Linear algebra for Computer Science 2, Spring 2020

Lectures (hoorcolleges) will be on Tuesdays. Werkcolleges (and hence tests) will be on Wednesdays.

e-study-guide page

Weekly tests

Teacher: David Holmes.

Weekly test grades

Organisation

For the course "Linear algebra 2" (Lineaire Algebra 2) there are lectures ("Hoorcolleges") and exercise classes ("Werkcolleges"). In each werkcollege the last 20 minutes will be a test on the material from the course up to that point. This will count towards your final grade.

Where and when?

See timetable here.

Required Literature

We will follow closely parts of the book "Linear algebra and its applications" by David Lay. Every student will need a copy of the book; for example, weekly exercises will be set from the book, and the tests will contain similar questions.

Assessment

Weekly tests

Examinations

There is one exam for the course, after the end of the course (see the timetable above). The exam will last 3 hours. It will cover material from the whole course, including that already covered in the weekly tests, and in LA1.

Past exam papers

Calculating the final grade

There will be approximately 6 tests in total. Each test will count towards your grade if and only if it increases your grade compared to your exam grade. This means that it makes sense to attempt every test, and if a test goes badly it will not decrease your final grade.

The exact formula is as follows. Write E for your grade (0-10) on the final exam, and T1, ..., T6 for your test grades (0-10). Let Ti' = max(Ti, E). Then your final grade is

1 + 0.9*(0.75*E + 0.25*(T1' + ... + T6')/6)

Practical consequenes include:

- even if you get a 10 on the first few tests, it's still worth trying the last ones;

- if you do badly on one test, this will not negatively affect your grade;

- if you miss a test through illness or other reason, you do not need to inform the lecturer (as you grade will automatically be discounted).

Homework and classes

Each week, some problems from the book will be suggested. These will not be graded, and will not count towards the final grade. However, you are extremely strongly recommended to attempt all the problems - the problems in the short tests and the final exam will be similar, and past experience suggests that ability to do he homework problems is a very strong predictor of success in the course. The problems will be discussed during the classes, and you will have the opportunity to obtain help on problems you found difficult.

Office hours

Office hours by appointment in room 233 in Snellius.

Content and detailed timetable