For this course, the main subject material is
By the end of the course, you should be able to show understanding and mastery of the subject material
Textbook: Fundamentals of Matrix Computation, by David Watkins, 3rd edition (2nd edition also ok).
MATLAB: MATLAB (from "matrix laboratory") is a programming language and numerical computing environment often used in applied mathematics and other applications. Many assignments (and even test questions) will be to write short programs for MATLAB.
An intro textbook discussing Matlab can be found here.
There are four main ways to get access to MATLAB:
Alternatively, you can download the free open source version called Octave. While Octave and MATLAB are designed to be compatible, there are differences, and Octave is at least marginally slower. If you join a project/company that uses one of these tools, you will need to use the one they use. More places use MATLAB than Octave. However, Octave is free, as part of the GNU project, which can be an advantage.
We will do some basic MATLAB programming in this course. While we will talk about the MATLAB specific programming details during class, I will expect that you know some programming basics, including what a "for loop" is. (The for loop is about the most complicated programming concept we'll use, but fortunately it's not too complicated.) If you are not comfortable with what a for loop is, or want a short review of basic programming in MATLAB, a good resource is this file.
Lectures: are held synchronously via zoom. Zoom lectures will be recorded and made available to all students in the Canvas Media Gallery.
Discussion sections: are held synchronously via zoom in the first four weeks (as per UCSD rules). Starting week 5, A02, B03, B04 will be held in-person, the other sections will be held remotely. Note that all discussion sections cover the same material.
Office hours: Office hours will be held via zoom. There are some in-person office hours starting week 5. Please consult the table on the main page for office hour times. You may attend the office hours of any and all instructors, regardless of discussion section enrollment.
Attendance: is not mandatory for any segment of this course (except for exams, see below). For a good course outcome, it is highly recommended to participate (live or watch the recording afterwards) in the following:
It is furthermore recommended to join the discussions
Homework will be due Wednesdays of each week by 11 pm. You can find the homework problems as pdf on Canvas under "Files". Late homework will not be accepted.
All standard homework assignments will be turned in via Gradescope.com. Your login is your UCSD email.
All students enrolled in MATH170A have been added to Gradescope. If you have not been added (due to late enrollment, for example), please wait one or two days after enrollment, you will be added automatically.
Assignments should be uploaded in a single pdf file, or as a picture for each question. Please make sure your files are legible before submitting.
For MATLAB coding problems, you need to submit a screenshot of the program you wrote, including a screenshot of the output of the code in case the homework asks you to apply it to some example. Handwritten code, pseudo code or numerical results without code will not result in any credit!
If more than 60% of students fill out CAPEs at the end of the quarter, I will drop everybody's lowest homework score.
Material refers to all of the material discussed in the lecture, HW and discussion sections from the respective textbook chapters.
| Exam | Date | Time | Type | Where to find questions | Material |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quiz 1 | Th Jan 20 | window: 10 am - 8 pm 30 min quiz time |
Remote (unproctored) | Canvas | 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.7, 1.8 |
| Midterm | W Feb 2 | 7-8 pm 1 h exam time |
Remote (unproctored) | Canvas | 1.8, 1.4, 2.1, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 |
| Quiz 2 | Th Feb 24 | window: 10 am - 8 pm 30 min quiz time |
Remote (unproctored) | Canvas | 3.4, 2.2/2.3, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.1, 5.2 |
| Final | Sa Mar 12 | 3-4 pm 1 h exam time |
Remote (unproctored) | Canvas | Everything taught in this class (focus on later chapters) |
If academic integrity violations are suspected on any of your assignments, the instructor might ask you to participate in a meeting to explain your solutions. In addition, you may also be reported to the Academic Integrity Office.
To learn how to avoid academic integrity violations in this class, read the academic integrity section.
Your grade will be based on the scores of the homework, two quizzes, one midterm, and one final exam. It will be calculated from taking the maximum of the methods defined below:
Method #1 = (30% HW) + (12.5% Quiz 1) + (12.5% Quiz 2) + (22.5% Midterm) + (22.5% Final)
Method #2 = (30% HW) + (15% for best quiz) + (27.5% Midterm) + (27.5% Final)
There will be no make-up exams. If you miss one of the quizzes, your grade will be computed using method 2. I will use the following approximate scale to compute your grade
| A+, A, A- | B+, B, B- | C+, C, C- | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90+ | 80+ | 60+ | [0,60) |
You are guaranteed this scale, that means that your grade will not be worse than specified by the above scale. There might be an adjustment (=improvement) of grades based on the overall class performance. Passing grade for P/NP is C-, i.e. you need at least overall 60% to pass this class.
Students requesting accommodations for this course due to a disability must provide a current Authorization for Accommodation (AFA) letter issued by the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) which is located in University Center 202 behind Center Hall. The AFA letter may be issued by the OSD electronically or in hard-copy; in either case, please make arrangements to discuss your accommodations with me in advance. We will make every effort to arrange for whatever accommodations are stipulated by the OSD. For more information, see here.