Chapter discussion in Boas

[anirudh215]

I find that Chapter 3(Linear Algebra) in Boas is not very clear in certain areas. Could someone please recommend a book which does so more clearly?

[dx]

'A Survey of Modern Algebra' by Garrett Birkhoff and Saunders Mac Lane has a really good treatment of linear algebra. Anything particular that you didn't find clear in Boas' treatment, or the whole topic of linear algebra?

[anirudh215]

She uses vectors to find distances between planes and such. Example given a plane 3x + 4y + 5z she immediately says the vector perpendicular to this plane is such and such. I don't know how she gets that.

Distance between lines, planes, parametric equations et. al. are not too clear.

Matrices could have been done with a little more depth. The different types of matrices are over in a flash.

[qspeechc]

I suggest, if those are the difficulties, you get Stewart's calculus book from the library (DO NOT buy it!) and reading the relevant chapter(s) on vectors. For the matrices part, try finding a book on matrix algebra, which isn't quite the same as linear algebra. Perhaps something like these books (btw I have not read them):

http://www.amazon.com/Elementary-Matrix-Algebra-Dover-Mathematics/dp/0486425347/ref=pd_bbs_sr_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1223483685&sr=8-4

http://www.amazon.com/Matrix-Analysis-Applied-Algebra-Solutions/dp/0898714540/ref=pd_bbs_sr_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1223483685&sr=8-7

Or other such books you can find in your library.