tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10348701.post6537145526589874945..comments2024-03-13T21:26:03.011-07:00Comments on Right on the Left Coast: Views From a Conservative Teacher: Linear AlgebraDarrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15730642770935985796noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10348701.post-45566322323535142092012-08-27T20:19:31.109-07:002012-08-27T20:19:31.109-07:00I teach my intro course using Anton's book as ...I teach my intro course using Anton's book as well, but Strang's lectures from 1999 are <a href="http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/mathematics/18-06-linear-algebra-spring-2010/video-lectures/" rel="nofollow">available via MIT OCW</a>. These are good lectures if you are following in Strang's book, which is a good book with good exercises. I would not describe it as an easy book, though.<br /><br />This is an interesting book as well: http://www.math.grinnell.edu/~herman/VLA/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10348701.post-37490033640717999042012-08-27T18:06:37.559-07:002012-08-27T18:06:37.559-07:00Darned if I remember anything from the linear alge...Darned if I remember anything from the linear algebra course I took in college. However, we did use augmented matrices to solve systems of equations in the precalc class I took in high school. I still remember how to do Gaussian reduction. I also remember finding the inverses of matrices that way. That's what comes of being so old, I guess. :) Calculators just weren't as fancy back then!<br /><br /><br />PeggyUnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10348701.post-53257842516300206002012-08-27T08:05:17.248-07:002012-08-27T08:05:17.248-07:00Real-world application: Linear Algebra is used in ...Real-world application: Linear Algebra is used in frame transformations. Here's an example.<br /><br />Suppose a plane's radar picks up a target. From the plane, the target is bearing xxx, distance yyy. Need to tell a ground-based radar to look at the target. How? xxx, yyy from the plane's location is meaningless to the ground radar, which is in a completely different location.<br /><br />Turns out, it's done via matrix multiplication. The plane's location (from gps) is known. There is a conversion matrix from that location to another frame, say Earth Centered, Earth Fixed. One matrix multiply, and now the target's location is expressed in relation to the ECEF frame. Feed that to the ground radar, it does another matrix multiply from ECEF to its known location, and poof, the ground radar now has a bearing to the target.<br /><br />All done with linear algebra. Math is fun!<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10348701.post-88339414717359655332012-08-24T20:07:58.112-07:002012-08-24T20:07:58.112-07:00I agree - Strang's books are good. I teach my...I agree - Strang's books are good. I teach my intro course out of Anton's book.Joshua Sasmorhttp://people.setonhill.edu/sasmornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10348701.post-18248579744524934382012-08-23T22:57:10.148-07:002012-08-23T22:57:10.148-07:00I like Gilbert Strang's books - both his Calcu...I like Gilbert Strang's books - both his Calculus and Linear Algebra books <br />are excellent. Check them out at MIT: http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htmAlf Tuppernoreply@blogger.com