I'm trying to self-study LA this year. For anyone who has used Hoffman and Kunze's LA text, would you recommend it as an introduction to LA? Thanks.
qspeechc
Aug21-08, 04:58 PM
Depends. If you're a mathematics major it's worth reading, if not, stick to the recommended book or course notes. I haven't read it completely, I've read bits of it, and it's at a slightly higher level than my 1st LA course was. Don't expect it to walk you through proofs though.
cordyceps
Aug22-08, 12:09 AM
I'm just trying to learn by myself- first time dealing with linear algebra.
here is one more free one from me:
it assumes you know about row reduction of matrices, and covers all the higher level stuff.
the new notes for my summer course 4050 in advanced linear algebra are up on my webpage. they cover jordan and generalized jordan form, duality, spectral theorems, determinants, finite abelian groups, and constant coefficient linear ode's. they are an expansion to 68 pages of my 14 page linear algebra primer. they are much more explanatory. still they cover in 68 pages more than most books do in several hundred pages. i hope they are readable. there is a table of contents. the introduction got omitted from the notes but appears on the webpage. enjoy!
cordyceps
Aug28-08, 10:58 PM
Thanks guys. I think your notes, mathwonk, are too advanced for me right now, but I'll be sure to check them out when I get there. Thanks again.
atyy
Aug29-08, 04:50 AM
I learnt linear algebra on my own from Schaum's series "Outline of Linear Algebra" by Seymour Lipschutz. That was about 20 years ago, so I don't know if the latest edition is just as good. It's very introductory, lots of worked examples, after reading even half of it you will deceive yourself that you can do any problem in linear algebra. It's enough linear algebra, say, for a typical undergraduate course in quantum mechanics.