Math 217 - Linear Algebra (Winter 2022)

Instructor / Office hours

Dr. Iian Smythe (smythe@umich.edu) / MW 1:00pm - 2:30pm in 4060 East Hall (tentative)

Class meetings

Section 001: MWF 8:30am-10am in B735 East Hall

Section 004: MWF 10am-11:30am in B735 East Hall

Textbooks & Resources

All material (including homework, worksheets, and other resources) will be posted on the course Canvas site, shared by all sections of Math 217.

Textbook: Otto Bretscher, Linear Algebra with Applications (5th edition), Pearson, 2013.

Course Topics and Goals:

This course is designed to give potential math majors, and those interested in mathematical theory and proof, a rigorous introduction to linear algebra. The topics we will cover are, roughly: systems of linear equations; matrix algebra; vectors, vector spaces, and their subspaces; geometry of R^n; linear dependence, bases and dimension; linear transformations; eigenvalues and eigenvectors; diagonalization; orthogonality and inner products.

We will study not only the above concepts and their applications, but also the methods by which one proves the foundational results in linear algebra. Consequently, this course has two major goals: to teach students linear algebra, and to teach students how to write rigorous mathematical proofs. Students should leave this course prepared to use linear algebra and also to succeed in subsequent

theoretical courses in mathematics.

See the course syllabus (PDF) for more detailed information on course format, evaluation, and expectations.