Mathematics 54, Spring 2023

TuTh 9:30-11, Wheeler 150


Syllabus:  Basic linear algebra; matrix arithmetic and determinants. Vector spaces; inner product spaces. Eigenvalues and eigenvectors; linear transformations, symmetric matrices. Systems of first order linear ODE: reduction of higher order equations to single order systems, homogeneous constant coefficient equations using eigenvalues.


Professor  John Lott
Telephone: (510) 642-1299
email: lott@math.berkeley.edu
Office: 897 Evans Hall
Office hours: TuTh 2-3
Course webpage:
/~lott/math542023.html

Course postings:

Lecture recordings, along with any lecture notes, homework solutions or test solutions, will be posted on the class bCourses page.


Enrollment questions: You MUST attend the section for which you are registered.

I have no control over enrollment issues. Information about enrollment is at
https://math.berkeley.edu/courses/enrollment/enrollment-scheduling


Prerequisites: 1A-1B or 10A-10B or equivalent.

Textbook: Berkeley Custom Edition of Linear Algebra and Differential Equations, 2nd edition. This can be ordered from Pearson at http://www.pearsoncustom.com/ca/ucb_math054/ by clicking on Purchase Access.

The book consists of selected chapters from "Linear Algebra and its Applications", 5th and 6th editions, by Lay-Lay-McDonald, and "Fundamentals of Differential Equations", 9th edition, by Nagle-Saff-Snider

The custom edition mentioned above is at a reduced price. If you already bought an earlier edition of the book then you're probably OK, but you should be aware that some of the exercise numbers may be different.

Class meetings and sections: The class meets in Wheeler 150 during 9:30-11am on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you take this course you are expected to attend lectures, enroll in and attend one of the discussion sections listed below, do the homework each week, and take quizzes, the midterm and the final. All discussion sections meet MWF.

Section Time Place Instructor
201
 8am
 EVAN81
T. Schang
202
 8am
 EVAN75
G. Brown
203
 9am
 EVAN81
 T. Schang
204
 9am
 EVAN85
A. Bardalai
205
 10am
 EVAN71
N. Eagles
206
 10am
 EVAN85
 V. Ginsburg
207
 11am
 EVAN71
H. Halabieh
208
 11am
 EVAN75
 A. Rosevear
209
 12pm
 WHLR124
A. Marshall-Christensen
   210
 12pm
 EVAN6
E. Kienzle
   211
 12pm
 WHLR104
H. Halabieh
   212
 10am
 EVAN732
A. Bardalai
   213
 1pm
 EVAN2
O. Silier
   214
 9am
 EVAN6
R. Schutz
   215
 2pm
 DWIN258
O. Silier
   216
 9am
 EVAN2
N. Eagles
   217
 3pm
 DWIN283
S. Taylor
   218
 10am
 EVAN87
R. Schutz
   219
 4pm
 DWIN228
S. Taylor
   220
 10am
 EVAN75
A. Rosevear
   221
 5pm
 EVAN2
A. Zhu
   222
 11am
 EVAN85
E. Kienzle
   223
 11am
 ETCH3119
A. Marshall-Christensen
   224
 9am
 EVAN71
G. Brown
   225
 9am
 EVAN3
V. Ginsburg
   226
 6pm
 ETCH3105
A. Zhu
You can attend the office hours of any of the GSIs, although priority will be given to students in one of their given sections.
G. Brown, M 10-12, 1068 Evans
V. Ginsburg, MW 11-12, 1066 Evans
A. Rosevear, M 1-2 and W 3-4, 828 Evans
A. Zhu, M 3-4 and Tu 4-5, 720 Evans
O. Silier, M 3-4 in 959 Evans, F 12-1 in 961 Evans
E. Kienzle, M 4-5 and F 1-2, 836 Evans
R. Schuetz, Tu 10-11 in 1042 Evans, W 11-12 in 961 Evans
T. Schang, Tu 11-12 and W 10-11, 844 Evans
H. Halabieh, Tu 11:30-1:30, 720 Evans
S. Taylor, Tu Th 2-3, 850 Evans
N. Eagles, WTh 1-2, 854 Evans
A. Marshall-Christensen, Th 11-1, 1039 Evans
A. Bardalai. F 2-4, 1062 Evans


Exams:

For the midterm, you can bring a 3"x5" card with notes handwritten on both sides in a normal size. (No magnifying glasses.) For the final, you can bring an 8"x11" sheet of paper with notes handwritten on both sides in a normal size. No other notes, books or electronic devices are permitted. For the midterm and final exams, bring pencils/pens/erasers. Exam books and blank scratch paper are NOT needed or permitted. All work will be done in booklets provided by me. Scratchwork can be done in that booklet, either on a blank page provided at the end of the booklet, or on backs of any pages.

In general, you are not required to simplify arithmetic expressions which arise on exams. Do not multiply out or divide out expressions involving decimals. 7/9 is a better answer than 0.77777... with infinitely many dots, while a rounded approximation such as 0.77 is not equal to 7/9 and thus would not be completely correct. Expressions such as pi, e, and the square root of two should be left as is, not approximated by decimals. Expressions which can obviously simplified, such as 32/64 or the square root of 9, should be simplied. Algebraic expressions should be simplified where possible.

You should understand the statements of any theorems. You do not have to memorize the proofs.

For some exam problems, boxes will be provided in which answers are to be written. This is done in order to eliminate miscommunication and facilitate grading. Please write your final answer in the box in order to receive full credit.

Partial credit will be given where appropriate.

Grades for exams or quizzes can only be changed if there is a clear error on the part of the grader, such as adding up marks incorrectly or forgetting to grade a question. If you write a correct answer for a (non-T/F) problem but your reasoning is incorrect or nonexistent then you will not get credit for it.

If you don't understand why you lost points on a question then you are welcome to ask, but the number of points deducted will not be changed unless there is a clear error as mentioned above. This is because we grade all the exams together according to the same standards, so changing the grading scale for an individual student would be unfair to everyone else.

Exams will not be conducted remotely. There will be no makeup exams or quizzes. If you now have a final exam conflict because of the change of format of the class, let me know.               

Exam Date Material covered
Midterm   March 21, 9:30-11AM, 150 Wheeler
 up to and including 4.6
Final Exam   May 10, 11:30AM-2:30PM
  Everything




GSI Location of Final
  Halabieh, Schang
  220 Hearst Gym
  Bardalai, Marshall-Christensen
  237 Hearst Gym
  Brown, Kienzle, Taylor
 1 Pimentel
  Eagles, Ginsburg, Rosevear, Silier, Schutz, Zhu
 Recreational Sport Facility Fieldhouse

Grading:

  At the end of the term you will have five subscores, one for each of the following: previous work, homework, quizzes, the midterm and the final exam.

Work completed from previous instructors: 10%
Homework: 10%, 3 lowest scores dropped
Quizzes: 20%, 2 lowest scores dropped
Midterm: 25%
Final: 35%

Many students have completed work from the previous instructors. It is unreasonable for your GSIs to continue to grade and collect work from the previous instructors, so all students will automatically get credit for this, which will amount to 10% of the total score.

Your quiz score, your homework score, your midterm score and your final score will be individually curved. After that, you can replace your midterm score with your final score. I will do this for you automatically.

The grading will be based on a curve. However, I retain the right to determine what grade corresponds to the middle of the curve. (This can be to your advantage.) As a guideline, in recent years the average grade for Math 54 was a B. The grade distribution was roughly as follows: 35% A, 35% B, 20% C and 10% D/F.

Very important:

In computing the total quiz subscore, the lowest two quizzes will be dropped.

You can replace your midterm score with your final score.

Before computing the grades, each exam (the midterm and the final) will be separately curved. In addition, the total quiz scores will be curved by GSI, so that all of the GSI's will have the same average quiz scores. This will be done to ensure fairness, as some GSIs may grade more easily or more harshly than others, and may give easier or harder quizzes.

Grades of I (incomplete) are permitted only in exceptional circumstances such as serious illness, and are subject to university regulations, which require that one have kept up with coursework until such circumstances had arisen, and maintained a passing grade on work completed. Incompletes will rarely be given for nonmedical reasons. To make up an incomplete, one ordinarily takes the final exam for another Math 54 class, taught by a different instructor, at the end of a subsequent semester.

Homework:

The homework will be entered on Gradescope. The assignments for the material covered in class on given Tuesdays and Thursdays will be due at 11:59PM of the following Sunday. There will be a "late submission'' leeway of an hour which should not be abused. (Homework will be due on the Sunday 4/2 after spring break, rather than the Sunday 3/26 before spring break.)

You are encouraged to collaborate with other students on the homework but you must write up your own solutions and write the names of your collaborators at the top of the assignment.

Quizzes:

There will be a quiz each Monday during 25 minutes of the discussion section, except for February 6, February 20, March 20 and April 3. You MUST take the quiz in the discussion section for which you are enrolled. Quizzes will be written by your GSI. Most of the quiz questions will be on material covered the previous week in class. Up to one quiz question may be drawn from earlier assignments, to make sure that you are remembering what you've learned. The lowest two quiz scores will be dropped. No calculators or cheatsheets will be allowed on quizzes.

Getting help:

We will use Ed Discussion. Your use of it is completely voluntary. No important announcements will be made through Ed Discussion. Postings can be anonymous to your classmates (but not to me). Posting homework answers is not allowed.

Additional help:

I encourage you to check out the Student Learning Center (SLC). Click here to see their Math 54 services. In particular, there will be drop-in tutoring M-TH 12-6PM; here is the weekly schedule. In addition, you can see the links to topic reviews and there will be exam reviews.

General information concerning the syllabus:

  1. You are requested to do the assigned reading before each lecture. Note that mathematical texts are not meant to be read like novels: very often you will come across passages that must be read many times before they make sense to you. In fact, you may find yourself stuck on one sentence for 30 minutes or longer. This does not happen often, but when it does, don't be unduly alarmed. Being stuck means that there is probably a gap in your understanding. Just be glad you find this out now instead of during an exam.
  2. Never fall behind in this course, either in the reading assignments or in the homework assignments. Mathematics has the peculiar characteristic that each step is built on the preceding one, so the failure to understand one step would likely mean the failure to understand all the steps that follow.
  3. Problem sets get rather heavy at times. This is intentional. Sometimes there is simply no substitute for repetitive drills.
  4. Any necessary announcements will be made in class and/or on bspace.

Things to know:

  • Do not take this class if you have a conflict in the final exam schedule (check the "exam group numbers'' of your classes in the Final Exam Schedule). This class is in exam group 10: Wednesday, May 10, 11:30am-2:30pm. If you have a final exam conflict because of the change in format of the class, please contact me.
  • This is a very large class, so your best resources for most math questions will be your discussion section instructors and the Ed Discussion forum, where you can post questions to be answered by the instructors and your fellow students.
  • Lecture recordings and notes will be posted on bCourses.

    Weekly lecture schedule and homework:

    Following is the list of weekly topics. The lectures do not cover all the course material, so you also need to read and understand the sections from the book. Reading ahead of the lectures will help a lot.

    I cannot promise that I am going to cover all topics with the same level of detail. You are responsible for all of the material in the sections listed below, unless otherwise stated.

    Reading the book CAREFULLY (there is no other way to read mathematics or science) is necessary to master this material. A good approach is to try to explain the material to your friends: only then will you realize that this is good for you, too. I encourage you to form discussion groups.



    		Date
    		Content
    		  Homework Assignment
    1
    		 2/7,2/9
    		 Lay, Ch. 1.1,1.2, 1.3  1.1: 1,5,7,13,19,24,38; 1.2:1,5,7,11,19,35,38,42; 1.3:1,5,7,11,15,22,33
    2
    		2/14,2/16
    		 Lay, Ch. 1.4,1.5,1.7,1.8 1.4: 1,5,7,9,11,17,18,39; 1.5:1,5,9,18,41; 1.7:1,5,11,17,29,39,42; 1.8:1,3,9,15,19,41,44
    3
    		2/21,2/23
    		 Lay, Ch. 1.9,2.1,2.2 1.9:1,5,9,15; 2.1: 1,3,7,11,31,35; 2.2:1,7,23,31,48
    4
    		2/28,3/2
    		 Lay, Ch. 2.3,3.1,3.2,3.3 2.3:1,3,7,21,23,27,38; 3.1:1,5,9,13,19,20,43; 3.2: 1,2,5,7,11,19,21,37,39,40,41; 3.3:3,7,13,21,32
    5
    		3/7,3/9
    		 Lay, Ch. 4.1,4.2,4.3 4.1:1,3,9,13,40;  4.2:1,3,5,7,9,23; 4.3: 3,7,13,15,42
    6
    		3/14,3/16
    		 Lay, Ch. 4.4,4.5,4.6 4.4: 1,3,7,23,31; 4.5: 3,7,9,13,32,41; 4.6: 3,5,9,15
    7
    		 3/23
    		 Lay, Ch. 5.1,5.2 5.1:1,5,7,9,13,17; 5.2:3,9,11,15,19
    8
    		 4/4,4/6
    		 Lay, Ch. 5.3,5.4,5.5 5.3:1,3,5,7,11,17; 5.4: 1,3,5,11; 5.5: 1,3,7,13,15
    9
    		4/11,4/13
    		 Lay, Ch. 6.1,6.2,6.3 6.1: 1,5,7,22,24; 6.2: 5,7,9,13,15; 6.3:1,3,9,11,17
    10
    		 4/18,4/20
    		 Lay, Ch. 6.4,6.5,6.7 6.4:1,3,5,9; 6.5:1,3,9,11; 6.7:1,5,7,11,16
    11
    		 4/25,4/27
    		 Lay, Ch. 7.1,5.7 7.1:3,5,9,17; 5.7:1,3,4,9,10
    -- 5/10
    		  Final Exam, 11:30AM-2:30PM
    Location listed above

    Discussion sections:

    Any Wednesday or Friday discussion section will mostly be devoted to the material covered in the previous lecture.

    Below is the topic of the discussion section on any given day. The quiz will cover material as described above under "Quizzes".






    1
    		 2/6: complex numbers
    		2/8: 1.1 2/10: 1.2,1.3
    2
    		2/13: recap + quiz
    		 2/15: 1.4, 1.5 2/17: 1.7, 1.8
    3
    		2/20: holiday!
    		 2/22: 1.9 2/24: 2.1,2.2
    4
    		2/27: recap + quiz
    		3/1: 2.3,3.l 3/3: 3.2,3.3
    5
    		3/6: recap + quiz
    		3/8: 4.1 3/10: 4.2,4.3
    6
    		3/13: recap + quiz
    		 3/15: 4.4 3/17: 4.5,4.6
    7
    		 3/20: midterm review
    		3/22: midterm recap 3/24: 5.1,5.2
    8
    		 4/3: recap
    		4/5: 5.3 4/7: 5.4,5.5
    9
    		4/10: recap + quiz
    		 4/12: 6.1 4/14: 6.2,6.3
    10
    		 4/17: recap + quiz
    		 4/19: 6.4 4/21: 6.5,6.7
    11
    		 4/24: recap + quiz
    		4/26: 7.1 4/28: 5.7

    Classroom conduct:

    Please do not use electronic devices (smartphones, iPads, laptops) during class, unless you are using an iPad-like device to take notes or you have DSP accommodations.

    Some words of advice:

    The class will be much easier for you if you try to understand the material, rather than depending just on memorization. The exams will test both your ability to perform computations and your understanding of the material.

    The material in this class is, for most students taking 54, the bread and butter for many other classes to come later. We will cover many topics in the semester and the pace will be VERY DEMANDING.

    You can replace your midterm score with your final score. Because of this, you may be tempted to blow off the midterm and plan to make it up on the final. Bad idea. THIS NEVER WORKS. You will want to keep up at all times.

    Special accomodations:

    Efforts will be made to accommodate students with special needs. Students requiring special examination arrangements or note takers should please consult the DSP office and notify their GSIs. I should be notified by DSP at two weeks before any exam, so that appropriate accommodations can be arranged in time. If this deadline is not met then we may not be able to provide accommodations.

    Health statement:

    Do not go to class, discussion section or office hours if you feel sick or do not meet the university health requirements. You don't want to infect your fellow students, just as you don't want them to infect you.

    Academic Honesty Policy:

    Collaboration on the homework assignments is welcome. (This is a good way to learn the material.) So is the consultation of other sources, such as other textbooks. However, each student has to write up and submit their own set of solutions.

    Some professors don't care if students cheat. I care. Any evidence of cheating on an exam or quiz will result in a score of zero (0). Cheating on the final exam results in an F for the course. Cheating includes but is not limited to bringing notes or written or electronic materials into an exam or quiz, copying off of another person's exam or quiz, allowing someone to copy off of your exam or quiz, and having someone take an exam or quiz for you. Incidences of cheating will be reported to Student Judicial Affairs, which may take further action.

    Ed Discussion:

    Before you post a question, consider the following:

    • Is your question answered in the syllabus, textbook, or lecture notes? No need to post; just look it up yourself! If you have checked those resources and found an answer you don’t understand, it’s totally fine to ask for clarification, just be specific about where you looked and what is unclear.

    • Has someone else already asked about the same problem? Scan/search for related questions before you post, and read the posted answers to see if they help with your issue (or wait for posted answers).

    • If you determine you really do have a new question, include the following info: which homework set or reading assignment it’s from and which problem it is (including the problem number and statement). We are not mind readers, and we don’t carry our books everywhere we go. Describe what you have tried already, and where you are stuck. We are happiest to help students who are trying to help themselves first.

    • If you are really struggling with trying to even articulate what it is you don’t understand, probably it is best to go see someone in person during office hours or at the SLC.

    Also:

    • Note that you can post anonymously on Ed Discussion (many people appreciate this if they are feeling self-conscious about their questions), but you are only anonymous to other students; the GSIs and I can see who you are.

    • If your account does not show your full name, it may be disabled.

    • Please keep in mind that students come into this class from vastly different backgrounds and with very different goals. Things that are easy for you may not be easy for others. Remember to be kind in your responses. If you are disrespectful to other students, your account may be disabled.

    • Please feel free to discuss current homework assignments with each other on Ed Discussion, but DO NOT post any complete solutions for homework sets until after the due date. Just give hints or ideas for what to try next.

    • It is essential to explicitly say what your question is. In figuring out how to phrase your question or describe your work, you will often discover the answer yourself.

    • Ed Discussion is not a proofreading service. Do not post questions of the form “Here’s is my work. Where’s the error?” It is fine to bring this sort of thing to office hours if you are having trouble spotting your own mistakes, but it’s super tedious on Ed Discussion. (In OH, you’ll be asked to explain what you tried, and often that will help you find your own errors.)

    • We don’t guarantee that we’ll be checking Ed Discussion at any particular time. Don’t put homework off to the last minute and expect to get help in time. You might get lucky, but you might not.