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Math 312: Linear Algebra; Spring 2026.




Instructor: Dr. Stefan Forcey Textbook: "Introduction to Linear Algebra with Applications." DeFranza and Gagliardi. Google play ebook or find on Amazon to rent (ISBN 9781478628309).

Course Syllabus.
The syllabus will include information about grading policies, exam schedules and policies, etc. You should definitely read it.
Here's an approximate schedule of what we'll be doing this semester. Emphasis on the "approximate".

• Jan. 12: Day one.
• Jan. 19: No class on MLK day.
• Chapter 1: Systems of Equations and Matrices
• Chapter 2: Linear Independence
• Jan. 25: Last day to drop.
• Feb. 17: No class (Tues), Pres. day.
• TEST 1. Review Questions and Review Answers

• Chapter 3 : Vector Spaces
• Mar. 1: Last day to w/draw.
• Chapter 4: Linear Transformations
• Chapter 5: Eigenvalues
• TEST 2.
Review Questions and Review Answers

• Mar. 23-27: Spring break.
• Chapter 6: Inner products
• May 1: Last day.
• Final Exam
Review Questions
    and Review Answers



Homework
There will be homework assigned weekly, and the assignments will be posted here.
They will often not be collected, but the quizzes will be based on them.
  • HW 1: not collected, Take-home quiz.
    • Section 1.1: 2, 5, 8, 9, 12, 13, 17, 19, 29, and 43 (a challenge problem).
    • Section 1.2: 6, 7, 8, 9-19 odd, 25, 26, 27, 29, 31, 37, 41, 45
    • Section 1.3: 1, 4, 5, 7, 12, 17-23 odd, 29, 33, 38

  • HW 2: not collected, Take-home quiz.
    • Section 1.4: 1-7 odd, 11, 13, 19 (a and b only), 25
    • Section 1.5: 1-21 odd, 25, 27
    • Section 1.6: 1-9 odd, 13, 17, 21, 27, 45, 47

  • HW 3: not collected. Take-home quiz.
    • Section 2.1: 1-8, 11, 13, 17-23 odd
    • Section 2.2: 1-11 odd, 13
    • Section 2.3: 1-11 odd, 17, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29


    TEST 1 Ends Here.

  • HW 4: not collected. Take-home quiz.
    • Section 3.1: 2, 9, 10, 11, 15, 17, 29
    • Section 3.2: 1-9 odd, 13, 19, 21, 25, 39, 42,
    • Section 3.3: 1-11 odd

  • HW 5: not collected.
    • Section 3.3: 13-17 odd, 23 (hint, the dimension of the subspace S is two, but why? What’s a basis?), 37
    • Section 3.4: 1-9 (all), 15, 17, 21, 23

  • HW 6: not collected.
    • Section 4.1: 1-6, 9, 13, 15, 17, 19, 23, 29, 33
    • Section 4.2: 3, 7, 9, 11, 15, 19, 21, 25, 29, 31
    • Section 4.3: 2-6 all, 7, 9, 13, 15, 23, 27, 32, 33
    • Section 4.4: 3, 5-9 odd, 13, 17, 23, 25, 29


  • HW 7: not collected.
    • Section 4.5: 3, 5, 11, 13


    TEST 2 Ends Here.

  • HW 8: not collected.
    • Section 5.1: 1-15 odd, 31 (hint: think geometrically!), 35
    • Section 5.2: 3, 5-15 odd, 21, 23, 27, 37



  • Tutoring Bierce library math lab (lower floor, look for chalkboards!)
  • Many more hours available: tutoring in the math lab(s).

  • For integration, you can't beat wolfram alpha , which now offers great step-by-step solutions to ODE's!
    (with free account sign-up.) There is a lot of information with each solution,
    including graphs of the entire family of specific solutions.

    Here is a function whose power series has coefficients the triangular numbers, n choose 2.


  • Philosophy of Math: Plato vs Aristotle
    Unreasonable effectiveness: the story.
    More--Tegmark's response.
    A book about Aristotle's view.


    CREDIT:
    The text of this page was adapted, with permission, from an original course site by J.P. Cossey.