This is not the webpage for the current year.

Math 152, Spring 2018 Section 206

The main website for all sections of Math 152 is here. This is your main resource for information about the course.

If you need to get ahold of me, the best way is through email: elyse@math.ubc.ca.
My office is in the Mathematics Building (behind the Koerner library), room 229F.

Office Hours

Wednesdays, 5 - 6 pm
Fridays, 1 - 3 pm
All office hours will be in the Mathematics Building, room 229F, unless otherwise mentioned. My office hours are after I teach, so if I'm a few minutes late, hang on! I'm coming.

Finals Week
Monday, April 9th, 2-5 pm: office hours MATH229F (my office, math building)
Wednesday, April 11th, 2-4 pm: office hours MATHX1118 (the math annex building)

Office hours start on the second week of classes, and end on the last day of classes. They will not be held during holidays or breaks.

Textbook

Our class uses a free online textbook, and homework consists of MatLab assignments and WebWork. Therefore, you do not need to purchase any textbook for this course.

That being said, there is an optional textbook: Introduction to Linear Algebra for Science and Engineers, by Norman. If you would like additional problems to practice, this book is a good place to start. Since we're not assigning problems out of it, it doesn't matter which edition you choose. (The second edition has another author as well, but seems more pricey.)

If you'd like a very partial list of things to memorize from the first sections, here's one. Disclaimer: this is not meant to be a complete list of topics, and is not guaranteed to be typo-free. This should be one part of your studying, together with the online notes, learning goals, lectures, and other materials from the main course website such as old exams.

Slides

My lecture slides are posted here. They will be updated from time to time. The version from class is a very large file; if you would like to print the notes to annotate in class, it's better to use the separate file formatted for this purpose.

Sections Topics Dates File: formatted for note taking File: full version from class
(caution: large files )
Introduction Wed, Jan 3 0intro.pdf
2.2, 2.3 Vectors and coordinates; geometric aspects of vectors Wed, Jan 3 - Fri, Jan 5 1vectorsprint.pdf 1vectorsfull.pdf
2.4, 2.5 Determinants, cross products, parametric equations of lines and planes Fri, Jan 5 - Mon, Jan 15 2determinants_and_planes_print.pdf 2determinants_and_planes.pdf
2.6, 3.1 Geometry of solutions of linear systems; linear dependence and independence;
solving linear systems.
Mon, Jan 15 - Fri, Jan 19 3IntroLinearSystemsPrint.pdf 3IntroLinearSystems.pdf
3.2-3.4 Solving linear systems (cont.); echelon form and rank;
homogeneous equations and relationship to linear dependence
Fri, Jan 19- Wed, Jan 24 4SolvingLinearSystemsPrint.pdf 4SolvingLinearSystems.pdf
3.5 Resistor Networks Fri, Jan 26- Wed, Jan 31 5CircuitsPrint.pdf
On Jan 26, I realized that the package I was using to draw the circuits had updated, instituting "[n]ew voltage counting direction". So... most of the voltages were BACKWARDS in the pictures. I THINK I'VE FIXED THEM ALL--but do let me know if you spot a typo!
5Circuits.pdf
3.5, 4.1, 4.2 matrix multiplication; linear transformations; rotations in 2D Fri, Feb 02 - Fri, Feb 09 6MultAnd LinTransPrint.pdf 6MultAnd LinTrans.pdf
4.2, 4.3, 4.4 Rotations, projections and reflections in 2D;
matrix representation and composition of linear transformations;
random walks; transpose
Fri, Feb 09 - Mon, Feb 26 7TransformationsRandomWalksPrint.pdf 7TransformationsRandomWalks.pdf

Video: Probability of Disjoint Events
Video: Probability Calculations in Random Walks
The anatomy of a large-scale hypertextual Web search engine, Brin and Page

4.5, 4.6 Matrix inverse; determinants Mon, Feb 26 - Mon, Mar 05 8InverseAndDeterminantPrint.pdf 8InverseAndDeterminant.pdf
5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4 Complex numbers; complex exponential and polar form Mon, Mar 05 - Fri, Mar 09 9ComplexNumbersPrint.pdf 9ComplexNumbers.pdf
ComplexDeterminantPractice.pdf
6.1 Eigenvalues and eigenvectors Mon, Mar 12- Fri, Mar 16 10EigenPrint.pdf 10Eigen.pdf
Overhead notes: complex eigenvalues
6.1, 6.2 Eigenvalues and eigenvectors, continued; powers of a matrix;
application of eigen-analysis to random walks
Fri, Mar 16 - Wed, Mar 21 11EigenWeiterDruck.pdf
EigenReviewPrint.pdf
11EigenWeiter.pdf
EigenReview.pdf
6.3 Vector differential equations Fri, Mar 23- Wed, Mar 28 12DiffEqPrint.pdf 12DiffEq.pdf

Videos: solving a linear differential equation with both real and complex eigenvalues.
Part 1: finding eigenvalues and eigenvectors
Part 2: finding the general solution

6.4 Application of vector DEs to electrical networks Wed, Apr 4 - Fri, Apr 6 13LCRPrint.pdf 13LCR.pdf

Resources

Lots of people find their first few years in university challenging. If you find yourself struggling, I hope you'll take advantage of some of the resources available to you on campus.

Help with Registration

If you have problems registering in a math course, please find the appropriate math advisor.

If you have questions related to your major, like which flavour of calculus you should be taking, OR if you have a major life event that might prevent you from completing the semester, you should talk to your faculty advisor.

Help with Course Content

It's good for your brain to work hard! But if you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, please do take advantage of some of these marvellous resources available to you.

Help with Other Issues

Student Services at UBC has a variety of programs to help you stay happy and healthy. A good place to start is here: LiveWell

UBC provides services to address, among other things: illness and injury, mental health and wellbeing, sexual assault (for people of all genders), other violence, discrimination and harrassment, diversity, disability, and ongoing medical considerations. If you have legal issues, you might be able to get help from the Law Students' Legal Advice Program. The Office of Equity and Inclusion is a good place to go if you want more information about maintaining an environment that is respectful, especially with regards to interculturality, LGBT*QIA status, race, students who are parents, etc. The Office of Access and Diversity provides disability support.

If something comes up during the semester that interferes with your academic progress (such as an illness, or caring for a loved one) contact your faculty advising office as soon as possible. You can find them here.

The province has an excellent website with information on mental health, including an online screening tool and resources: Here To Help. The Vancouver Access & Assessment Centre (AAC) is a point of entry for concerns about mental health and substance abuse, and they also have a call line if you just want to talk to someone. Education is a tool for a better life, from increased earning potential to a heightened appreciation for the beauty and complexity in the world. Your real life extends far beyond the boundaries of this campus. It's important that you don't let your education interfere with your physical or emotional health.

Addressing Issues with the Course

Full disclosure: I'm not a perfect instructor. If there's something about this course that bothers you, I'd like the chance to address it. You can contact me in person after class or during office hours, or write me an email. If you are uncomfortable discussing it with me, you can talk to the Instructor in Charge, Professor Kalle Karu: karu@math.ubc.ca.

If it isn't feasible to change the thing that's bothering you, we still might be able to come up with strategies for addressing it. At the very least, you can get an explanation of why things are the way they are.

See you in class!