Course instructions and tweets
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- 2016/12/19: Game Over
Thanks for playing.
Free free to return often for re-injections of Matrixology happiness.
- 2016/12/09: It's all happening out there
The Final Boss Level is the last thing standing between you and happiness. Well, it is happiness in itself. Next Thursday, December 15, 1:30 pm. Two hours and forty five minutes to experience the joy of Matrixology.
Office hours before the exam: 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm on Tuesday, December 13.
Please note that seating arrangements may be adjusted for the final exam to increase spacing.
- 2016/11/30: No lecture Thursday, December 1, office hours for next week, and a change in Tetris's due date/time.
- Reminder: No lecture on Thursday, December 1. Please continue to absorb the material in the preceding list of instructions.
- Tetris is now due by 3 pm on Friday, December 9, the day after our last class (it will be emotional).
- Office hours for next week will be: 11 am to 1 pm on Monday and 1 to 3 pm on Friday afternoon. No office hours on Wednesday.
- 2016/11/24: The Episodes at the End of this Course
The last material to absorb covers Positive Definite Matrices (23a, 23b, 23c, and 23d) and the triumphancy of Singular Value Decomposition (24a, 24b, and 24c, 25a). Links are below.
- Please note the ordering of consumption due to the Deliverator being away on Thursday, December 1.
- The final level is up: Tetris. Available here: http://www.uvm.edu/pdodds/teaching/courses/2016-08UVM-122/levels/
- Important: Tetris cannot be dropped—it will count for your final grade!
Positive Definite Matrices and friends
- Totally, for sure, Positive Definite Matrices: http://www.uvm.edu/pdodds/teaching/courses/2016-08UVM-122/episodes/23a/
- Positive Definite Matrices in the Wild: http://www.uvm.edu/pdodds/teaching/courses/2016-08UVM-122/episodes/23b/
- Completing the Square = Gaussian Elimination: http://www.uvm.edu/pdodds/teaching/courses/2016-08UVM-122/episodes/23c/
- Principle Axis Theorem and Hyper Footballs: http://www.uvm.edu/pdodds/teaching/courses/2016-08UVM-122/episodes/23d/
Singular Value Decomposition
- Singular Value Decomposition and Scottish fashion: http://www.uvm.edu/pdodds/teaching/courses/2016-08UVM-122/episodes/24a/
- A fully worked, highly nutritious SVD Calculation: http://www.uvm.edu/pdodds/teaching/courses/2016-08UVM-122/episodes/24b/
- Another fully worked, highly nutritious SVD Calculation: http://www.uvm.edu/pdodds/teaching/courses/2016-08UVM-122/episodes/24c/
- The Fundamental Theorem of Matrixology redux: http://www.uvm.edu/pdodds/teaching/courses/2016-08UVM-122/episodes/25a/
- 2016/11/17: Enjoy Thanksgiving
- Just don't talk about matrixology too much. It can be hard to keep the excitement under control.
- The fantasticness of Singular Value Decomposition is next.
- For some reason, the fashion of Scotland will be essential to everything.
- 2016/11/14: Q*bert and Challenge Level 3
1. Office hours will be normal again: 9 am to 11:59 am on Wednesday.
2. Level Q*bert is due Thursday, November 17 at the start of class.
3. The third Challenge Level will take place in class on Thursday, November 17.
4. A practice Challenge Level with solutions is available on the Challenge Level page.
5. This is the last week before the blessed release of Thanksgiving.
6. South Africa are destroying Australia in the cricket.
- 2016/11/07: Eigenthings and Diagonalization
Slide sets and videos to consume:
Start here:
http://www.uvm.edu/pdodds/teaching/courses/matrixology/slides/19a/
http://www.uvm.edu/pdodds/teaching/courses/matrixology/episodes/19a/
For Monday, November 7
19a: Sneaky Monk Tricks for Eigenstuff
20a: Reaffirming the happiness diagonal matrices bring
20b: Diagonalization is just the best
20c: Finding Fibonacci numbers
For Wednesday November 9
21a: The gentle art of changing basis
22a: Symmetry, the Spectral Theorem, and More Happiness
22b: Why the Spectral Theorem works
22c: A charming property of the Trace
More things to know:
1. No class next Thursday, November 10.
2. For the week starting November 7, office hours will be 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm on Tuesday and 10:00 am to 11:59 am on Friday.
3. The next level is Pitfall! and is due Friday, November 11 at 11:59 am.
3. Q*bert is now available and is due Thursday, November 17 at the start of class.
4. The third Challenge Level will take place in class on Thursday, November 17.
- 2016/11/04: Updates
1. No class next Thursday, November 10. Your deliverator is away. Online videos and slides will be posted soon.
2. The next level is Pitfall! and is due Friday, November 11 at 11:59 am.
3. Office hours will be 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm on Tuesday and 10:00 am to 11:59 am on Friday.
- 2016/10/31: Determinantarama
1. Please take in the four episodes and slides sets on determinants: 18a–e.
http://www.uvm.edu/pdodds/teaching/courses/2016-08UVM-122/episodes/
http://www.uvm.edu/pdodds/teaching/courses/2016-08UVM-122/slides/
2. Galaga is due Thursday, November 3 at the start of class. Pitfall! is available as well and is due the following week.
3. Office hours this week: 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm on Tuesday and 9:00 am to 10:00 am on Wednesday.
- 2016/10/24: Orthogonal bases, the Gram-Schmidt process, Eigenthings, and Determinants. Off we go.
Episodes and slide sets to be worked through:- Gram-Schmidt process and orthogonal bases and matrices: 16a–e
- Introduction to Eigenstuff: 17a–b
- A start on determinants: 18a
http://www.uvm.edu/pdodds/teaching/courses/2016-08UVM-122/episodes/
http://www.uvm.edu/pdodds/teaching/courses/2016-08UVM-122/slides/- The next level Galaga is up and is due Thursday, November 3 at the start of class.
- 2016/10/10: Row space, Left Nullspace, the Fundamental Theorem of Matrixology, Projections, and the Normal Equation:
We complete the set of four fundamental subspaces:
12a. "It came from Row Space!" (10/10)
13a. The Known Unknowns of Left Nullspace (10/10)
13b. The Big Picture + Fundamental Theorem of Matrixology (10/10)
Make sense of everything with an in-depth examination of how everything works for one 2x2 matrix (long):
14a. The Big Picture for the Man in Black (10/10)
Follow this up with one page pieces (short):
14b. The Big Picture for Inigo (10/12)
14c. The Big Picture for Fezzik (10/12)
A table you should understand:
14d. The Big Picture for the four basic kinds of Reduced Row Echelon Form, $\mathbf{R}_{\mathbf{A}}$ (10/12)
Everything comes together for the middle section of the course
with Projections and the Normal Equation:
15a. You know you're projecting, right? (10/12)
15b. The Amazing Normal Equation (10/12)
15c. Let's fit a line using the Normal Equation goodness (10/12)
15d. Finding the best approximate solution for Westley (10/17)
15e. The elation of projecting a vector onto a subspace (10/17)
http://www.uvm.edu/pdodds/teaching/courses/2016-08UVM-122/episodes/- Reminder: Pac-Man is due Thursday, October 13
GalagaDonkey Kong is now available and will be due Thursday, October 20- Continue to be prepared for mini-levels at the end of each class
- The second Challenge Level will be held on Thursday, October 20
- 2016/10/01: More of the Big Picture
We keep building our Big Picture for $\mathbf{A}\vec{x} = \vec{b}$. The next five pieces with consume-by-date:
10a. Becoming a Reduced Row Echelon Form Whisperer (10/03)
11a. Why Column Space and Nullspace are subspaces (10/05)
11b. All your bases are belong to us (10/05)
11c. Why the dimension of $\mathbf{A}$'s Column Space = the rank of $\mathbf{A}$ (10/05)
11d. Why the dimension of $\mathbf{A}$'s Nullspace = $n - r$ (10/05)
http://www.uvm.edu/pdodds/teaching/courses/2016-08UVM-122/episodes/- Reminder: Asteroids is due Thursday, October 6
- Continue to be prepared for mini-levels at the end of each class
- 2016/09/22: Online pieces for Column Space and Nullspace
We are moving on to the next four week stage. We're going to figure out most of this Big Picture thing.
Please take in Episodes 8a, 8b, and 8c by Monday, September 26.
New: please absorb 9a, 9b, and 9c by Monday as well.
9d, 9e, 9f, and 9g should be viewed by Wednesday, September 28.
http://www.uvm.edu/pdodds/teaching/courses/2016-08UVM-122/episodes/- No level due next Thursday, September 29
- Next level: Asteroids is available and will be due Thursday, October 6
- Be prepared for mini-levels at the end of each class
- 2016/09/15: the next level is Space Invaders
Space Invaders is live:
http://www.uvm.edu/pdodds/teaching/courses/2016-08UVM-122/levels/- "Space Invaders" is due by start of class next Thursday.
- Relevant online episodes are listed at the top of the first page.
- There will be a sixth quiz next Tuesday (transposes and symmetry)
Big deal: The first Challenge Level is next Thursday, September 22. Work through the practice exam and prepare.
- 2016/09/19: Online episodes for Transposes and Symmetry
For your "enjoyment":
Episode 07a (25:33):
Transposes and Symmetric Matrices
http://www.uvm.edu/pdodds/teaching/courses/2016-08UVM-122/episodes/07a/
Episode 07b (15:09): Coming up: How solving simultaneous equations involves two triangles.
http://www.uvm.edu/pdodds/teaching/courses/2016-08UVM-122/episodes/07b/
Please watch and take notes ahead of class on Tuesday, September 20
There will be a mini-level at the end of class.
- 2016/09/14: Online episodes for Rectange = Triangle x Triangle
Coming up: How solving simultaneous equations involves two triangles.
Episode 06a (49:54):
Triangle x Triangle = Rectangle
http://www.uvm.edu/pdodds/teaching/courses/2016-08UVM-122/episodes/06a/
Episode 06b (7:10): Why Triangle x Triangle = Rectangle Works
http://www.uvm.edu/pdodds/teaching/courses/2016-08UVM-122/episodes/06b/
Please watch and take notes ahead of class on Thursday, September 15
There will be a mini-level at the end of class.
- 2016/09/07: Online episodes on the Quest for the Inverse
Inverses are next. Four episodes:
Episode 05a (30:39): A quixotic quest for the inverses of matrices
http://www.uvm.edu/pdodds/teaching/courses/2016-08UVM-122/episodes/05a/
Episode 05b (25:00): Inverting matrices using only a spork and row operations
http://www.uvm.edu/pdodds/teaching/courses/2016-08UVM-122/episodes/05b/
Episode 05c (36:06): Secrets of the inverse
http://www.uvm.edu/pdodds/teaching/courses/2016-08UVM-122/episodes/05c/
Episode 05d (4:29): Portents of parallelograms and parallelepipeds
http://www.uvm.edu/pdodds/teaching/courses/2016-08UVM-122/episodes/05d/
Please watch and take notes ahead of class on Tuesday, September 13
There will be a mini-level at the end of class.
- 2016/09/08: Level Zork is available
Ready Player One, Zork is loaded up:
http://www.uvm.edu/pdodds/teaching/courses/2016-08UVM-122/levels/- "Zork" is due by start of class next Thursday.
- Office hours are now 9:00 am to 11:55 am on Wednesdays.
- Relevant episodes/notes are indicated at the top of each level's pdf.
- 2016/09/07: Online episode to take in for tomorrow
Time for Advanced Matrix Wrangling:
http://www.uvm.edu/pdodds/teaching/courses/2016-08UVM-122/episodes/04a/
http://www.uvm.edu/pdodds/teaching/courses/2016-08UVM-122/episodes/04b/
Please watch ahead of class!
As usual, there will be a mini-level at the end of class.
And Level 1, Pong, is due at the start of class.
- 2016/09/05: Online episode to take in for tomorrow
Next up: Elimination Matrices
Your online material to take in before tomorrow's class is episode 3a:
http://www.uvm.edu/pdodds/teaching/courses/2016-08UVM-122/episodes/03a/
There will be a mini-level at the end of class.
- 2016/09/01: Level Pong is online
Level 1 is now available online here:
http://www.uvm.edu/pdodds/teaching/courses/2016-08UVM-122/levels/- "Pong" is due by start of class next Thursday.
- Office hours are 1:15 pm to 2:30 pm on Tuesdays and 10:30 am to 11:55 am on Wednesdays.
- Relevant episodes/notes are indicated at the top of each level.
- 2016/08/31: Lecture videos to absorb for Matrixology by Wednesday 8/31
1. There are six (6) episodes for you to take in over the next day
listed here (1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d):
http://www.uvm.edu/pdodds/teaching/courses/2016-08UVM-122/episodes/
Episodes 1a and 1b connect with today's in-class lecture on
the row, column, and matrix pictures.
The rest start us off on solving Ax=b (a semester long project; I know you are totally psyched).
2. Accompanying slides are here (and are linked to from each episode):
http://www.uvm.edu/pdodds/teaching/courses/2016-08UVM-122/slides/
At the bottom of the slide guiide you will also find pdf's of all notes combined which will grow throughout the course.
3. On Thursday, we'll work on problems in class and tackle
mini-level #1 (quiz) at the end.
4. Thanks for enduring the subpar technology experience today.
We will have fun.
- 2016/08/29: Twitter
Team,
Matrixology tweets from @matrixologyvox (https://twitter.com/matrixologyvox).
Please follow if you have a Twitter account! This is not a requirement
as the feed will be part of the website but setting up something so that
you receive notification of tweets from @matrixologyvox would be a good
idea.
Important: Most information will go out through Twitter for this course.
- 2016/08/29: Welcome to Matrixology (or: Linear Algebra)
Dear Budding Matrixologists,
We will begin learning all about numbers in boxes tomorrow
and I just wanted to say welcome and give you a few pointers
to the online material we'll be using this semester.
The course's bespoke website is housed here:
http://www.uvm.edu/~pdodds/teaching/courses/2016-08UVM-122/
I am doing things differently this time round:
You'll find online episodes (lectures) and slides/notes here:
http://www.uvm.edu/~pdodds/teaching/courses/2016-08UVM-122/episodes/
http://www.uvm.edu/~pdodds/teaching/courses/2016-08UVM-122/slides/
The plan will be for you to watch and absorb the online episodes
outside of class. You must be organized! Watching with others
may work well for you, as will taking your own notes.
You don't have to watch anything in advance of the first meeting time.
Course basics:
- In class, we will work through problems recitation-style.
- All coursework will have a game theme.
- Most classes (not the first one!) will end with a 10 to 15 minute mini-level (quiz).
- There will be:
10 levels (assignments)
3 challenge levels (midterm exams)
1 final boss level
Okay!
So, please familiarize yourself with the course website.