MATH 544
Linear Algebra
Section 002, Fall 2011
Meeting times: TTh 2:00 - 3:15 PM at LeConte (LC) 115
Instructor:
Dr. Peter G. Binev http://www.math.sc.edu/~binev/
e-mail: binev@math.sc.edu
phones: 576-6269 (at LC 425) or 576-6304 (at SUM 206H)
Office hours (at LC 425):
Tuesday 9:00 - 11:00 AM
Thursday 1:00 - 2:00 PM or by appointment
Prerequisite/Corequisite: MATH 241.
Learning Outcomes: Upon the successful completion of this course the students will be able to read,
interpret, and use vocabulary, symbolism, and basic definitions from Linear Algebra. They will
comprehend the notions of vector space, independence, basis, and dimension; the concepts of linear
transformations, change of basis, eigenvalues, and eigenvectors; the procedures of finding solution of
linear systems, singular value decomposition, and diagonalization.
Text: Introduction to Linear Algebra by Gilbert Strang, Fourth Edition, Wellesley - Cambridge
Press 2009
Web Materials: The author of the textbook maintains a webpage http://math.mit.edu/linearalgebra/.
There are several useful materials and, in particular, the videos from the author’s lectures at MIT in
Spring 2010 are available on http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/mathematics/18-06-linear-algebra-spring2010/
Attendance: Regular class attendance is important. A grade penalty will be applied to any student
missing five or more classes (10%) during the semester. The "10 percent rule" stated above applies to
both excused and unexcused absences. Students who anticipate potential excessive absences due to
participation in permissible events as described in the USC Academic Bulletins (see
http://www.sc.edu/bulletin/ugrad/acadregs.html#class%20atten) should receive prior approval from the
instructor to potentially avoid such penalty.
Cell Phones: All cell phones must be turned off during the class.
Homework: Students are strongly encouraged to read the corresponding sections from the textbook
and/or watch the corresponding video before or immediately after the material is presented in class.
A few homework problems will be assigned each class. Be sure to solve these problems before the next
class. The quizzes will be based on these problems.
Quizzes: At the end of some lectures there will be 5-minute quizzes based on the homework problems
assigned in the previous classes. The accumulated results of the quizzes will constitute the “Quiz
Grade”. There will be no make-up quizzes.
Midterm Exam: There will be a midterm exam in a form of a test. The tentative date of the exam is
September 22, 2011. There will be no make-up for this exam.
Final Exam: The final exam in a form of a test will take place on Wednesday, December 7 at 2:00
PM. All students must take the final exam.
Graduate Students: The graduate students will receive an additional problem on the exams. Each of
them should prepare a research paper (5 to 10 pages long) discussing a chosen topic from Linear
Algebra that relates to their research area. The papers should be submitted in class (or via e-mail) on or
before November 17, 2011.
Grading (undergraduates): The final grade will be determined from the quizzes (30%), the midterm
exam (30%), and the final (40%).
Grading (graduate students): The final grade will be determined from the quizzes (20%), the
midterm exam (20%), the paper (20%), and the final (40%).
Grading Scheme: The grades will be assigned as follows: A for 90-100%; B+ for 86-89%; B for 8085%; C+ for 76-79%; C for 70-75%; D+ for 66-69%; D for 60-65%; F for less than 60.
Academic Dishonesty: Cheating and plagiarism will not be allowed. The University of South Carolina
has clearly articulated its policy governing academic integrity and students are encouraged to carefully
review the policy (http://www.housing.sc.edu/academicintegrity/policy.html) on the Honor Code in the
Carolina Community.
ADA: If you have special needs as addressed by the Americans with Disabilities Act and need any
assistance, please notify the instructor immediately.
Important Dates:
August 24 – Last day to drop without W
September 22 – Midterm Exam
October 13 – Last day to drop without WF
October 20 - 21 – Fall Break
November 17 – Deadline to submit the papers for the graduate students
November 23 - 27 – Thanksgiving recess - no classes
December 2 – Last day of classes
December 7 – Final Exam at 2:00 PM