Xinfeng Liu
Email:
xfliu@math.sc.edu
Phone: 576-5849
Office Location: LC 317Q
Office Hours: MWF 11:45AM-1:00PM or by appointment
Textbook: Introduction to Linear Algebra, 5th Edition, by
Lee Johnson, Dean Riess and Jimmy Arnold.
Course Content: This course will cover the materials presented in
Chapters 1-6 of the text.
Learning Outcome: Students who successfully complete Math 544
are expected to master fundamental concepts and solve problems drawn from matrix
algebra, solution of linear systems; notions of vector space, independence, basis, dimension; linear
transformations, change of basis; eigenvalues, eigenvectors, diagonalization; and topics to be chosen from inner
product spaces and the structure of their operators.
Reading: Reading the textbook
in advance of the lecture is strongly
encouraged. Benefits of this preparation include obtaining a familiarity with the terminology and
concepts that will be encountered (so you can distinguish major points from side
issues), being able to formulate questions about the parts of the presentation that
you do not understand, and having a chance to review the skills and techniques
that will be needed to apply the new concepts.
Syllabus
Tentative Schedule
Homework Assignment
Important Date: The deadline to drop the course
without a WF being recorded is Thursday, March 2, 2017.
Homework and Quiz:
Homework will not be collected, but you are supposed to do them all.
REMEMBER: the more problems you do, the better you understand the material.
Students are encouraged to work independently on homework sets.
There will be approximately one quiz per week on Friday,
and no quiz during the exam weeks.
There are two to four problems for each quiz.
The quiz problems will be either the same as, or very similar to those
from the homework. Thus, if a student has made a good attempt at the
homework, he/she should do well on the quiz.
One lowest quiz grade will be dropped from the final grade calculation.
Exams: There will be three midterm exams and one comprehensive final exam.
Exam 1: Friday, February 3, 10:50AM - 11:40AM
Exam 2: Friday, March 3, 10:50AM - 11:40AM
Exam 3: Friday, April 7, 10:50AM - 11:40AM
Final Exam: Wednesday, April 26, 9:00AM - 11:30AM
The exams are "closed book" – no books, no notes, no
calculators, no labtop computer or equivalent technology, etc.
There are no early exams. A make-up exam is only possible for
written legitimate documented reasons of illness, family emergency, or participation
in a University sponsored event.
Grades:
| Exam 1 |
15% |
| Exam 2 |
15%
|
| Exam 3 |
15%
|
| Final Exam |
30%
|
| Quizzes |
25%
|
| Total |
100%
|
A straight scale will be used
so that A's, B's C's and D's correspond to the percent ranges 100-90,
90-80,
80-70 and 70-60 respectively. Plus grading will be used. For example:
| 90-100:A |
86-89: B+ |
80-85: B |
76-79: C+ |
| 70-75: C |
66-69: D+ |
60-65: D |
0-59: F |
Attendance: Attendance at every class meeting is important - and expected. Students missing
more than 10% of the class meetings (4 days) can have their grade lowered.
Class Files (Check Blackboard)
Academic Dishonesty: Cheating and plagiarism in any form is not tolerated.
If a student is caught cheating, I will follow the guidelines as set
forth in the USC Honor Code and other University guidelines.