We will use a version of Jim Hefferon's Linear Algebra. The original book is available online, but we will use a version of the book that has been heavily edited by Professor Karen Shuman over the past year. You may download an electronic copy of our version on PWeb, but I will also distribute a paper copy in class.

If you would like a book that teaches the fundamentals of reading and writing proofs, I recommend the following:

• How to Prove It by Daniel Velleman.
• How to Think Like a Mathematician by Kevin Houston.

• Learn how to interpret and use mathematical language properly, with an emphasis on quantifiers (there exists, for all), connectives (and, or, not, implies), and the role of definitions.
• Learn how to use common mathematical notation involving sets, functions, and relations.
• Learn the logic of mathematical arguments, different ways to prove a statement, and how to construct your own proofs.
• Learn some linear algebra.

Problem Sets will be due on most Mondays and Fridays, and will be posted to the course webpage. They will contain a mixture of computational exercises, explanations, and short proofs.

Written Assignments will be due on most Wednesdays. These problems either are more theoretical or require explanation above and beyond those on the Problem Sets. Your solutions should consist of careful explanations written in complete sentences (augmented by mathematical symbolism where appropriate). A major goal of these problems is to teach the fundamentals of mathematical language and mathematical inferences, along with proper use of terminology and notation. As a result, they will be graded at a high standard involving much more than getting the "correct answer".

Homework must be turned in at the beginning of class. Please take the time to write your solutions neatly and carefully, and staple any homework that has more than one page.

Your lowest two Problem Set scores and your lowest Written Assignment score will be dropped.

If you're ambitious and/or want to keep digital records of your work, I recommend learning how to type your solutions. LaTeX is a wonderful free typesetting system which produces high-quality documents at the cost of only a small amount of additional effort (beyond the nontrivial start-up cost of learning to use it). If you plan to do any kind of mathematical or scientific writing in the future, you will likely use LaTeX, so taking the time now to familiarize yourself with it will greatly pay off in the long run.

Unless you have a serious emergency that you bring to my attention before a homework assignment is due, late homework will not be accepted. However, please feel free to take advantage of the fact that several assignments scores are dropped in order to skip writing up a homework assignment if you have more pressing demands on your time.

There is no strict attendance policy. However, if you miss class, you are responsible for the material that was covered. You should obtain notes from somebody else in the course and work through them. I will certainly help you with any questions you have about material you missed, but you must have worked through the ideas on your own first. Also, I do notice when students often miss class and/or show up late. It speaks to your dedication when these are regular occurrences (excepting illnesses and emergencies of course), and will make it less likely that I will be lenient and flexible for you.

There will be three in class exams and a scheduled three hour final exam.

In class exams dates: September 25, November 1, and December 4.

Final exam date:
Section 1 (MWF 2:15 - 3:05): Thursday, December 19 at 9:00am.
Section 2 (MWF 1:15 - 2:05): Tuesday, December 17 at 2:00pm.

• Read the book. Do not simply read the examples and the things inside pretty colored boxes. Read the relevant sections before you come to class and read them again after class. Spend time understanding both the computations and the theoretical discussions.

• Compared to Calculus courses, a much smaller part of each class will be spent on computational examples. You will be expected to read additional examples in the book and master the necessary computational techniques through practice on the Problem Sets. If you are struggling with a concept, work additional problems on your own (and feel free to bring them to me with questions).

• Compared to Calculus courses, a much larger part of each class will be spent on the conceptual and theoretical aspects of the material. You will be expected to understand the derivations and proofs at a level beyond the ability to parrot them back to me. Spend your time trying to internalize rather than memorize.

• The more abstract topics are challenging and take a great deal of self-study to master. Set aside study time to simply think about concepts in addition to the time you give yourself to work through homework.

• When graded homework is returned, spend time reading the comments and reflecting on how you can improve your writing.

• Much of your learning will happen outside of class. Many students should anticipate spending about 12 hours a week devoted to the course. In other words, you should schedule at least 9 hours outside of class for homework and independent reading/working. Learning math requires practice, patience, and endurance.

• I really enjoy interacting with students. Please come to my office hours when you want assistance! To use our time together most effectively, it helps if you have grappled with the ideas and you bring some of your scratch work and attempts. One of the most difficult parts of your mathematical education is learning how to transition from having no idea, to obtaining vague hunches, to seizing on key ideas, to writing correct proofs. If you bring your ideas and scratch work, we can focus on how to help you manage these transitions.

Homework: If you enjoy working in groups, I strongly encourage you to work with others in the class to solve the homework problems. If you do collaborative work or receive help form somebody in the course, you must acknowledge this on the corresponding problem(s). Saying "I worked with Sam on this problem" or "Mary helped me with this problem" suffices. You should also credit Evangelos for help that he provides. You may ask students outside the course for help, but you need to make sure they understand the academic honesty policies for the course and you need to cite their assistance as well. Failing to acknowledge such collaboration or assistance is a violation of academic honesty.

If you work with others, your homework must be written up independently in your own words. You can not write a communal solution and all copy it down. You can not read one person's solution and alter it slightly in notation/exposition. Discussing ideas and/or writing parts of computations together on whiteboards or scratch paper is perfectly fine, but you need to take those ideas and write the problem up on your own. Under no circumstances can you look at another student's completed written work.

You may look at sources other than our textbook, but you must cite other books or online sources if they provide you with an idea that helps you solve a problem. However, you may not specifically look for solutions to homework problems, and you may not solicit help for homework problems from online forums.

Exams and final: You may neither give nor receive help. Books, written notes, computers, and calculators are not permitted.

Students with learning, physical, or psychiatric disabilities enrolled in this course that may need disability-related classroom accommodations are encouraged to make an office appointment with me in first few weeks of class. You will need to provide documentation of your disability to the Associate Dean and Director of Academic Advising, Joyce Stern, located on the third floor of the JRC.

If you have a religious observance that conflicts with your participation in the course, please come speak with me as soon as possible to discuss appropriate accommodations.