Mathematics 338: Linear Algebra
Spring 1998

Professor: John Verzani
Office: 1S-224
Telephone: 982-3623
e-mail: verzani@postbox.csi.cuny.edu
www: http://www.math.csi.cuny.edu/~verzani/338/
Office Hours: Tuesday 1:45-2:30, Thursday 5:30-6:20, Friday 3:20-4:10
Required Text: Linear Algebra; Kolman 6th edition
Meeting Time and places: Tuesday 6:30-8:10 1S-217, Thursday 6:30-8:10 1S-219
Special dates: Tuesday February 10th classes follow a Thursday schedule, on February 12th there is no class due to Lincoln’s birthday and in April there is no class on the 14th or 16th because of Spring break.

Expectations This class is an introduction to linear algebra. Of course to have success you will need to know how to do algebra! Linear algebra is the study of vectors, matrices, linear transformations and other fun stuff.

Homework The class syllabus contains many homework problems for you to work on during the semester. Homework will not be collected during the term. However time will be spent during class going over previous homework. For assistance with your homework, you are encouraged to attend my office hours listed above. As well, there is a HyperNews group for this class where you can ask questions over the internet. See the link on the web-page for this class.

Some of problems assigned ask you to use MATLAB. Every person who passes this course will know how to use MATLAB with linear algebra by the end of the semester.

Grading Your final grade will be calculated from your scores on the final exam, the two in-class exams and weekly quizzes which will be given on Tuesdays. The final exam will be worth 40% of your final grade, the two in-class exams count for 50%, and the quizzes and assignments will account for the remaining 10%. A letter grade will appear on each exam, so that you can easily calculate your current grade.

In grading, partial credit may be given for work that looks promising. However, in this class a correct answer, that is supported with incorrect work will be marked as incorrect.

Exam Policy I expect full attendance for all the exams. If you know ahead of time that you will miss an exam, you must make prior arrangements with me before the exam. As a general rule, there will be no make-up exams. No accommodations for a missed final exam will be made. Please keep your old exams as they are your record of your grade.

Exam Dates The following are tentative dates for the in-class exams: Tuesday March 17th and Tuesday May 5th. . If there are changes to these dates they will be announced in class atleast one week prior to the scheduled exam date. Do not assume that the exams will follow the schedule indicated by the syllabus. The content of each exam will be announced in class at least one-week prior to the exam. The date and time of the final exam will be announced during the semester as it becomes finalized.