General description: Basic concepts of linear algebra: vector spaces, applications to line and plane geometry, linear equations and matrices, similar matrices, linear transformations, eigenvalues, determinants and quadratic forms.

Lectures:    MWF 9:00am - 9:50am
Room:         ARM 0126
Instructor:   Dr. Kasso Okoudjou
Office :         MTH 4116 (Mathematics Building);
Office Phone:  301-405-5081;
email:             kasso@math.umd.edu
Office Hours: Monday & Wednesday 10:00am - 11:00am; Friday 11:00am - 12:00pm, or by appointment

Texts::   Lay, Linear Algebra and Its Applications, 3rd ed., Addison-Wesley, 2003
                    Lay, Study Guide, 3rd ed. (for Linear Algebra and Its Applications)

Course web page: http://www.math.umd.edu/~kasso/math240.html

Tentative Course, Homework & Quizz Schedule: Schedule

Exam Schedule:

Exam	Date	Room	Material Covered
Exam 1	Friday, September 22	ARM 0126; (in class)	1.1-1.5, 1.7-1.10
Exam 2	Friday, October 13	ARM 0126; (in class)	2.1-2.4, 2.6, 2.7; 3.1-3.3
Exam 3	Wednesday, November 8	ARM 0126; (in class)	4.1-4.7, 4.9
Exam 4	Wednesday, November 29	ARM 0126; (in class)	5.1-5.6, 6.1-6.2
Final Exam	Thursday, Dec 14; 1:30pm - 3:30pm	Sections 0131 & 0141 ( D. Aulicino): JMZ 0220 Sections 0112 & 0122 (G. Liu): MCB 1207 Sections 0111 & 0121 (X. Song): ASY 2203	Comprehensive
Alternate Final Exam I	Friday, Dec 15; 12pm-2pm	MATH 0102	Comprehensive
Alternate Final Exam II	Monday, Dec 18; 11am - 1pm	CHE 2118	Comprehensive

Management of the course will be conducted with the help of WebCT, a course-management program adopted by the University of Maryland. Each registered student has a password-protected WebCT page that contains all pertinent information about the course: the complete syllabus, schedule of lectures and quizzes, list of homework assignments, and exam review sheets. To login to WebCT go to the University's WebCT course page: www.courses.umd.edu, click on myWebCT@Maryland. For help with WebCT (including a student manual), go to the web site and click on Student Resources.

Homework: Homework is THE MOST IMPORTANT part of class, and even if you think you understand the book/lectures you really don't until you have worked out examples on your own. Moreover, success in the course is highly correlated with regular attendance and punctual completion of homework. The homework assignment sheet lists the due dates for each assignment. Homework should be written neatly and are to be turned in at the end of recitation on their due date. NO LATE HOMEWORK WILL BE ACCEPTED. Homework should be done daily at the same pace as the lectures. You may consult other students regarding your homework, but the final write-up should be done on your own (in other words, no copying). Copying solutions from each other violates University of Maryland, College Park's Code of Academic Integrity and is strictly prohibited; see the Student Honors Council web site for more information about the Code of Academic Integrity of the University of Maryland, College Park. You must write your name, and section number at the top of each homework. The papers must be stapled or placed in a binder. Loose papers cannot be accepted. If you expect to miss a recitation class, you may give your homework to a classmate to turn in. A missing homework counts as zero. The two lowest homework grades will be dropped from the final "homework" total.

Online Quizzes: An important use of WebCT will be to administer online open-book quizzes, to help you learn the course material. Most quiz questions can be answered by reading the text carefully, word by word. The schedule of lectures shows the tentative date each quiz is to be completed and identifies the text section on which the quiz is based. Each quiz is available on WebCT any time between the end of one lecture and fifteen minutes before the next lecture. Once you start a quiz, you will have twenty minutes in which to complete it. If your internet connection fails, sign on again immediately in order to complete the quiz within the 20 minutes. After you read each question, select an answer and "save" it. You may change an answer and resave it at any time until you press Finish. After that, press Display Results. WebCT will grade your quiz and display the results, with comments about each question. The quizzes are conducted on the honor system. No two students will have exactly the same quiz, but the questions will be similar and cover the same basic material.
To help you learn the quiz system, you may take each of the first two quizzes two times each, with only the higher scores counted. In addition, you should take a survey before the second lecture (Sept. 1). In WebCT, click the "Quiz and Survey" button. At the top of the list of quizzes, click on "Survey 1".
Each quiz and survey counts 5 points. Makeup quizzes will not be given, but the two lowest quiz grades will be dropped from the final "quiz" total.

Grading:   The final grade will be based on 800 points: four hour exams at 100 points each, quizzes 100 points, homework 100 points, and final exam 200 points. Tentavively letter grade will be assigned according to the following scheme: 720 (A), 640 (B), 560 (C), and 480 (D).

Student Conduct Code The University of Maryland, College Park has a nationally recognized Code of Academic Integrity, administered by the Student Honor Council. This Code sets standards for academic integrity at Maryland for all undergraduate and graduate students. As a student you are responsible for upholding these standards for this course. It is very important for you to be aware of the consequences of cheating, fabrication, facilitation, and plagiarism. For more information on the Code of Academic Integrity or the Student Honor Council, please visit the Student Honors Council web site.

If you need accommodations because of a disability, please inform me immediately.