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This is the home page for Math 203, Section 1 (MWF 12-1).

Click here for full-sized image (282KB)

5/3/05 - Anyone want to sell a 203 text? I know a buyer.

5/3/05 - My office hours for this week: Today (Tuesday) 10-12 and about 1:20-3:00; Wednesday about 10-5, except for the picnic 12-2; Thursday about 9-5 except for the numerous thesis talks that day; Friday morning if you send an email. Next week: Most of Monday; otherwise send email.

4/29/05 - Here is a brief set of practice problems for the final, including some that were deleted from the exam at one stage or another of editing (WORD, 2 pages). And here are answers.

4/27/05 - There will be a general review session for anyone interested from 8pm to 10pm, Thursday, 4/28/05 in Room 337. Bring problems. As far as I know, Ayesha will hold the last regular problem session the same evening, 7-8, Room 337 as usual.

4/27/05 - Here is the handout from 4/25/05 on orthogonal complements (a focused version of Section 5.2; WORD, two pages). There isn't any homework on this subject, but there's a likely exam problem buried in the handout.

Schedule of remaining days:
   Thursday - problem session 7-8pm, review session 8-10pm.
   Friday - Presentation on stable population vectors by Kanan Mehra and Edisa Rodriguez; balance of presentation by Heather Gage and Bevin Morissey if they have more; party; picture; review.

4/21/05 - The handout from 4/20/05, on computing powers of a matrix by diagonalizing it, is here and under course documents, below.

4/11/05 - This is Math Awareness Week. The schedule of events and an announcement of the special lecture are at the math department website. The special lecture is during the usual colloquium slot (4:15 today, 4/11) but it is in the Physics Lecture Hall (Park 243) after a tea, officially 3:30, in the math lounge. The lecture is by Herman Gluck, a Penn professor. From the poster, here are the title and abstract:

“Mathematics, Molecular Biology, and Astrophysics”

Abstract: Gauss's formula for the "linking number" of two closed orbits of heavenly bodies, Calugareanu's formula for the "writhing number" of a strand of DNA, and Woltjer's formula for the "helicity" of the magnetic field in the Crab Nebula are all variations on a single theme. In this talk, which requires no particular background in either mathematics or physics, I will trace the evolution and development of these ideas, illustrate the story with color photographs taken from various NASA satellites, and point the way to further readings.

4/5/05 - Now, here is the link to the Exam 2 answers (6-page word document).

3/30/05 - Here are links to the "what's on the exam" handout, the "Equivalent Conditions" handout, and the instruction page of exam 2 (available today).

3/17/05 - Don't forget to bring your TI-83 (or close relative) tomorrow. We may learn how to do row reductions by magic.

2/24/05 and 2/27/05 - I should be able to get to class tomorrow no matter how deep the snow is. But if not, there will be a message on my office phone answering system, 610-526-5352, by 11:30am. If there's just a generic message, then class is on track as usual.

2/8/05 - Here's a draft handout for tomorrow (Wednesday). It's a 4-page Word document.

1/30/05 - Thursday problem sessions --- in fact, all problem sessions --- are now back in Park 337.

Also, the Distressing Math Collective (DMC) meets Thursday nights at 7-8 (or 7-9 if you like to play cards) in Park 328. Linear Algebra students are welcome.

1/21/05 - The problem session schedule is now set: Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays, always from 7 to 8pm, always in Park 337 (update: Thursdays are Park 278). The teaching assistants are Zoryanna Dopko and Ayesha Gopal.

1/21/05 - Here's a handout on fields - what they are and why we care. You don't need this for 203. It's extra. (Not even extra credit.) We have been a little vague about what "numbers" are --- maybe that doesn't bother you, but if it does, this handout might clear up the mystery.

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Course documents:

deletedquestions.doc - Practice problems and other info for the final, from class 4/29/05 (Word, 2 pages).

deletedanswers.htm

handout042505.doc - Handout from class 4/25/05, on orthogonal complements (WORD, 2 pages)

handout042005.doc - Handout from class 4/20/05, on computing powers of a matrix (and its exponential) by diagonalizing it (WORD, 3 pages)

203exam2answers.doc - Answers to exam 2, posted 4/5/05 (WORD, 7 pages).

frontpage.doc - Front page of exam 2 (no problems, just instructions and vector space axioms), 3/30/05 (WORD, 1 page)
handout032805.doc - "Equivalent conditions," one-page handout from class March 28. Same as earlier handwritten handout but with an extra column. (WORD)

203preexam2.doc - "what's on the exam" #2 (outline) from class March 24. (WORD, 3 pages)

203projects.doc - One-page project assignment, 3/14/05 (WORD). (The 11-page description of four possible projects exists only on paper.)

jumping.xls - Excel workbook on frog jumping, from class 3/4/05.

handout030205.doc - handout from class 3/2/05, with results on bases (WORD, 1 page)

preexam1.doc - "what's on the exam" #1 (bare outline) from class 2/16/05 (WORD, 2 pages)

handout020905.doc - handout for class 2/9/05 (WORD, 4 pages)

PermutationMatrices.doc - handout from class 2/2/05 (WORD, 4 pages)

203fields.doc - extra handout about fields, 1/21/05 (WORD, 3 pages)

handout011705.doc - handout in class 1/17/05 (WORD, 1 page)

203schedule.htm - schedule (revised continuously)

203CourseInfo.html - General course info, 1/17/05

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