Book Description

This tried-and-true book of differential equations expands upon the authors' Differential Equations: Computing and Modeling, 2nd Edition. It covers the core concepts and techniques of elementary linear algebra—matrices and linear systems, vector spaces, eigensystems, and matrix exponentials—that are needed for a careful introduction to linear equations. Complimenting this solid foundation, the book emphasizes mathematical modeling of real-world phenomena, and offers a fresh new computational flavor evident in figures, examples, problems, and projects throughout. Chapter topics include: first order differential equations, mathematical models and numerical methods, linear systems and matrices, vector spaces, linear equations of higher order, eigenvalues and eigenvectors, linear systems of differential equations, matrix exponential methods, and nonlinear systems and phenomena. A geometric visualization for those interested in science and engineering.

Customer Reviews (4)

Only bits and pieces of information
I actually never received this product at all, eventhough it was promised it earlier than planned.I did see the ones other students in my classroom purchased.It has some good helps in some areas, but is not very complete and doesn't help a whole lot with understanding the subject.When a book like this comes through for you, it's cooooool, but this only has answers for some of the problems and doesn't go into much detail to point out areas where you may need a little more help.

weak very weak..
I have decided to change my review for this product, originally I gave it a 2/5 but now am changing it to a 1/5.Since I have written the review originally I have picked up the solutions manual, and although the solutions manual helps a little bit there is no getting around how poorly this book was written.

The problem is the lack of worked problems, there is on average only one worked problem that is usually pretty easy, and very different from the problems in the sections the student is to work.

the only reason that this book should get one star is that they managed to put ink on paper and bind it all together.

A very disatisfied customer

The author does not explain how to do the problems very well at all.For all of us non math majors this book is very hard to interpret, I often spend hours trying to piece together the puzzle the author calls worked problems.Its not unusual that the examples are spread out in fragments across several pages adding to the difficulty in readibility.

Not suitable for learning or teaching. Great if one already has a grasp on the subject.
First before I give my review of this book, I see it as necessary to give a description of myself. I am both a teacher and a student, and I have about six years teaching experience in all levels of mathematics up to calculus II.

I can honestly say that this is the worst textbook that I have ever used. I would say that with reservations if it wereeven remotely untrue. This book, while making a daring attempt to cover many complicated areas of mathematics, fails to provide a good resource for either in the class or out of classroom learning.

The areas specifically are:
1. Problem Examples
Differential equations are at times extremely difficult. Frequent skipping of steps and examples that are far too simple considering the practice problems given achieves little in the way of teaching.

2. An excessive focus on paragraph after paragraph of writing, while little attempts to make said writing flow along with the learning of technique and example problems.

These are the technical aspects that are poorly executed. Beyond that, perhaps the worst aspect is the presumptious tone of the author that a concept may appear 'obviously' or 'clearly' or 'simply'.

I do not recommend this book unless you already have quite a formal understanding of differential equations. If you do however, the reference to numerical methods and symbolic methods in Mathematica, Matlab, and for the TI-89 are superb. But I stress that is only if you already have an understanding of the topic. I acknowledge that it can be extremely difficult to write a good textbook. This book fails to provide a good source for new learners.

strong coverage of numerical methods
When I first learnt differential equations and linear algebra, it was with texts written in the 60s and 70s. So I turned to this book with interest; wondering what has changed. Well, at the level of the book, most of the material has been known for decades. But one immediate difference is the profusion of diagrams and the increased use of colour. Due in part to improvements in printing technology. It means that current students also have more visual cues to learn from. When one is studying differential equations, this can be quite useful.

Also, there is indeed new material here. Numerical methods are prominently discussed in many sections. Due to vastly more common availability of computers. So students are not restricted to handling only those problems that can be solved by hand, to give simple analytic results. The scope of learning has expanded. Now granted, most of the numerical methods in the book were already known in the 70s. But they were usually presented in texts devoted to numerical analysis, for people specialising in that field. Nowadays, it can be used in other branches of maths, like that covered by this book.

Along these lines, the authors exhibit an ecumenical attitude towards what computer languages a reader might be familiar with. Example programs are given in Basic and for the TI-89. For symbolic algebra, code is furnished for Maple and Mathematica. They recognise that readers might have different preferences and they try to outreach to as many as practical. ... Read more

Book Description
By Robert Rogers of Bay State College. Provides detailed and complete solutions to the odd-numbered exercises and test questions; section and chapter summaries of symbols, definitions, and theorems; study tips and hints. Complex exercises are explored through a question-and-answer format designed to deepen understanding. Challenging and entertaining problems that further explore selected exercises are also included. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

lin alg review
the chapter reviews were extremely helpful when it came time for the final ... Read more

Book Description

With the most geometric presentation now available, this referenceemphasizes linear transformations as a unifying theme, and enables usersto “do”both computational and abstract math in each chapter. A second theme is introduced half way through the text—when eigenvectors are reached—on dynamical systems. It also includes a wider range of problem sets than found in any other book in this market. Chapter topics include systems of linear equations; linear transformations; subspaces of Rn and their dimension; linear spaces; orthogonality and least squares; determinants; eigenvalues and eigenvectors; symmetric matrices and quadratic forms; and linear differential equations. For anyone seeking an introduction to linear algebra.

Customer Reviews (38)

Same as newer edition
As far as I can tell this is exactly the same as the newer edition.Presents the information in a reasonable matter, but there are better books out there.

the worst math book i have ever used
this is absolutely the worst math book i have ever come across in my academic career, i feel realy bad for any body taking a linear algebra course with a book from otto....good luck

Redeems Itself as Book Progresses
When I first began using this textbook I was very frustrated for a variety of reasons. Firstly, the author stresses computation over theory and many times I felt that I was computing something without any real motivation. This is further aggravated because Bretscher prefers to prove a result before explaining what the result is which gives the book a very disjointed feeling, especially in the first 3 chapters. Additionally, if you don't enjoy historical anecdotes this is not the text for you as there is hardly a section without some sort of reference to the history of a concept -- which although interesting is ultimately pointless. But the very serious problem with this book is that the exercises are the meat of the book but there is no distinction between the mindless exercises and the exercises that have very important results which means you will invariably have an incomplete mastery of the topics unless you look over all the problems carefully.

However, this book also has some good things about it. Starting around chapter 4 it's like another author took over; the proofs are more elegant, the definitions are clear, and even Bretscher's style of exposition before results works well!

In conclusion, once you get past the god awful treatment of coordinate transformations (the last section of chapter 3) this book redeems itself. If you have the choice, choose another book which emphasizes theory (e.g. Valenza perhaps) but if you have no choice in using this book, supplement the first few chapters with some other source.

Obscure explanations.
The explanations in this book are pretty lousy, as are the problems. Too frequently concepts are insufficiently proven. Homework problems are very abstract and not enlightening (they simply refer to a "fact" as they are called in the book instead of theorems).

Professor hates book
This is the first semester my college has used this book and it will most likely be its last.Everyday, my professor says how unhappy he is with this book because they present information in an odd sequence.For instance, we learned about subspaces before knowing what an actual space is.This makes the book very confusing and hard to follow.Just a warning: almost every example (not problem) in this book is done in symbols which is sometimes hard to follow.Overall, I would not buy this book ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Linear Algebra
Having passed all previous math courses (up to multivariable calculus) with compete understanding and great grades, I have earned the right to determine how unskilled this book truly is. Every other math book I have experienced is understandable and has examples for all types of problems. This book has few examples, and they are horribly explained. Then, to make it all worse, these examples are not the same types of questions as the chapter questions! This is quite honestly the worst textbook experience I have ever had. I would rate this book with no stars, but amazon will not take that as a rating, so one will have to suffice.

Solution Manual incomplete.
The book itself is difficult to read.When new symbols are first used, the explination are burried in the text and time consuming to find.The use of dark blue ink to "color" the items they are refering to is very difficult to distiguish from the normal black text.I waste more time trying to figure out what the symbols mean than I spend understanding the concepts.

The solutions manual covers every 3rd problem, not the compleete set of odd problems like it should (eg. 1,4,7,10...).Detail on the problems is average at best.

Horrible!
This book is very hard to understand, especially for students who are introduced to real conceptual mathematics for the first time, which is in this course.Not enough examples at all, written in a difficult manner to grasp for students.Professors may find it OK, but thats only because they have taken the material before, and probably taught it many times.Very bad choice for an Intro to Linear Algebra Course!

Not the best for beginners, but still good
After giving up on this book when I first learned Linear Algebra,
it has turned out to be a very good reference book on the subject.

If you need to, use Anton's book to learn the subject, but
I keep this one on my shelf.

Not easy to understand
I do not find the book suitable for an introductory course in linear algebra. It takes too much time to get through a page in this book due to the use of heavy mathematical language. The examples are not enough to help a student solve the exercices at the end of the book, so often times one has to always rely on the TA office hours to get a homework done. I do not recommend buying this text for a beginner in linear algebra, unless if it's required text for a course. ... Read more

Book Description

This valuable study guide provides a modern introduction to linear algebra for people studying or practicing in any of the varied fields of mathematics, physics, biology, chemistry, economics, statistics and engineering. The hundreds of problems solved step-by-step illustrate and reinforce key points. And 390 additional problems help students review the information in each chapter and consolidate their knowledge.

Customer Reviews (3)

OUTSTANDING!
I ordered this book to use along with my text.It made the course much easier tounderstand.This book is the only reason I made a B in linear algebra.I just ordered the other books to use for abstract algebra and probability also. Buy it!

Better and easier than sitting thru a confusing instructor
Want to ace linear algebra and not get confused all the time? This book can help solve even the trickiest problems in linear algebra and helps understand the more complex and complicated concepts of linear algebra. Buy this book and get ahead and never get left out in the cold again !

Good for more practice but some irritating flaws
I've used many Schaum's books before, and most of them were very good because they were well written and explained concepts and techniques clearly."Beginning Linear Algebra," however, was not as good asmost of the other books in the series.It suffers from long chapteroutlines, poor explanations, and many errors both in the explanations andanswers to problems.Nevertheless, this book does provide a lot of goodpractice problems with answers.So I would recommend this book as asupplement to a regular text and not as a primary source of informationabout linear algebra. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

This book presents an introduction to linear algebra and to some of its significant applications. It covers the essentials of linear algebra (including Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors) and shows how the computer is used for applications. Emphasizing the computational and geometrical aspects of the subject, this popular book covers the following topics comprehensively but not exhaustively: linear equations and matrices and their applications; determinants; vectors and linear transformations; real vector spaces; eigenvalues, eigenvectors, and diagonalization; linear programming; and MATLAB for linear algebra. Its useful and comprehensive appendices make this an excellent desk reference for anyone involved in mathematics and computer applications.

Customer Reviews (4)

Unhelpful in the extreme
Chapters 1, 2, and 4 are pretty well done up to a point.The explanations, examples, and problems are well written and can be followed without cross referencing other texts and pages on the web.You will learn the basics here without too much of a fuss.

Unfortunately, the book has a nasty habit of circular proofs.The author leaves out vital parts of the explanation in the text, referencing other parts of the text, which reference other parts of the text, and then ask you to solve the underlying proof yourself without explaining the fundamentals at all.The book also references FORWARD into chapters you have not gotten to yet in order to solve current proofs.This is not at all helpful.If your professor requires you to solve any of the proofs in any section you will be lost.Good luck.

Chapter 6 is an all-around disaster.Unless you have seen the material before, you will not get it here.The explanation at the beginning of the chapter cannot really be called an explanation.It is more of an obfuscation.The notation is not explained, it is assumed you know it or can figure it out on your own.The proofs in this chapter are a maze of unexplained concepts and hidden information.

Chapters 8 and 10 are more like the first chapters in usability, but the proofs are just as jumbled.

Intervening chapters from the ones I have described are applications of the material from previous chapters and are optional.

Buy another book (or two or three) as a supplement.You will need it.

One of the WORST textbooks I ever used
This book sucks at explaining, half the examples in this book just refer you to other examples/exercises that you have to complete yourself. HOW DOES THIS HELP IF YOU HAVE TO DO THE PROBLEM YOURSELF??!? Half the practice problems are theoretical questions that do not help you in understanding the concept whatsoever. The only thing it does is confuse and frustrate you more. Whoever uses this textbook to teach is obviously incompetent and/or has not looked it over at all.

A math book
This isn't the easiest linear text I've scene.This also isn't the hardest.The book has a ton of applications, which is good if you're an applied math, engineering, or science major.If your interests are in pure math the applications are still a nice little side note.The book's explanations are explained as clearly as possible without giving up any rigor.At first I didn't like the book, but after looking at several other linear textbooks I realized that these authors did a good job of explaining a difficult topic.

Best math book I've ever had
This book is a fabulous resource... explains things in as clear a way as Linear Algebra can be.If you want deeper understanding, many concepts are described in more depth, and most proofs are given in detail.It's notfilled with cartoons and useless pictures like some textbooks, but clear,concise explanations of what turns out to be an interesting and fairlysimple area of mathematics. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (7)

Not good for engineering students
This book, as already pointed by one reviewer, is filled with theorems and proofs, barely is there any application. If you wish to use linear algebra, look for another book. I found David Lay's book to be a good choice. I give it low rate not to denouce it but to emphasize this fact.

Cheap, formal, well written
On my desk right now, books by: David C. Lay, Terry Lawson, Sheldon Axler, Klaus Jänich, Robert Valenza, and this one by Schneider and Barker. I tend to go back again and again here.
I'm using this book as a supplement for the textbook in my class. Some of the books cited above don't quite fit the bill because they're so different from the linear algebra for engineering you so often see in classes. But this one is excellent for a matrix-heavy approach.
This book is "bare bones", indeed, but it is very well written. Some might not be used to definitions, propositions, theorems and lemmas but in this case this makes it a whole lot easier for finding (and referencing) the important results. The notation is careful and formal, but the explanations are crystal clear. On the back cover it says it's geared towards students "outside the field of mathematics" but I think they say that because it avoids a purely algebraic approach (like in Valenza where e.g. Ker is defined in the context of group homomorphism). The approach is the one of matrixes, matrixes everywhere (row echelon algorithm, etc.) There are, however, no "modern" applications (such as networks, or ecology) as examples.
Another reviewer complained about the difficulty in exercises. While you have "drill" ones, you do have more conceptual ones, but I think they're on par with the text. There are no pretty illustrations here, and you will see that you don't need them.
In some other books, material might be presented in a wordy manner, but in this book, you just say "ah, so what so-and-so is saying is just Theorem number X.X.X in S&B."
On the whole, this is an excellent acquisition for your undergraduate library. It is cheap and good. What more do you want?

Surf the web instead.
For about three years, I haven't thought about linear algebra at all.But recently, I've been interested in it again, and went to this book for reference.

I'm lucky if I can find one nice clear example of anything in this book.This is a proof book all the way, and it's not for your general type of audience.This is bare bones stuff.That's probably why the price is 14 bucks instead of 140.

Instead of getting a book like this, I recommend getting a more expensive book that's easier to understand, or just surf the internet for information.I have had some success with the latter option.

Supplemental Superiority
As a physics major, i've been told by my E & M teacher that Linear Algebra is one of the two games to be played in physics. (The other naturally being calculus). So, what happens when it comes time to take Linear Algebra and the teacher only serves to confuse the material, and the college textbook is a normal college math book? (a.k.a. not well written or useful). Get Dover books. And this book delivers for me. Everything i'm supposed to learn in Shifrin's text is presented here with much clearer writing. (Especially in drawing your eye to the thereoms, any one who wants to Linear Algebra without knowing the thereoms or applying them to the homework should probably stop now and go back to Trig.) It seems this book would make a good stand alone text, provided you are willing to not expect calculus cookbookness, because it's my side text that trumps my main textbook for 1/10th the price. And in closing, thank God for Dover for making life as a physics major that much cheaper.

You can do much, much better
First, the text of this book is extremely well-written, the theorems are clearly stated and the proofs are well-presented.Unfortunately, there are LOADS of typos in this book, but that doesn't bother me.

What bothers me are the exercises at the end of each section - the difficulty level of several (not all) of them is far beyond the depth of the text.The text is supposed to be for "undergraduates with little mathematical experience".Don't you believe it.There are problems early in the book that ask you to write proofs that require a depth of understanding that the text does not come close to providing.Many times I was absolutely convinced that the text and the exercises were from completely different textbooks!If the author is going to include difficult or "let's see how well you got this" problems I'm all for it, but at least include some hints in the back to help students get started.Otherwise you're just stranded on your lonely little mathematical island....hungry and cold and completely screwed.

If you just want a book for reference, then this is a very good choice.However, if you are attempting to learn the material and are interested in trying your hand at more than a few problems then I strongly suggest you look elsewhere. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Thanks!
Thank you for sending the book.It was in very good condition, like you promised and I received the book much earlier than I originally had thought.

Another School Algebra text
AAAAAARRR!

It's really linear pre-algebra, except that its appropriate for high school students. I thought it was a "high school only" book the whole time I owned it, too.

To be fair, I bought it after reading the Dutch Book, -Computational Geometry: Algorithms and Applications, 2nd Edition-by M. de Berg, et al. The Dutch Book was great, but I thought I needed a stepping stone before more dedicated linear programming. Still, this linear math book was unspeakably filthy. Am sorry?

While I have endured through college algebras and other such forms of applied analysis before, I never seen anything this baaaad before, either. Sorry.

Believing it to be a college textbook, I bought it right alongside -Introduction to Linear Optimization-, by Dimitris Bertsimas and John N. Tsitsiklis, an Athena Scientific book. Surprisingly, the Athena Scientific bests it hands down!

By the way..."Introduction to Linear Optimization" remains one of my favorite book, while I donated the pre-algebra to Goodwill some weeks ago (Just to compare).

The book deserves at two stars for being readable. However, I posted this review so that others would be forewarn and so not wastes the resources which they could better use elsewhere.

Use other textbook!
This book was poorly written and organized. It might be OK if you only use it as a reference. But if you have to use it for your class, you'd better find another textbook for your second source.

Santa Clara University's linear algebra text
This review is of the 2nd edition printed in '89. I bought this book off the shelf at SCU as a review source. The texts chosen at SCU have a tendency to lean toward the practical applications side and away from thetheoretical. Johnson's text was no exception. Practical aspects oflimitations of solution methods implimented on computers are discussed. Abit dry or lacking in motivation but otherwise a good coverage of thesubject matter with answers to odd numbered problems at the back. My onlyreal criticism of the text was the authors' tendency to introduce someimportant concepts in the problem sets themselves rather than covering themin the main body of the chapter. This is awkward if you want to use thebook as a reference. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great practical math
For those of us who would like to learn and master concepts of Linear Algebra and Differential Equations without too much useless theories, this book is for you. Teaches all concepts well, many examples and good explanations. Also really light!!! ... Read more

Book Description
Includes detailed step-by-step solutions to selected odd-numbered problems. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Don't waste your money!
This is exactly the same solutions as what is in the back of the text book. There are no even-numbered solutions or extra information.If you own the text, you already have what's in this $35.00 solution manual.

Linear Algebra Solutions Manual
The idea of a Solutions manual is to give solutions for the problems in the book.However, this manual is the exact same thing as what I have in the back of my book.The even numbers aren't included, and no additional explanation is included, I'm disappointed and wasted 40 dollars. ... Read more

Book Description

This book is a revised and up-dated fourth edition of a textbook designed for upper division courses in linear algebra. It includes the basic results on vector spaces over fields, determinants, the theory of a single linear transformation, and inner product spaces. While it does not presuppose an earlier course, many connections between linear algebra and calculus are worked into the discussion, making it best suited for students who have completed the calculus sequence. A special feature of the book is the inclusion of sections devoted to applications of linear algebra, which can either be part of a course, or used for independent study. The topics covered in these sections are the geometric interpretation of systems of linear equations, the classification of finite symmetry groups in two and three dimensions, the exponential of a matrix and its application to solving systems of first order linear differential equations with constant coefficients, and Hurwitz's theorem on the composition of quadratic forms.

Customer Reviews (6)

Used for Self Study
I used this book for an independent study of linear algebra in undergrad.I'd had no prior exposure to the field, but had taken very good real analysis and abstract algebra courses prior.My self-study was quite effective, which is a testament to the book, since it was essentially the only material I had.(There were a few typos I remember seeing, as well as some unclear formulas/notation here and there, hence the four stars, but nothing serious).

Beautiful Work
I used this book for a first course in linear algebra at Ohio State University and I could not have been more satisfied.It is a challenging book to use, but very rewarding for those who put the time into it.

OK, but could be better.
The book sometimes eliminates using some symbols when the meaning is clear from the context; this is OK only if you either have prior understanding of the material presented or easy access to an expert.

A Fine Book On Special Topics
This book treats linear algebra in the way it should be - fairlytheoretical, but without sacrificing the physical meanings behind. Itsspecial attentions on topics such as Jordan canonical form, orthogonaltransformation, symmetry groups, etc., are quite successful in bringing outthe importance of linear algebra in other areas of mathematics. Yet, itdoes not cover sufficient materials for matrices over the complex field,possibly due to a restricted introductory scope for this book.

great material, but poor presentation
this book has excellent material in linear algebra, unfortunately the presentation leaves a lot to be desired. if you like "classical old textbook-style presentation", then this is the book for you,otherwise, you should invest in Horn/Johnson or Kreyszig. note that thetreatment of this book is deeper than the treatment in the popular Strang,albeit in a much less-accessible packaging. ... Read more

Book Description
This book avoids the traditional definition-theorem-proof format; instead a fresh approach introduces a variety of problems and examples all in a clear and informal style. The in-depth focus on applications separates this book from others, and helps students to see how linear algebra can be applied to real-life situations. Some of the more contemporary topics of applied linear algebra are included here which are not normally found in undergraduate textbooks. Theoretical developments are always accompanied with detailed examples, and each section ends with a number of exercises from which students can gain further insight. Moreover, the inclusion of historical information provides personal insights into the mathematicians who developed this subject. The textbook contains numerous examples and exercises, historical notes, and comments on numerical performance and the possible pitfalls of algorithms. Solutions to all of the exercises are provided, as well as a CD-ROM containing a searchable copy of the textbook. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

Progresses Well - Used for Self Study
I self studied this book to improve my applied math skills.The book progresses well, with examples clear and easy to follow, even for a non mathematician such as myself.My background is only through the Calculus level.The book begins with linear equations then moves to matrix algebra, a logical approach. The author balances nicely what he refers to as "scaffolding" and the inherent efficiency of the topic.

With the exercises, I focused on the steps required to reach an accurate result and how I may apply this to the business I'm in and used Mathematica for many of the interim computations.This approach worked well for me and allowed me to better understand the topic as a whole, though it's doubtful I could have gotten away with this approach had I been in a formal classroom.

Matrix Analysis and Applied Linear Algebra
The book is ok. But It has A lot oF math proof and Word problems

A Model of Authorship
This book contains a comprehensive treatment on the topic of matrix analysis and applied linear algebra. The concepts are clearly introduced and developed. It is rich with detailed proofs that are easy to follow. Results are summarized and clearly grouped and marked for reference. As a researcher and a practitioner, I found this book quite useful in explaining mathematical concepts without the need for a classroom instructor.

Besides, this book comes with a CD that contains a PDF version which makes it quite useful to port as a reference.It is very rich with problem sets that add insight, both theoretically and practically.It is accompanied by a solutions manual which strengthens comprehension.

I highly recommend this book. I think it deserves to be a model to follow for authorship in the digital age.

Beautiful Scaffolding
Linear algebra is the Babel language of sciences, this book helps you to get proficient in speaking it. Clear-cut presentation, mathematical rigor and historical gossip is in such an unison, that you'll crave for a sequel. This is the 18-th 5-star rating, you shouldn't hesitate any more!

One of the best introductory (modern) books I know.
If you need to learn Linear Algebra and Matrix Theory, your best starting point is this book.

Very well written, many examples, and many "modern" results, that are not found in classics as Gantmacher (also an excellent book).

Buy it and see for yourself. ... Read more

Book Description
Designed to supplement the calculus course, provides a quick introduction to the basic ideas of linear algebra. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

a good book
our linear algebra class prof. told us that this is the most readable math book, that's why the math dept. switched to this book this year.=) ... Read more

Book Description
This classic treatment of linear algebra presents the fundamentals in the clearest possible way, examining basic ideas by means of computational examples and geometrical interpretation. It proceeds from familiar concepts to the unfamiliar, from the concrete to the abstract. Readers consistently praise this outstanding text for its expository style and clarity of presentation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Not a helpful book
a terrible book for self-study. may be good as a class companion where the teacher explains a lot. but the author does not approach linear algebra in an pedagogical way that enables self-study. solutions for exercises come out of the blue of the sky. also errors found.

a LA book for the rest of us
I usually avoid demagogic descriptions of educational texts as they tend to appeal mainly to ignorants but in the case of linear algebra perhaps i can be excused.This book presents a difficult topic, that could be very frustrating, in an easy to understand, well documented manner.Unlike most math textbooks this book does not aim to educate only the top 5% of the class and confute the rest of the students.Rather the author seems to be targeting average to good math students.Also helpful is that he basses the relevant chapter examples on problems that actually appear in the excercises.No silly "discovery learning" or multiple levels of abstraction are required to solve the problems and understand the topics.I appreciate that the author is aiming to educate the bulk of his audiance and not just the mathematical elite. Only if more advanced math books were like this!

Bad book
The book gets confusing at points and the author assumes many concepts which defeat the purpose of being "Elementary". I have struggled at how he comes up with the answers.For example chapter 4 is so confusing!!!

Formal proofs with an easy language
This is a great book for beginner courses in Linear Algebra. It covers most of the things you're likely to see in a beginner course (there a few topics that aren't covered in this book but probably you'd only see them in more advanced courses). The book is wonderfully diagrammed with emphasis boxes for definitions and theorems. Most theorems are given formal proofs but always in the simple and easy language of the rest of the book. The more straightforward proofs are left as exercise (and believe me, they're great exercises). The authors did not commit an offensive crime by leaving them out. This omission does not compromise understanding, either. At the end of each chapter it presents a cumulative summary of the most important topics learned so far. This is very important in a subject where the most simple definition learned in the first chapter of the book is the key to a much more difficult definition presented in a more advanced chapter. That's the joy of Linear Algebra!

Linear algebra in clear, understandable, good style.
English isn't my native language. So some books not in plain english made me confused. This is a nice book implementing good pedagogy that makes me to learn linear algebra easily. ... Read more

Book Description
This book presents the basic ideas of linear algebra in a manner that users will find understandable. It offers a fine balance between abstraction/theory and computational skills, and gives readers an excellent opportunity to learn how to handle abstract concepts. Included in this comprehensive and easy-to-follow manual are these topics: linear equations and matrices; solving linear systems; real vector spaces; inner product spaces; linear transformations and matrices; determinants; eigenvalues and eigenvectors; differential equations; and MATLAB for linear algebra. Because this book gives real applications for linear algebraic basic ideas and computational techniques, it is useful as a reference work for mathematicians and those in field of computer science. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Pity the fool......
.... who is given this as a course textbook. It's touted as an applications book so it's going to get inflicted on non-math majors. Now I'm not saying that proofs are not important, but please give me the intuition and some good examples first. A favourite trick is to give a question which is unclearly drafted and then allow the poor sucker who has to answer it to wade through lemma after proof after corollary trying to find either an explanation or rarer still a relevant example. Makes the subject far harder than it needs to be and is an impediment to learning. AWFUL simply AWFUL.

Ideal Introduction to the Subject
There are some fairly justified complaints about Kolman's text. Some claim that it is too computational to be of any use to a budding mathematician, and others, that its expository is insufficient to be of use for those in other fields. There are a number of purely computational excersices, but there is no shortage of mathematical rigor in this text. All of the essential theorems are properly presented and constructed, and the subsequent examples are nicely divided between proofs and their application. This text may not be as exhaustive as others, but all of the core material is there. As for those who do not intend to pursue further studies in math, it offers a plethora of related applications including finance, physics, and chemistry. This is a mature textbook, now in it's ninth edition, and it certainly shows. Tougher concepts presented in a number of ways, while simpler ones are kept brief. As for lacking in rigor, I would rebut this claim. The early exercises are often computational, and can be skipped in favor of the later ones which are as rigorous as I have seen. When I first encountered the subject I was already familiar with much of the material, so I opted to go through each of the challenge exercises. At every theorem, I woudl first attempt my own proof, and then compare it with the one offered. If you take the time to do the more difficult problems, you will find yourself more than ready for upper level mathematical courses. You will not find a more palatable introduction to algebraic structures. Compared to other texts, this text is very readable. In short, it is a comprehensive text will challenge its readers. This is the third version of the text to find its way into my library. Recommended. ... Read more

Book Description
For sophomore-level courses in Differential Equations and Linear Algebra.

Customer Reviews (8)

I wish I could give it a 0 out of 5 stars
This textbook is the most vague textbook I have every read.The examples give no further explination or clarification.The text use terms such as "it is obviously" and "this way is pretty obvious".The homework problems assume that you do each problem in order because several problems reference previous problems for clarification.Several problems use methods discussed in the problems section and are not explained in the text.The book also assumes previous knowledge to be mastered.The authors have an understanding of math symbols that take the place of words (i.e. "such that"), but I don't.I need explinations of these symbols and it wouldn't have been difficult to insert a note.
I am disappointed that my school chose thise textbook to use.Avoid using this text for anything other than homework.I would rather read an "Idiots Guide to..." than study using this textbook.

Could be little worse
This textbook has a number of problems:
1: It's expensive. I paid over $70, used, here on Amazon - it's over $120 new at the campus book store. This is particularly bad when you compare it to my other engineering calculus book, Thomas' Calculus 9th/Alternate edition - which is not only far cheaper (under $50, in good condition), it's also more than twice as long as Farlow's Diff. EQ.

2: It's *extremely* technical. The descriptions are designed for a mathematics major. I am an engineering major - for my purposes, it is more important to understand the material and develop problem-solving skills than it is to learn abstract high-level mathematical concepts. Having technical descriptions is fine, but this text doesn't follow them up with "quick and dirty" methods and formulas. Thomas' Calculus, 9th ed., is far more approchable in this regard.

3: The examples suck. They are too easy, too watered down, and there aren't enough of them. The text expects us to transform a few simple examples into the knowledge to do a whole series of complex problems.

4: The problems are hard. Very hard. Sometimes, new concepts are introduced with a sentence or two *right in the problem set*.

The purpose of the text is to teach the material and compliment the lectures by providing realistic problems. This text does neither.

I'm certainly glad I'll never have to take another calc class after dealing with this crap
This is by far the absolute worst math book I have ever had the misfortune of using. The discussions teach everything using either completely abstract formulae or by using the absolute easiest example of that problem type. Then you get to the questions, which expect you to have mastered the concept of the preceding 10 pgs or so and be able to extrapolate these concepts to other topics (which the book offers no explanation of how to do). Overall, I would say you're better off learning this material from your cat's litter box, as it will probably make more sense. Also, i'm sure your cat put more effort into its litter box than the author's of this text put into writing this text.

Trash
This book's attempts to teach anything do anything but teach. Each section has about ten pages of explanation followed by a bunch of problems. Unfortunately the explanations do anything but explain to people that are trying to learn math. If you're a math wiz you might be able to decrypt what they're talking about, but as a student I had no idea. In the examples the authors often use explanations such as "it is obvious that..." and "we remember from..." The lack of explanation (mainly laziness on the authors' part) makes it very hard to follow what they're talking about,and the problems afterwards often expect the reader to know things that weren't discussed or appeared as a one-sentence blurp in the margin. So unless you're a massochist or already know this stuff like the back of your hand and need a reference guide, spend your money someplace else.

Craptacular
Unless you use this book straight away after taking an intensive Calculus II course, you're going to have absolutely no clue how they are doing any of the problems. They leave the "explanations" at an unacceptably high-level abstraction so that only those very freshly well-versed in Calculus can venture an understanding. Also contains no refreshers, not even a simple list of common integrals or integration formulas from Calculus. Just a crappy book, in my opinion. ... Read more

Book Description
From one of the premier authors in higher education comes a new linear algebra textbook that fosters mathematical thinking, problem-solving abilities, and exposure to real-world applications. Without sacrificing mathematical precision, Anton and Busby focus on the aspects of linear algebra that are most likely to have practical value to the student while not compromising the intrinsic mathematical form of the subject. Throughout Contemporary Linear Algebra, students are encouraged to look at ideas and problems from multiple points of view. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great book
My university started using this book recently. I had an a fantastic Instructor. My instructor was using this book for the first time. I haven't used anyother book besides this and I liked it. Book contains rigrous proofs. We also had Maple labs to supplement the course. After going through the proofs I could do the exercises. There are 4 different categories of exercises. First are just plain application of what you have studied. Then ther is dicussion and discovery section. After that there is Working with Proofs and the last one is technology Exercies which requires one to use Maple, Matlab or Graphing Calculator. Overall the book helped me understand the subject so I have no hesitation in giving it 5 stars.

Not well written and hard to understand
The book is not well written, and hard to understand. Not suggested for reading or reference. The problems are joke, easy, and is designed for student who doesn't understand math clearly. I suggest if you want buy the book for linear algebra buy hoffman/kunze. That book is a bible for linear algebra. ... Read more