Math 18 - Linear Algebra

Lecture B, Summer Session 1 2021

Lectures

MTuWTh 2pm-3:20pm PDT RCLAS

Lecture videos and discussion recordings will be available on Canvas.

The tentative plan is to offer pre-recorded lectures and the regular lecture hours will be mostly discussions in a more casual form. Watching lecture videos before the regular lecture hours are encouraged but not mandatory.

Discussions

Supplemental Instructions

SI leader: Quinn Nguyen. qnnguyen "at" ucsd.edu

SI sessions: TuTh 4:30-5:50pm. See Zoom links in "Supplemental Instruction" on Canvas.

Textbook

Linear Algebra and Its Applications (Sixth Edition), David C. Lay, Judi J. McDonald and Steven R. Lay. Pearson 2021, ISBN-10: 0135851157, ISBN-13: 978-0135851159.

(The fifth edition is also fine, as it essentially has the same contents.)

MyLab is not required as we are using traditional homework style. All the homework problems will be typed up.

Course Description

We aim to cover Chapter 1-6 of the textbook.

Topics will include: Matrix algebra, Gaussian elimination, determinants. Linear and affine subspaces, bases of Euclidean spaces. Eigenvalues and eigenvectors, quadratic forms, orthogonal matrices, diagonalization of symmetric matrices. Applications. Solve real-life problems using MATLAB.

Students may not receive credit for both Math 18 and 31AH.

Instructor and TAs

Instructor: Zilu Ma. zim022 "at" ucsd.edu

Office hours: TuTh 7-8pm PDT. See Zoom link on Canvas

TA (B01, B02): Hangran Zhang. haz355 "at" ucsd.edu

Office hours: M 5-6 pm PDT. See Zoom link on Canvas

TA (B03, B04): Yifan Xiao. yix001 "at" ucsd.edu

Office hours: Th 6-7pm PDT. The Zoom link is the same as discussion B03, B04 on Canvas.

Homework

Homework will be in the forms of old-fashioned paper-and-pen and they should be submitted to Gradescope.

Here is a video showing how to submit your work, and you can read detailed instructions here.

Exams

We will have three exams in total. The two midterms will be 60 minutes long and the final will be old-fashioned 3 hours. Tentatively, each midterm will be offered in two different time slots. One will be during the lecture 2-3pm and the other one is 9-10pm (tentative). For the final, we will make a survey to decide on the other time slot different from the assigned 3-6pm. Please understand that the exams for different time slots will be different but are on the same difficulty level. For each exam, you can feel free to pick one (and only one) time slot to take it.

Follow-up AI checks via Zoom: Our TAs will pay attention to any possible signs of academic misconduct during grading the exam. Any student may be asked to a follow-up Zoom meeting in which they will be asked to justify their work on the exam and show that it was their own work. If the follow-up is unconvincing, or the student is unable or unwilling to engage, their exam will be forwarded to the AI Office for further evaluation.

MATLAB

In applications of linear algebra, the theoretical concepts that you will learn in lecture are used together with computers to solve large scale problems. Thus, in addition to your written homework, you will be required to do homework using the computer language MATLAB.

The Math 18 MATLAB Assignments page contains all information relevant to the MATLAB component of Math 18, including due dates.

MATLAB HW due dates are the same as regular assignments and please submit them to the correct Gradescope page.

You can make use of UCSD's MATLAB site license to install MATLAB on your own computer by visiting the MATLAB for UCSD Students page. Questions regarding the MATLAB assignments should be directed to MATLAB TA . Remember to include which class you are in (Math 18 B00) because the MATLAB TA coordinates the MATLAB part for all Math 18 and 20D classes.

Grading

Your final grades will be determined by your cumulative average using the following grading scheme, and will be based on the following cutoffs.

30% Homework, 30% Best Midterm, 30% Final Exam, 6% MATLAB HW, 4% MATLAB Final Quiz.

 A+   A   A-   B+   B   B-   C+   C   C- 
 97   93   90   87   83   80   77   73   70 

Course policies

  • The lowest regular homework score will be dropped.
  • The lowest MATLAB homework score will be dropped.
  • There will be a one-hour grace period for each assignment for you to upload or to handle some other technical issues. No later submissions will be accepted.
  • No make-up exams will be given in this course.
  • It is your responsibility to ensure that you do not have a schedule conflict involving the exams. You should not enroll in this class if you cannot sit for the exams at their scheduled time.
  • Your assignments and exams will be graded through Gradescope. You will be able to request regrades directly from your TAs through Gradescope during a specific period. Be sure to make your request within the period; no regrade requests will be accepted after the deadline. Note: Your grader will consider your regrade request only if you have explained clearly, thoroughly, and politely why you think an error in grading was made.
  • If you have any math questions, please feel free to ask me anytime. You can post your question on Piazza, or talk to me before lectures, in office hours, or reach me by email. (Since I receive lots of emails every day, please first consider to post your question on Piazza, so that our TAs and I can help you in a timely manner. If you want to talk to me, feel free to drop by my office hours.)
  • Homework policies

  • You should complete your homework on your own. You can discuss about the problems but you cannot copy others' work or let others copy your work. Any sign of violation of academic integrity will be reported to the AI office.
  • You can either access Gradescope on Canvas or directly go the the Gradescope office website. Submissions should be PDF files.
  • Remember to assign correct pages when submitting. If your solution to a single problem consists of a few pages, assign all of them. Otherwise graders will have to scroll up and down to look for your answers. Points will be deducted if failing to assign pages.
  • If your homework is handwritten, you must upload a scanned document.
  • You may type your homework (using LaTeX, for example) and save your file as a PDF.
  • You may write your solutions using a tablet device.
  • You can do the submission several times before the deadline and the latter submission will automatically overwrite the former submission.
  • Exam policies

  • You may use your notes and the textbook during exams. No other form of assistance is allowed (e.g. discussion with others, internet resources, software, etc.) But of course you can use MATLAB during your MATLAB quiz.
  • The exam periods will be slightly longer for you to upload your work or handle some other technical issues.
  • As mentioned above, there will be a follow-up checks for any possible violation of academic integrity. If the follow-up is unconvincing, or the student is unable or unwilling to engage, their exam will be forwarded to the AI Office for further evaluation.