Description

Book Details

With traditional linear algebra texts, the course is relatively easy for students during the early stages as material is presented in a familiar, concrete setting. However, when abstract concepts are introduced, students often hit a wall. Instructors seem to agree that certain concepts (such as linear independence, spanning, subspace, vector space, and linear transformations) are not easily understood and require time to assimilate. These concepts are fundamental to the study of linear algebra, so students’ understanding of them is vital to mastering the subject. This text makes these concepts more accessible by introducing them early in a familiar, concrete Rn setting, developing them gradually, and returning to them throughout the text so that when they are discussed in the abstract, students are readily able to understand.

About the Author

Judi J. McDonald joins the authorship team after working closely with David on the fourth edition. She holds a B.Sc. in Mathematics from the University of Alberta, and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin. She is currently a professor at Washington State University. She has been an educator and research mathematician since the early 90s. She has more than 35 publications in linear algebra research journals. Several undergraduate and graduate students have written projects or theses on linear algebra under Judi’s supervision. She has also worked with the mathematics outreach project Math Central http://mathcentral.uregina.ca/ and continues to be passionate about mathematics education and outreach. Judi has received three teaching awards: two Inspiring Teaching awards at the University of Regina, and the Thomas Lutz College of Arts and Sciences Teaching Award at Washington State University. She has been an active member of the International Linear Algebra Society and the Association for Women in Mathematics throughout her career and has also been a member of the Canadian Mathematical Society, the American Mathematical Society, the Mathematical Association of America, and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics.