Course Syllabus

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MATH 33A - Linear Algebra and Applications

Course Information

 4 units- This means you should expect to spend approximately 12 hours a week on this course.

Lecture with Prof Morris-Wright will be Fully Online  and recorded. 

Lecture 1 MWF 8:00-8:50 am  Location: via Zoom 
Lecture 3 MWF 12:00-12:50 pm  Location: via Zoom 

Discussion Section (in-person) 

Section Time Location TA LA(s)
1A T 8:00-8:50 am Haines Hall A25 Lisang Ding Dinc Ozeren
1B Th 8:00-8:50 am Haines Hall A25 Lisang Ding Dinc Ozeren
1C T 8:00-8:50 am Boelter Hall 2760 David Popovic Jessica Chew
1D Th 8:00-8:50 am Boelter Hall 2760 David Popovic Jessica Chew
1E T 8:00-8:50 am Haines Hall A44
 David Soukup Lumyah Habib
1F Th 8:00-8:50 am

Haines Hall A44

 David Soukup Lumyah Habib
3A T 12:00-12:50 pm Mathematical Sciences 5128 Cecelia Higgins Xinran Fang & Kandrex Millones
3B Th 12:00-12:50 pm Boelter Hall 5280 Cecelia Higgins Xinran Fang & Kandrex Millones
3C T 12:00-12:50 pm Perloff Hall 1102 Josh Kazdan Shizhen Fan
3D Th 12:00-12:50 pm Perloff Hall 1102 Josh Kazdan Shizhen Fan
3E T 12:00-12:50 pm Bunche Hall 3156 Yudong Qiu Yanni Bills
3F Th 12:00-12:50 pm Bunche Hall 3156 Yudong Qiu Yanni Bills

 

Instructor Information -Click here to see my office hours and the TAs office hours

Course Descriptions from the Mathematics Department

Prerequisites

MATH 3B, 31B or 32A or equivalently at least two courses in calculus at another university. Calculus content is not required, but we are looking for students who have previously taken a university level math class and can handle a fast-paced class with many new abstract ideas. 

Enrollment and waitlist information

The math department does not use PTE numbers and Prof. Morris-Wright does not have the power to admit you to the class. Please email ugrad@math.ucla.edu for inquiries about enrollment.

All students on the waitlist will be enrolled in the course at the end of Week 2. Waitlisted students will be assigned to a team and are expected to keep up with all course activities and assignments. If you join the waitlist during the first two weeks, contact your instructor to discuss make-up work.

  • Classroom environment

    I firmly believe that ANYONE, regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, race, or religion can not only understand but find beauty, empowerment, and joy in mathematics. I am committed to making my office and classrooms (including virtual) safe spaces where everyone’s questions are heard and everyone’s ideas are respected. As a student,

    1. You deserve to feel welcomed and celebrated for who you are. Discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated. Please let the instructor or TA know immediately if you every feel uncomfortable in the class.

    2. You deserve to be addressed in the manner that reflects who you are. I welcome you to tell me your pronouns and/or preferred name at any time, either in person or via email. Conversely, please address your classmates according to their expressed preferences.

    3. You deserve to feel safe in our in-person class meetings. This means that all university policies regarding masking, social distancing, testing and vaccination will be enforced. If you test positive for Covid or have any covid symptoms, please do not come to class in-person. Please see the UCLA COVID Guidelines for further information about what is expected of you in class. 

      If you can't come to class in person, you may do one of the following:

      • Ask one of your teammates to zoom you in to class. 
      • Come to the instructors office hours Wed 4-5pm, and do the worksheet there with any other students who also cannot attend that week. 
      • Skip the discussion for that week. Because you only need. 75% average on the discussion worksheets, you can skip up to 2 weeks without affecting your grade. 

    4. You deserve to fully and equitably participate in our learning environment. If you are a student who needs academic accommodations because of a documented disability you should present your letter of accommodation to your instructor as soon as possible. You will need an official letter from UCLA Center for Accessible Education.

Course Materials

Required Textbook

Linear Algebra with Applications , 5th edition, Otto Brescher
Note: The UCLA bookstore carries both a "Classic Version" which is a bound book and a "Loose Leaf" version. You should obtain one or the other, not both. 

Course Resources

CampusWire Link Campuswire will be where our Q&A forum lives!

Instructor and TA student hours: Time and location can be found on the Instructor Information page 

You are highly encouraged to come to student hours and HW help sessions, both with your instructor and your TA. You don’t need a prepared question you can just come and listen to other students questions.

Your Peers! Don’t underestimate the value of your classmates, they can help you, and when you help them, you will learn too!

SMC- Student Math Center- Free tutoring for the students in UCLA math classes. Open for drop in hours Mon-Thurs 9am-3pm.

Our textbook It has more than just HW problems in it! I recommend you focus on reading the example problems and solutions. Take notes and quiz yourself along the way asking yourself why the author chose to do each step.

Learning Outcomes and Course Description

A matrix is a way that mathematicians and computer scientists keep track of large amounts of data, especially data that has multiple attributes or dimensions. In this class, we will use matrices (the plural of matrix) to solve systems of linear equations. We will study the abstract forms of these systems of equations as well as their applications to science, engineering, and economics. There will be an emphasis on the algorithms needed to solve these problems, but also on why these algorithms work .

Here are some examples of problems we will study this semester.

  • Given a network representing flow in and out of a set of nodes, set up a set of linear equations that models the network and find a solution that represents a state of equilibrium.

  • Given a collection of data how do we find a quadratic function which best fits this data using the least squares method?

  • Given a matrix that represents an image in computer graphics software, how can we reflect, rotate or otherwise transform the image?

  • Given a network of websites how do we rank a set of search results so that the most relevant results appear first?

Another important theme in this class is the idea of the existence and uniqueness of a solution. Up until now, many of the problems you have encountered in your math classes have been carefully constructed by your teachers to ensure they always have exactly one correct solution. However, in the wilderness outside your math classroom, this will not always be the case. Some problems will have no solution, while others will have more than one solution. In this class, we will study the properties of systems of linear equations and how to tell if a system has a unique solution.

 

systems of linear eq in 3D.png 
 

Course Content Outcomes- By the end of our course you will be able to...

Content Outcomes

Metacognitive Outcomes- In this Course we will also practice the following skills...

  1. Convey complex mathematical ideas clearly and succinctly using both oral and written formats.

  2. Apply logical thinking and problem solving skills to material in ways not demonstrated explicitly

    in class.

  3. Cooperate in groups with other students.

Grade Calculation

This course will be graded using a system called ``Specifications-based" or ``Standards-based" grading. This system is different from what you are probably accustomed to and it is OK to feel nervous about this in the beginning. Once students understand the new system, the vast majority of them prefer it, as it gives them greater agency and flexibility. However it may take you some time to fully understand all the details. 

Here are some key features of Specifications-based grading

  • Your grade is based on you demonstrating that you have mastered the skills required. In particular your classmates' performance has no affect on your grade. 
  • Everyone learns at their own pace. This means that when demonstrating mastery of a skill, if you do not succeed, you will be given the opportunity to try again. 
  •  Because you can try again, each time you demonstrate mastery you will be held to high expectations. You are expected to be able to preform the skill with a high level of proficiency and be able to explain and justify your thought process. No partial credit is given. 

Standards-based grading encourages you to think of your mistakes as learning opportunities. In most classes you have taken in the past, you started with 100% and lost points for making errors. In this course, everyone will start with 0 points. You don't lose any points for making errors. Instead you gain points for doing problems correctly.  Your final grade will depend on the total number of points you have earned at the end of the course. 

There are 108 possible points you may earn. You can earn up to 36 points for participation and effort, and 72 points for content related skills (see below for more details about how to earn points). At the end of the term your final grade will be calculated as follows. 

Letter Grade Scheme

Grade Points
A+ At least 100
A 94-99 points
A- 90-93 points
B+ 87-89 points
B 84-86 points
B- 80-83 points
C+ 77-79 points
C 74-46 points
C- 70-73 points
D+ 67-69 points
D 60-66 points
F Less than 60 points

For example if you earn 93 points you will receive an A-.

P-NP Grading (For students for have formally requested this from the registrar)
P 75-100 points
NP Less than 75 points

Click here to see how to estimate your current grade. This estimate is based on how many content outcomes you have completed per week, and is most accurate after we've completed a few weeks of class. 

How to Earn Points: Content Outcomes

One way to earn points is to demonstrate mastery of a content outcome.  You can earn up to 72 points this way.

Here is the list of content outcomes. Each outcome is worth 3 points. 

In order to earn points for a content outcome you must successfully complete a short quiz on Canvas with questions corresponding to that outcome.

Each outcome quiz will then be graded on a credit/no-credit basis. If you receive credit for this quiz  you will receive points towards your total grade. If you receive no credit, you will be able to attempt the quiz again. The quiz will give you a new problem on the same topic, not an identical problem to the one you attempted before. You are strongly encouraged to do extra studying between your attempts, working on more suggested practice problems and seeking help through office hours. You may attempt each quiz a total of 3 times, 2 times during the term and once during the final exam period. 

You CANNOT earn partial credit on an outcome. 

 

NOTE this is different from the pre-class assignments. The pre-class assignments are more like homework, you can have partial credit, and you get three tries and keep the highest score. The pre-class assignments are due before class each day, and no late assignments are accepted. 

Other ways to earn points

In addition to content outcomes, you can also earn points in the following ways. These are all designed so that anyone who puts in the effort should be able to earn these points. You can earn at most 36 points this way. 

  • 10 points for having at least 75% average on HW assignments. There are 10 HW assignments total, so it is possible to earn these points and skip 1-2 assignments if you are sick or otherwise can't complete an assignment. 
  • 10 points for having at least 75% average on the groupwork assignments(See the section of the syllabus on groupwork for more information). Again it is possible to skip 1-2 assignments and still receive these points. 
  • 10 points for having at least 75% average on the pre-class questions associated to the pre-recorded videos you will watch before each lecture (see pre-class section of the syllabus for more details)
  • 1 point for earning a level 1 participation score on CampusWire (signified by the little yellow bird next to your name no longer being inside its egg). To do this you need to ask at least one question and receive at least one upvote from a classmate. 
  • 2 points for earning a level 2 participation score on Campuswire (signified by a little red bird  next to your name). To do this you need to answer at least 5 questions on the class feed and receive 10 upvotes from classmates. 
  • 1 point for filling out the end of course survey, and one additional point for each additional survey you fill out. There are 3 surveys total (the Pre-Course Survey, one mid-quarter, and one after the quarter ends.) but you must fill out the last one to receive these points. 

Other Course Elements

Flipped Class Structure

This is a flipped course, meaning that course content will be delivered through reading and pre-recorded videos. You must watch the videos and complete the online pre-class quizzes before each class period. These pre-class quizzes are an opportunity for you to earn participation points. 

If you miss the due date on the pre-class assignments, it is not worth your time or mine to ask for an extension or try to get more points. There are almost 30 pre-class assignments and they are a small part of your grade. Let it go. 

Lecture time will be a time to go over example exercises and for Q&A. The live lectures are optional/supplemental material. You are encouraged to attend class if you felt stuck when watching the pre-class videos, but lecture attendance is not a good use of your time if you are confident in your abilities based after only watching the pre-class videos.

Team assignments

You will be assigned a group of classmates to work with, your team. Each week there will be a team assignment. You will complete this assignment during discussion section with your team, and with the assistance of the TAs and LAs.  You should designate one person on your team to turn in your assignment. Team assignments will be graded for effort and completion.

You must complete the Team Setup Survey in order to be assigned to an appropriate team.

You may miss up to two discussion sections and still receive points towards your final grade for the team assignments. In you are scheduled for an in-person discussion section, and you test positive or have covid symptoms, please do not come to class.

If you can't come to class in person, you may do one of the following:

  1. Ask one of your teammates to zoom you in to class. 
  2. Come to the instructors office hours Wed 4-5pm, and do the worksheet there with any other students who also cannot attend that week. 
  3. Skip the discussion for that week. Because you only need. 75% average on the discussion worksheets, you can skip up to 2 weeks without affecting your grade. 

Required attendance at discussion sections and team meetings will begin in Week 1 on Tues Sept 28th. 

In discussion section, you will work on worksheets with your team and our helpful Learning Assistants 

Learning Assistants (LAs): LAs are UCLA undergraduate students who have completed this (or a similar) course, and they want to help you get the most out of discussion sections, by fostering discussion and helping with problem solving. LAs are not yet content experts (so you can ask a TA or instructor if you want to be sure of any answer), and they don't do any grading or taking of attendance; they're in the room to support your learning! To help you all build more reasoning and problem solving skills, they will generally ask questions and encourage collaboration. To help you better understand what you know and don't yet know, we ask them not to just give out answers, but to work with you to help you and your group figure things out. They're learning and getting units for this role, so your constructive feedback is welcome in helping them learn how to best support you all.

Exams

There are no midterm or final exams in this class! You grade is based on how many points you accrue through participation and by receiving credit on content outcome quizzes. 

Late Submissions

Your wellbeing comes first. If your wellbeing or that of a loved one comes into conflict with course obligations, I hope that you will attend to the former. I’ve included a considerable amount of flexibility in this course. It is possible to completely miss roughly two weeks worth of assignments without negatively impacting your grade. That being said, I don’t accept late homework or give extensions on assignments. With such a large class, I simply to not have the capacity to accept late work, from a grading and organizational perspective. 

Technology Requirements

In order to succeed in this class you will need the following technology.

  • Consistent access to a internet connection stable enough to watch videos.
  • A way to attend zoom meetings, either through the internet or through a phone connection.
  • A way to turn in hand-written documents. This might be a pen or pencil and scanning app on your phone, or it could be a tablet and stylus that allows you to draw directly on a PDF.

     –  Here is a Gradescope how-to  with more information about how to scan and upload your homework.

If you don’t have all of the above here are some resources to help.

Browsers

You will need to use a browser as your primary method of accessing this course. The Canvas mobile apps should only be used as a supplement. To learn about browser compatibility with Canvas, visit the Supported Browsers page.

Recording and Cameras

All Mon-Wed-Fri class meetings will be recorded, and the recordings will be posted on Canvas. Recordings will not be posted in a public place. If you speak aloud it is possible that you will appear in the recording. If you do not feel comfortable being on the recording you can

  • Ask your question in the chat and one of the LA student assistants will read it aloud anonymously
  • Ask your question on CampusWire.

Discussion sections and meetings in breakout rooms are not recorded.

Recording anything that shows your fellow student or sharing any of our class videos on platforms not protected by your UCLA login is expressly forbidden. This is a university wide policy that helps us be compliant with federal law, so please take it seriously and do not share class videos on public forums.

It also helps me and your classmates a lot when you turn your camera on! We’re all humans. Many of us are feeling isolated or lonely in the time of COVID. As your instructor, it brightens my day to see your faces. So, when attending lecture, please consider turning your camera on, if your situation admits.

University Policies

Academic Integrity

UCLA is a community of scholars. In this community, all members including faculty, staff and students alike are responsible for maintaining standards of academic honesty. As a student and member of the University community, you are here to get an education and are, therefore, expected to demonstrate integrity in your academic endeavors. You are evaluated on your own merits. Cheating, plagiarism, collaborative work, multiple submissions without the permission of the professor, or other kinds of academic dishonesty are considered unacceptable behavior and will result in formal disciplinary proceedings usually resulting in suspension or dismissal. See the Dean of Students website for more information.

[source: Dean of Students syllabus statement (syllabus) ] 

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities:

If you are already registered with the Center for Accessible Education (CAE), please request your Letter of Accommodation in the Student Portal. If you are seeking registration with the CAE, please submit your request for accommodations via the CAE website. Students with disabilities requiring academic accommodations should submit their request for accommodations as soon as possible, as it may take up to two weeks to review the request. For more information, please visit the CAE website , visit the CAE at A255 Murphy Hall, or contact us by phone at (310) 825-1501.

[source: Center for Accessible Education (Faculty Questions) ]

Resources for Students

UCLA provides resources if you are feeling overwhelmed and need personal and/or academic assistance.

Please see the Red Folder REV2020 web for more information.

Title IX

Advocacy and Confidential Services

Please note that Title IX prohibits gender discrimination, including sexual harassment, domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.  If you have experienced sexual harassment or sexual violence, you can receive confidential support and advocacy at the CARE Advocacy Office for Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, 205 Covel Commons, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, care@careprogram.ucla.edu, (310) 206-246 5.  Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) provides confidential counseling to all students and can be reached 24/7  at (310) 825-0768.  

Reporting and Non-confidential Services

Your professor is required under the UC Policy on Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment to inform the Title IX Coordinator should he become aware that you or any other student has experienced sexual violence or sexual harassment. In addition, You can also report sexual violence or sexual harassment directly to the University’s Title IX Coordinator, 2255 Murphy Hall, titleix@equity.ucla.edu , (310) 206-3417. Reports to law enforcement can be made to UCPD at (310) 825-1491. 

Modules

Course content is divided into modules that run from Monday at 12:01am through Sunday at 11:59pm US Pacific Time (UTC-08:00). Due dates are communicated within each Assignment tool.

Changes to the course schedule may occur and will automatically be reflected in the Course Summary section below.

Course Summary:

Course Summary
Date Details Due