2008

* Index
* Course Description
* Teaching Staff, Office Hours
* Syllabus and Homework

Course Description

This is the final course in the linear algebra sequence. We cover all the material in MAT 211 (or AMS 210) as well as some material (for example the Cayley-Hamilton theorem and the Jordan canonical form) that will be new to most of you. The course will probably have quite a different emphasis from your previous courses on this subject: specific calculations will be of far less importance than understanding the statement of the main theorems and precisely why they are true. Because one of the aims of this course is to teach you how to write proofs, the homework and recitations are an integral part of the course.

Instructor: Tony Phillips

Instructor's Office Hours: Math Tower 3-113: Wednesdays, 3-5PM You are always welcome to contact me by email (tony at math.sunysb.edu) either to ask a short question or to set up an appointment to see me.

TA: Pedro Solorzano

TA's Office: Math Tower 2-119

TA's Office Hours: TBA

Textbook: S. Axler, Linear Algebra done right, 2nd Ed., Springer Undergraduate Text

(a copy is available on reserve in the Math/Physics/Astronomy Library)

Course Format:

The course meets for lecture Mon, Wed, Fri 11:45 AM - 12:40 PM in Physics 112. Recitations are You will get most out of these classes if you prepare beforehand by reading the relevant section in the textbook before class. My aim in these lectures will be to explain and illustrate the arguments in the book. I am always glad to answer questions during class. (If you have more questions, please talk to me after class or come to my office hours.)

Grading policy for MAT 310: The final grade will be based on the midterm scores (22.5% each) the final examination (35%) and homework (20%). A student will get the better of two grades, one calculated from this weighted sum, the other based only on the (cumulative) final examination.