DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTING, MATHEMATICAL AND STATISTICAL SCIENCES

MAT3711: LINEAR ALGEBRA I

COURSE INFORMATION AND COURSE OUTLINE - 2023

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to this third year Mathematics module for 2023, known as Linear Algebra I.
This course requires a substantial amount of hard work, commitment and discipline. You are there-
fore expected to actively participate in lectures (and tutorials sessions where applicable).

GENERAL INFORMATION

Lecture Time Slots:

Lecturer: Dr. M.M. Kamga

Office: WM26, W-Block
email address: mkamga-pene@unam.na
Venue: X313
Monday 07h30-08h30;
Tuesday 08h30-09h30;
Slot:
Wednesday 09h30-10h30;
Thursday 07h30-08h30.
If there are further changes in the timetable, you will be notified. Course Materials are
available from the UNAM portal and the Moodle course page. Please check for updates
frequently.

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READING MATERIALS

Prescribed Textbook(s)

1. S. Lang, Linear Algebra, Springer-Verlag, Undergraduate Texts in Mathematics, 3rd Edition

(1987).
2. S. Axler, Linear Algebra Done Right, Springer, 2nd Edition.
3. S. Lipschultz and M. Lipson, Theory and Problems of Linear Algebra, Schaum’s outlines
series.

COURSE ASSESSMENT

1. Continuous assessment (CA): To qualify for examination, your CA mark must be at least
40% (meaning 40% or more). The CA mark is obtained from averaging all (at least three)
major test marks. Your CA mark contributes 50% towards your course grade.
2. Examination: A three hour exam will be written at the end of the semester. The exam date
will be announced by the Exams Office towards the end of the semester. The exam mark
(EM) contributes 50% towards your course grade.
Course grade: Your final mark (FM) will be calculated from your CA and the Exam Mark
(EM) as follows:
FM = 0.5CA + 0.5EM.
A student who obtains less than the subminimum of 40% on the regular exam cannot pass or
qualify for the supplementary exam.

IMPORTANT DATES

You are expected to write all three major class tests that will contribute to your CA. The dates for
the major tests are:
Date Time Venue
Test 1 18 March, 2023 10h00-12h00 To be determined.
Test 2 15 April, 2023 10h00-12h00 To be determined.
Test 3 13 May, 2023 10h00-12h00 To be determined.
No retest will be given. If you are not able to write a test on the specified date on medical grounds
or any other relevant issues, a valid proof or medical certificate must be provided, not more than
a week after the particular test date.

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

All Tests (and tutorials where applicable) are face-to-face throughout the semester.
Lectures will be delivered 50% face-to-face and 50% online.
Online hours and administrative details will be communicated in a timely manner.

COURSE AIM(S)

This course aims at providing students with a solid foundation in axiomatically treated linear al-
gebra. It includes a fairly rigorous treatment of vector spaces, linear maps, and inner product
spaces.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Vector spaces: definition and examples. Subspaces, examples of subspaces, operations on sub-
spaces, sum of subspaces, complement of a subspace, Dedekinds law, linear combination of vec-
tors. Linearly independent and dependent set of vectors, span of a set of vectors, definition of a
basis, existence of a basis and dimension of a finitely generated vector space, dimension formula
for subspaces.
Linear mappings: examples, image and preimage of a subspace, kernel, image, rank and defect,
isomorphism, automorphism, coset, factor space, dimension of a factor space, coordinates, homo-
morphism theorem, dimension formula for linear mappings, linear form, hyperplane, dual spaces,
dual basis, annihilators.

LEARNING OUTCOMES / SPECIFIC OUTCOMES

On completing the Course, students should be able to:

1. Verify whether an algebraic structure is a vector space.
2. Determine the dimension of subspaces of a finite dimensional vector space.
3. Determine whether a mapping between vector spaces is linear.
4. Determine the image and kernel of a linear mapping.
5. Relate linear transformations and matrices.
6. Construct orthogonal and orthonormal bases.

LECTURING & TUTORIAL PLAN

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Week / dates Topics / units Tutorials
Week 1 Contact Session.
15/02/2023 - 17/02/2023
Week 2 Fields, vector spaces, examples. Subspaces,
20/02/2023 - 24/02/2023 examples, intersections and sums of sub-
spaces.
Week 3 The subspace spanned by a set of vectors.
27/02/2023 - 03/03/2023 Linear combinations. Linear dependence and
independence: Examples and characterisa-
tions.
Week 4 The concept of a basis. Every finitely gen-
06/03/2023 - 10/03/2023 erated vector space has a basis. Steinitz ex-
change theorem.
Week 5 Steinitz exchange theorem (continued). The
13/03/2023 - 17/03/2023 dimension of a finitely generated vector
space. Dimension formula for sums of sub-
spaces.
Week 6 Direct sums and complements. Revision on 21/03/2023: Public Holiday
20/03/2023 - 24/03/2023 equivalence relations. Cosets and quotient (Independence day)
spaces, examples.
Week 7 Linear maps (or linear transformations, as we
27/03/2023 - 31/03/2023 mostly say). Definition, examples, basic prop-
erties. Characterisation of injectivity of a lin-
ear map. First homomorphism theorem.
Week 8 Rank + nullity theorem; Composition of lin- 07/04/2023: Public Holiday
03/04/2023 - 06/04/2023 ear transformations, the inverse of a bijective (Good Friday)
linear transformation. Examples and applica-
tions.
Week 9 The matrix of a linear transformation: Co- 10/04/2023: Public Holiday
11/04/2023 - 14/04/2023 ordinate mappings, setting up the matrix ex- (Easter Monday)
amples. Matrices and composition of linear
maps.
Week 10 Matrices and composition, change of base. (2
17/04/2023 - 21/04/2023 hours). Finding bases adapted to kernel and
image, finding a normal form. The vector
space Hom (V1 ,V2 ). Review of linear trans-
formations.
Week 11 Inner product spaces: Definition, examples,
24/04/2023 - 28/04/2023 norm of a vector Cauchy-Schwarz and trian-
gle inequalities, Perpendicularity, orthogonal
systems.

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 Week 12 Orthonormal bases, Gram-Schmidt orthonor- 01/05/2023: Public Holiday
02/05/2023 - 05/05/2023 malisation. Orthogonal complements. (Workers’ day)
04/05/2023: Public Holiday
(Casinga day)
Week 13 Last theorems on orthogonal complements,
08/05/2023 - 12/05/2023 revision
Week 14 Revision 18/05/2023: Public Holiday
15/05/2023 - 19/05/2023 (Ascension day)

RULES

1. All UNAM rules and regulations apply. In particular note the following:
a. Attendance at lectures and tutorial sessions is compulsory.
b. You will not be allowed to sit for exams if you do not attend 80% of lectures and
practical sessions.
c. Plagiarism is an academic offense. Read details of this in UNAM regulations.
2. Consultations are allowed during consultation hours or by appointment.
3. Additional reading material will be posted on the Portal, Moodle or via email or Course
WhatsApp group if any.
4. If you do not understand anything we discuss, please point it out during lectures or through
your course class representative.
5. We encourage active participation during lectures and during tutorials.
6. You must attend all classes and tutorial sessions (where applicable) and be on time.
7. Any other rules stated in this course outline apply.
Enjoy this module and have fun with learning!