Linear Algebra (eBook)

Linear Algebra: An Inquiry-based Approach is written to give instructors a tool to teach students to develop a mathematical concept from first principles. The Inquiry-based Approach is central to this development. The text is organized around and offers the standard topics expected in a first undergraduate course in linear algebra. In our approach, students begin with a problem and develop the mathematics necessary to describe, solve, and generalize it. Thus students learn a vital skill for the 21st century: the ability to create a solution to a problem. This text is offered to foster an environment that supports the creative process. The twin goals of this textbook are: *Providing opportunities to be creative,*Teaching "e;ways of thinking"e; that will make it easier for to be creative.To motivate the development of the concepts and techniques of linear algebra, we include more than two hundred activities on a wide range of problems, from purely mathematical questions, through applications in biology, computer science, cryptography, and more.Table of ContentsIntroduction and Features For the Student . . . and Teacher Prerequisites Suggested Sequences 1 Tuples and Vectors 2 Systems of Linear Equations 3 Transformations 4 Matrix Algebra5 Vector Spaces 6 Determinants 7 Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors 8 Decomposition 9 Extras Bibliography Index BibliographyJeff Suzuki is Associate Professor of Mathematics at Brooklyn College and holds a Ph.D. from Boston University. His research interests include mathematics education, history of mathematics, and the application of mathematics to society and technology. He is a two-time winner of the prestigious Carl B. Allendoerfer Award for expository writing. His publications have appeared in The College Mathematics Journals; Mathematics Magazine; Mathematics Teacher; and the American Mathematical Society's blog on teaching and learning mathematics. His YouTube channel (http://youtube.com/jeffsuzuki1) includes videos on mathematical subjects rangingfrom elementary arithmetic to linear algebra, cryptography, and differential equations.