MATH 115A/4 Winter 2023
Time: MWF 11-12:00PM
Place: Geology 4645
Instructor: Sorin Popa, office MS7907
Office hours: Tue 1-2pm in MS7907; Thu 1-3pm on Zoom (link to be provided)
Text Book: ''Linear Algebra, 5th edition'' by Friedberg, Insel, Spence
Syllabus: See here
Grading Policy: Your
grade in this class is based on your performance on
the assignments and exams. It will not be based on your ranking
relative to your classmates,
and it will not be based on any sort of quota of how many students
receive each letter grade.
In particular, grading in this class is not competitive. If every
single student performs at
an A level, then every single student will receive an A.
At the end of the quarter, your course average will be computed
as the maximum of the
following two schemes:
Scheme 1: 20% Homework, 20%
each Midterm, 40% Final;
Scheme 2: 20% Homework, Highest of the two
midterms 30%, 50% Final exam: 40% 50%
Note that you do not need
to choose one of these two schemes. I will calculate your average
according to both of them,
and automatically choose the one that gives you the higher course
average. In short, if you
must miss one of the midterms, the second grading scheme will
ensure that this doesn’t harm
your grade.
Homework: Homework sets will be assigned roughly each week on Wed (due next Wed, one week after being assigned; you will directly submit HW to Gradescope by 6pm that day). HW assignments will be posted on the Bruin Learn course website. Most homework problems will be taken from the textbook, but sometimes I will write up additional problems. Each homework assignment will be weighted the same amount, for a total of 20% of your grade, and your lowest two homework scores will be dropped. This way, if there is one week when you are unable to complete the homework for whatever reason, it will not hurt your grade. IMPORTANT aspect: late homework will not be accepted! Gradescope will be set up so that you’ll only have until 6pm on the due date to upload your HW.
Midterms: There will
be two midterms, and a final exam. The dates
for the midterms are below; these dates are tentative. I will not
give make-ups for missed
midterms, but if you must miss one midterm, your grade will be
computed using the second
grading scheme above. The date of the final exam, listed below,
was set by the university
months in advance, and cannot be changed. In accordance with
university policies, you
must take the final exam in order to pass the class. Make-ups for
the final exam are
permitted only under exceptional circumstances, as outlined in the
UCLA student handbook.
If you have a conflict with any of these exam dates, let me know
as soon as possible, by the
end of week two at the latest.
Midterm 1: Wed, Feb 1st, 11:00–11:50 AM
Midterm 2: Wed, March 1st, 11:00–11:50 AM
Final exam: Thursday March 23, 8-11AM