Mathematics 33A Lecture 1 - Winter 2008

Linear Algebra and Applications

Course homepage: http://www.math.ucla.edu/~cmwang/33a.1.08w/index.html 

• Time and Place: MWF 8:00A-8:50A, KNSY PV 1220B.
• Instructor: Chiaming Wang (cmwang@math.ucla.edu)
• Office hours:  M 12:30P-1:30P, W 11:30A – 12:30P, F 9:00A – 10:00A in MS 5346 MS 6172.  I encourage you to talk to me during the office hours if you have any questions and/or feedback about the class.

TA (6A/6B):    HAMMOCK, FRANCES
Office hours:
TA (6C/6D): BARON, JOSHUA
Office hours:

Textbook:  O Bretscher, Linear Algebra, 3rd Ed., Prentice Hall.  We will follow this book closely. A rough course outline can be found at http://www.math.ucla.edu/ugrad/courses/math33a/index.shtml

Discussion Sessions:  

• 6A: T 8:00A-8:50A, MS 5127
• 6B: R 8:00A-8:50A, MS 5127
• 6C: T 8:00A-8:50A, BOELTER 5264
• 6D: R 8:00A-8:50A, BOELTER 5436

Student Math Center:

Student Math Center (SMC), located in MS 3974, will re-open on Wednesday, January 9, 2008.  The hours of operation are Monday through Thursday, 09:00A to 3:00P.

The SMC offers free, individual and group tutoring for all lower division math courses.  This service is available on a walk-in basis; no appointment is necessary.  Students may ask any of the TAs in attendance for assistance with math problems.

Exams:

• First Midterm:  Monday, January 28, 8:00A-8:50A
• Second Midterm: Monday, February 25, 8:00A-8:50A
• Final Exam: Friday, March 21, 8:00A-11:00A
• The exams are close book; no electronic devices (calculators) are allowed. 

Homework:

• Homework will be posted on Friday each week and be collected on Friday at the end of the class (except the 1st homework, due on Monday 1/14). I encourage you to read the course materials and do one or two homework problems before and after each lecture.
• Each weekly assignment contains the problems to be turned in and the recommended problems. Working on the recommended problems will improve your understanding on this subject and help you do well in the exams, but you don’t need to turn in those problems.
• The lowest score of the homework will be dropped for the final grading. 

Holidays:

• Martin Luther King, Jr, holiday              Monday, January 21
• Presidents’ Day holiday                         Monday, February 18

Grading:

• my.ucla.edu will be used.
• Your final grade is assigned based on the higher average of the two schemes: (1st scheme) Homework: 15%, first Midterm: 20%, second Midterm: 20%, Final: 45%. (2nd schme) Homework: 15%, higher midterm: 20%, Final: 65%.
  
• There will be no make-up exams for the midterms or final; if you miss a midterm because of an emergency reason, the weight will go to the final.
• The final is cumulative and covers all the materials.
• The grade "incomplete" will only be given in very special cases, when a student is doing well in the course, and cannot take the final for a very serious and documented reason, and contacts the instructor before the final.