Course: MATH 115A, Linear Algebra, Lecture 6, Fall 2014
Prerequisite: MATH 33A, Linear algebra and applications.
Course Content: Linear independence, bases, orthogonality, the Gram-Schmidt process, linear transformations, eigenvalues and eigenvectors, and diagonalization of matrices. This course should develop your ability to write rigorous proofs.
Last update: 11 December 2014

Lecture Meeting Time/Location: Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 1PM-150PM, MS5147
Instructor: Steven Heilman, heilman(@-symbol)ucla.edu
Office Hours: Mondays, 930AM-1130AM, Fridays, 1030AM-1130AM, MS 7370
TA: Geunho Gim, ggim(@-symbol)math.ucla.edu
TA Office Hours: Thursdays, 9AM-11AM, MS 2344
Discussion Session Meeting Time/Location: Tuesday and Thursday, 1PM-150PM, MS5147
Required Textbook: Linear Algebra, Friedberg, Insel and Spence, 4th Ed., Custom Edition for UCLA
Other Textbooks (not required): Linear Algebra: an introductory approach, C. W. Curtis
TA Course Website: here
First Midterm: October 31, 1PM-150PM, FRANZ 2258A
Second Midterm: November 24, 1PM-150PM, PUBLIC AFFAIRS 2250
Final Exam: December 15, 8AM-11AM, BOELTER 5440
Other Resources: 115A, Tao, Fall 2002: I would highly recommend reading these lecture notes. My own lecture notes below are meant to be a more condensed presentation of similar material. So, if you prefer a more thorough treatment, I recommend these notes (and the book).
An introduction to mathematical arguments, Michael Hutchings, An Introduction to Proofs, How to Write Mathematical Arguments
Exam Procedures: Students must bring their UCLA ID cards to the midterms and to the final exam. Phones must be turned off. Cheating on an exam results in a score of zero on that exam. Exams can be regraded at most 15 days after the date of the exam.
Exam Resources: Here is a page containing old exams for a similar linear algebra course. Occasionally these exams will cover slightly different material than this class, or the material will be in a slightly different order, but generally, the concepts should be close if not identical.
Here are solutions to this second midterm. (Note this practice midterm is much longer than our exam.)
Here are solutions to this practice final. (Skip question 7; also questions 5,6 and 8 are a bit challenging.)

Homework Policy:

• Late homework is not accepted.
• The lowest homework grade will be dropped. This policy is meant to account for illnesses, emergencies, etc.
• Do not submit homework via email.
• There will be 8 homework assignments, assigned weekly (on Thursday) and turned in at the beginning of each discussion session on the following Thursday.
• A random subset of the homework problems will be graded each week. However, it is strongly recommended that you try to complete the entire homework assignment.
• You may use whatever resources you want to do the homework, including computers, textbooks, friends, the TA, etc. However, I would discourage any over-reliance on search technology such as Google, since its overuse could degrade your learning experience. By the end of the quarter, you should be able to do the entire homework on your own, without any external help.
• All homework assignments must be written by you, i.e. you cannot copy someone else's solution verbatim. I would encourage you to understand carefully how the homework solutions work, and how you would find such a solution on your own. Overusing collaborations or search technology should result in poor performance on the exams.
• Label your homework with the lecture number and the discussion section number.
• Homework solutions will be written by the TA and posted soon after the homework is due.

• The final grade is weighted as the larger of the following two schemes. Scheme 1: homework (15%), the first midterm (20%), the second midterm (25%), and the final (40%). Scheme 2: homework (15%), largest midterm grade (35%), final (50%) The final grade will be curved. However, anyone who exceeds my expectations in the class by showing A-level performance on the exams and homeworks will receive an A for the class.
• We will use the MyUCLA gradebook.
• If you cannot attend one of the exams, you must notify me within the first two weeks of the start of the quarter. Later requests for rescheduling will most likely be denied.
• You must attend the final exam to pass the course.

Tentative Schedule: (This schedule may change slightly during the course.)

Advice on succeeding in a math class:

• Review the relevant course material before you come to lecture. Consider reviewing course material a week or two before the semester starts.
• When reading mathematics, use a pencil and paper to sketch the calculations that are performed by the author.
• Come to class with questions, so you can get more out of the lecture. Also, finish your homework at least two days before it is due, to alleviate deadline stress.
• Write a rough draft and a separate final draft for your homework. This procedure will help you catch mistakes. Also, consider typesetting your homework. Here is a template .tex file if you want to get started typesetting.
• If you are having difficulty with the material or a particular homework problem, review Polya's Problem Solving Strategies, and come to office hours.

• HW0 HW1 HW2 HW3 HW4 HW5 HW6 HW7 HW8

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• 1: Introduction, Fields, Vector Spaces, Subspaces, Bases, Dimension
• 2: Linear transformations, matrices, invertibility, coordinates
• 3: Matrices, row operations, determinant
• 4: Eigenvalues, eigenvectors, diagonalization
• 5: Inner Products, Adjoints, Spectral Theorems, Self-Adjoint Operators
• Linear Algebra, 115A, Fall 2014 (full set of notes)