This is the course webpage for MATH 125, Section B1, Fall 2012.
Here is some information on MyMathLab. Further details, including the course ID, will follow.
Required textbook: Please see Bear Tracks for the book and edition.
Why study linear algebra? The subject of linear algebra has something for everyone who is interested in mathematics or science. For those who are looking for ways to apply mathematics to their own studies, such as in the physical sciences or statistics, linear algebra will provide a nice toolkit with which to begin tackling certain important problems. If you like the basics covered in Linear Algebra I (MATH 125) enough to take Linear Algebra II (MATH 225) afterwards, then you will have the opportunity to think more about how these tools can be applied. (For example, have you ever wondered how one finds the line of best fit through a set of data points, without just guessing? Take MATH 225 to find out!)
If you see yourself pursuing mathematics for its own sake, then this course will serve as a starting point for thinking in a relatively modern way about the incredible structure that is common in so much of mathematics. The fundamental ideas behind linear algebra reappear in the ubiquitous subject of abstract algebra, which sees groups, rings, fields, modules (and more) working hard to place a whole host of mathematical problems in a manageable setting.
While MATH 125 is introductory, you will have plenty of opportunity to think hard about linear algebra if you so choose; there is no shortage of problems available to expand your understanding!