MAT 212 Spring 2024

Linear Algebra
Instructor: Dr. Ajmia Younes Orfi Email: aorfi@alfaisal.edu

Class Time: Sun/ Tue/ Thu, from 3:00PM to 3:50PM Class Location: S1.004

Office Hours: Sun/ Tue/ Thu from 12:00 to 13:00 in Classroom B1:038.

Prerequisite: Calculus I and Calculus II

Text Books:
Elementary Linear Algebra. By Howard Anton & Chris Rorres, 11th edition

Recommended Material: Linear Algebra with Applications, Jeffrey Holt, Second Edition

Course Description:
In this course, the student will have the opportunity: to use the methods of elimination of Gauss and
Gauss-Jordan to determine the set of solutions of a linear system and the inverse of a matrix.
Understand the concepts of vector space and vector subspace. Understand the concepts of linear
combination of vectors, linear dependence and independence, generative family, basis and dimension
of a vector space. Matrices and matrix operations. Calculate the rank of a matrix. Understand the
concept of Euclidean vector product of two vectors in IR n , Norm of a vector, Cauchy-Schwarz
inequality, angle and distance between two vectors. Understand linear transformation concepts, find
the range and kernel of a linear transformation. Calculate the characteristic polynomial of a square
matrix and find the eigenvalues and eigenvectors.

Course Objectives:
At the end of the course students will acquire a solid knowledge of Linear Algebra, and will be capable
to solve many practical problems using tools of Linear Algebra. More specifically:
 Students will recognize linear systems and linear problems in general
 Students will learn how to solve linear systems and when the solutions exist
 Students will learn how to compute the determinant of a matrix and use it to solve systems and to
compute the inverse
 Students will learn how to manipulate matrices, compute and analyze the eigenvectors and eigenvalues
and their use in different contexts
 Students will learn the algebra of vector spaces and do linear transformation between them

Grading Scheme:
2 Quizzes 10%
Homework 10 %
2 Midterm Exams 40 %
Final Exam: Comprehensive 40 %
TOTAL 100 %

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 A 95-100 % A- 90-94 %
B+ 86-90 % B 83-86 %
B- 80-83 % C+ 76-80 %
C 73-76 % C- 70-73 %
D+ 66-70 % D 60-66 %
F < 60 %

All quizzes and exams will be closed book and closed notes. A successful student will prepare by reading the text
book, attending lectures, participating in class discussions and questions, and by doing homework and practice
problems.

Attendance Policy
 Policy related to missing classes: Regardless of the reasons, a student missing 15% or more of classes
will be denied (DN) from the course. The 15% absences are intended to accommodate for medical
emergencies1 and cases of bereavement of an immediate family member2. Only in these cases will the
student be allowed to make up missed class work or missed exams
 Arriving late to class: Coming to class 5 minutes after the start of class time is considered late, and 3
lates will count as 1 absence. Coming to class 10 minutes late will be considered as an absence.
1
Medical emergency counts for only verifiable communicable diseases and unforeseen, beyond the student’s
control, hospitalization. It needs to be documented by the hospital (not a clinic, much less a private practice
doctor) and will be verified.
2
Bereavement document from the Ministry of Health will be required in case, God forbid, of a death in your
immediate family. In such a case, you will be excused for three days.

Cell Phone/ Laptop/ IPad Policy

All electronic devices are not allowed during the exams (except calculators under the instructor permission).
Most notably cell phones are not allowed even in off mode. An irrevocable score zero (0) will be assigned to
any student caught with a cell phone and may be subject to further disciplinary measures. Students are not
allowed to use their mobile phones, IPads or laptops during regular classes. Any student caught using any of
these devices will be instructed to leave the classroom and will be given a full absence for that particular lecture.

Academic Integrity
Students are expected to maintain academic integrity at all times and to seek assistance from the instructor when
uncertain. Students who engage in activities which misrepresent their academic work through plagiarism,
cheating, and falsification infractions of academic integrity will be subject to serious disciplinary measures,
ranging from a zero grade in that assessment to the dismissal from the university altogether. All aspects of the
course are covered by these rules, including homework, lab reports, course reports, quizzes, and exams.

Consequences of Misconduct
When discipline and misconduct issues become apparent, a student will initially receive a verbal warning as a
reminder to respect the professor’s authority during class time. If this misconduct during class time occurs few
more times, the student will be terminally dismissed from the particular course or from the university altogether.
Any student disrupting an examination may be instantly dismissed from the examination room and risk taking
an F grade.

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Assignments, Quizzes and Exams
Late assignments will not be accepted; they must be completed on the day they are due to receive credit. There is
no provision to make-up for missed homework assignments, quizzes, midterm or final exams except under reasons
deemed acceptable by your professor (refer to attendance policy section).

The professor is expected to return promptly the grades of homework assignments, lab reports, quizzes, and
midterm exams and to go over them with proper feedback and solutions. Grades will be posted within a maximum
of one week after the day on which the assessment was offered.

Students must always present their Alfaisal ID cards during exam times.

Lines of Communication
If you have any concern or suggestion, it is imperative to follow the following steps in the order they are listed:
1. First, talk to your professor to resolve your issue.
2. Second, if your issue has merit and was not resolved by your professor in a reasonable time frame, you
may then contact the Chair of the Department.
3. Third, if your issue has merit to be escalated further along the hierarchy, you may then contact the Vice
Dean for Academic & Student Affairs. The Vice Dean will address your issue on time.
4. Failure to give due chance and time to resolving your issue with your professor, your Department Head,
and your Vice Dean, and going above their heads straight to the Dean or to the Provost, will certainly
invite disciplinary measures for not adhering to the institutional lines of communication outlined above.
Notes:
1. If your issue has no merit, learn to take NO for an answer; do not expect a miracle from the Department
Chair nor from the Vice Dean.
2. Students are discouraged from nagging their professors to extract undeserved higher grades. Students who
engage in this behavior will be automatically barred from consideration when their professors study
borderline cases for possible slight grade improvement at the end of the semester.

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 Tentative Schedule (Subject to change):
Date chapters Suggested problems
Week 1 1.1 Introduction to Systems of Linear Equations P: 9. Q: 5,6, 7,8, 15, 19, 20
14 Jan-18 Jan
Week 2 1.2 Gaussian Elimination P: 23. Q: 5,6,7, 25, 26, 27
21 Jan-25 Jan
Week 3 1.3 Matrices and Matrix Operations P: 36. Q: 3, 4
29 Jan-01 Feb 1.4 Inverses; Algebraic Properties of Matrices P: 49, Q: 5, 6. P: 50, Q:15-20
(Sun 28 Jan off)
1.5 Elementary Matrices and a Method for Finding inverse P: 59, Q: 5, 11, 12, 13
Week 4
matrix P:66, Q: 1-4, 9, 13, 15
04 Feb -08 Feb
1.6 More on Linear Systems and Invertible Matrices
Quiz 1: 15 Feb, Thursday
From 12:00 to 12:30 P:72, Q:9, 10 P:73, Q:18, 19, 21,26,
Week 5
1.7 Diagonal, Triangular, and Symmetric Matrices P:82, Q:11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 19
11 Feb -15 Feb
1.8 Matrix Transformations

Week 6 2.1 Determinants by Cofactor Expansion P:111, Q: 4,5,7,10, 11, 15,21,22,23,29

18 Feb -22 Feb 2.2 Evaluating Determinants by Row Reduction P:117, Q: 9-13, 23
(Thu 22 Feb off:
Founding day)
Week 7 vacation
22 Feb-02 Mar
Midterm 1: 07 Mar, Thursday
From 12:00 to 13:00 P:127, Q: 7,8,15,17, 19,21,24,26,33,35
Week 8
2.3 Properties of Determinants; Cramer’s Rule P:141, Q: 12-21
3 Mar-07Mar
3.1 Vectors in 2-Space, 3-Space, and n-Space

3.2 Norm, Dot Product, and Distance in IR^n P:153: 7-10

Week 9 P: 162, Q: 1-25
3.3 Orthogonality
10 Mar-14 Mar

Week 10 3.5 Cross Product P: 190, Q: 1

17 Mar-21 Mar 4.1 Real Vector Spaces

P: 201, Q: 7, 9, 11, 17
Week 11
4.2 Subspaces
24 Mar -28 Mar
Week 12
29 Mar- 7 April
vacation
Week 13
7 April- 13 April
4.3 Linear Combination
Week 14 P: 210, Q: 2, 3, 9, 11, 17, 19
4.4 Span of a set of vectors
14 Apr -18Apr P: 219, Q: 1, 3, 13

Quiz 2: 25 Apr, Thursday P: 228, Q: 1-6, 9,

Week 15 From 12:00 to 12:30 P: 235, Q: 1,2.
21 Apr -25 Apr 4.5 Linear independence
4.6 Basis
Week 16 4.7 Dimension P; 247, Q: 9-13,
28 Apr -02 May 4.8 Row Space, Column Space, and Null Space P: 256, Q: 1-5
(Thu 2 May off)
4.9&4.10 Rank, Nullity P: 300, Q: 1-7.
Week 17
Midterm 2: 09 May, Thursday P: 311, Q: 5-7, 17-19
05 May -09 May
From 12:00 to 13:00
Week 18 5.1 Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors
12 May -16 May
Week 19 Final Exam Period
19 May -30 May

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