[HN Gopher] Robotics 101 at UMich: Applied numerical linear alge...
       ___________________________________________________________________
        
       Robotics 101 at UMich: Applied numerical linear algebra as intro
       linear algebra
        
       Author : jamesliudotcc
       Score  : 280 points
       Date   : 2025-01-08 13:11 UTC (1 days ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (robotics.umich.edu)
 (TXT) w3m dump (robotics.umich.edu)
        
       | dotancohen wrote:
       | Youtube playlist for the course:
       | 
       | https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdPQZLMHRjDK8ZbLIcq1Q...
       | 
       | Materials on Github:
       | 
       | https://github.com/michiganrobotics/rob101
        
       | trillic wrote:
       | MATH 214 (intro to Linear) was the least enjoyable class during
       | my undergraduate at Umich. This seems like a better intro.
        
         | jackschultz wrote:
         | For engineering we had to pick either multivariate calculus or
         | linear algebra for more upper level math courses. I picked
         | multivariate, and I'll say it was also my least enjoyable
         | there. I look back wondering what would have gone different if
         | I picked linear algebra instead, but who knows, maybe I'd have
         | just as blech of an experience with that. Lot of great classes
         | in the EECS department though.
        
           | jumploops wrote:
           | > Lot of great classes in the EECS department though.
           | 
           | Couldn't agree more, Jack! Great times during 482... tranquil
           | compared to the 470 slog that started immediately after every
           | night :)
        
             | jackschultz wrote:
             | I totally remember 482 (Operating Systems for those
             | reading) being really interesting. Story I remember is one
             | of the final projects and dealing with locks in C++ world
             | where I'd get close to full solution, but some errors from
             | the locks, then I'd make a change and suddenly those
             | previous failing tests passed but new ones failed. I didn't
             | realize that could happen.
             | 
             | Great times. And I really liked how we did it all in C++
             | (other than computer vision 442 that was in matlab) rather
             | than Python which some places do. Having that lower level
             | understanding of languages in school makes understanding
             | code so much easier, and something I didn't have to learn
             | on my own.
        
         | semperdark wrote:
         | MATH 217 was one of my favorites! Ive heard that the math
         | department can be a little unenthusiastic about the non-major
         | courses, but overall it's a really welcoming place in my
         | experience.
        
       | angry_moose wrote:
       | Man this would have been nice when I was in school.
       | 
       | For some reason linear algebra still isn't part of standard
       | Mechanical Engineering course load (Calc 1, 2, 3, DiffEq) which
       | made life extremely difficult in some of the later classes. I
       | remember spending weeks brute forcing a lot of things that would
       | have been trivial with a little bit of matrix math.
       | 
       | I took a superficially similar class as a 400 level elective but
       | it assumed everyone already knew linear algebra going in, and it
       | was a disaster.
        
         | WillAdams wrote:
         | Currently watching:
         | 
         | https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/6-042j-mathematics-for-computer-...
         | 
         | and that assumption seems to be there as well, so very glad of
         | the posting of the Youtube links elsethread.
        
         | BeetleB wrote:
         | > For some reason linear algebra still isn't part of standard
         | Mechanical Engineering course load (Calc 1, 2, 3, DiffEq)
         | 
         | Wow. In my undergrad all engineering majors had to take linear
         | algebra (calc 3 was optional for computer engineering).
        
           | angry_moose wrote:
           | Maybe some schools do but it's baffling to me its not a
           | universal requirement. It'd be dramatically more useful than
           | Calc3 for most engineers.
           | 
           | Michigan doesn't seem to require it as the College of
           | Engineering core classes or as part of the BSME (checked
           | because they're who this course is through):
           | 
           | https://me.engin.umich.edu/academics/undergrad/handbook/bach.
           | ..
           | 
           | And my alma mater has a very similar progression.
        
             | lupire wrote:
             | The Robotics concentration requires Linear (Matrix)
             | Algebra.
             | 
             | And some upper level courses have a prerequisite.
             | 
             | But indeed it does seem a avoidable for many MechE majors.
             | 
             | Funny thread about UM engineering students avoiding taking
             | UM math classes. https://www.reddit.com/r/uofm/comments/15w
             | 18gv/reminder_you_...
        
             | Sanzig wrote:
             | First year linear algebra is a requirement in Canada for
             | national accreditation of any engineering program.
        
               | bigger_cheese wrote:
               | Linear Algebra was a first year subject for me as well. I
               | studied Engineering in Australia.
        
           | caspper69 wrote:
           | This would have helped me get an actual CS degree 25 years
           | ago instead of CS-lite (networking & server admin).
           | 
           | It's not that I can't do calculus, I took it in high school,
           | and then again in my first go-round in CS. It's that I _hate_
           | calculus. Not the subject itself, just the grinding away at
           | problem sets.
           | 
           | I did a refresher in pre-calc, calc I, calc II & discrete
           | mathematics during COVID at the local community college (was
           | planning to finish the few credits I need for an actual CS
           | BS) & I started calc III twice (but dropped both times). I
           | even got a 4.0 on my first calc III exam (and this was an in-
           | person class, so no online shenanigans).
           | 
           | I just have some kind of weird aversion to 3 dimensional
           | calculus. I have convinced myself that I'm simply not smart
           | enough to actually do the work. I _understand_ it, I just get
           | clammy with it.
           | 
           | Truth be told, maths are my kryptonite. Despite working with
           | numbers all day every day for 30+ years, and writing a lot of
           | software over the years (and not just CRUD, but games of all
           | things), I am absolutely ashamed that I just can't seem to
           | grok math with any rigor.
           | 
           | I have all the Stewart textbooks on my shelf, many textbooks
           | from libgen (ones I've seen recommended on HN from people who
           | went to much better universities than I attended), and I even
           | work through problems a few hours per week. I just can't seem
           | to make that leap from a guy who's "good with numbers" (from
           | a layperson's perspective) to a guy who's good at math.
           | 
           | Maybe I need to break open one of my physics textbooks and
           | actually use the calculus in an applied context and that will
           | break whatever mental barrier I have (I've even watched all
           | of the 3 blue 1 brown videos, countless youtube lectures,
           | etc).
        
             | downrightmike wrote:
             | Maybe stop torturing yourself for a bit. Sounds miserable.
        
               | caspper69 wrote:
               | Such is life. We all have regrets, and being sloppy and
               | indifferent with math in my youth is a big one for me. If
               | I had done it then, I wouldn't have to try so hard now.
        
             | liontwist wrote:
             | There are deep concepts behind multi variable cal. But if
             | you just want to pass the course, memorizing problem shapes
             | through practice will get you through calc 3.
             | 
             | Do all the homework problems check the answer in the back
             | of the book. You'll make it.
        
               | caspper69 wrote:
               | One day, God willing, lol.
        
             | casey2 wrote:
             | A few hours per week simply isn't enough, the best success
             | I've had studying was 6 hours a day, resting for 3 (leisure
             | activity), "working" for 3 (class, commute, chores, related
             | reading) and sleeping 12 hours.
             | 
             | In books like Stewart, staring at a theorem until you can
             | write it's proof should trivialize most problems in the
             | book.
             | 
             | If a method for solving a particular problem is too
             | difficult for you maybe consider researching and/or
             | inventing some new method to solve these problem. People
             | created these methods in the first place because earlier
             | methods were too tricky
             | 
             | Or just focus on work that doesn't require hundreds of
             | hours to gain proficiency. As long as you have time every
             | day to stop, think, and come up with an idea that solves a
             | problem you won't become intellectually unfit.
        
               | caspper69 wrote:
               | Thank you. I appreciate the feedback and the pointers.
        
               | caspper69 wrote:
               | I honestly don't think the problem is the textbook.
               | 
               | I have Stewart (both the standard version and Early
               | Transcendentals), and I also have a book from 1967 by Tom
               | Apostol (the 2 volume set that covers single &
               | multivariable calculus, linear algebra, a subtle
               | introduction to differential equations and some
               | probability as well).
               | 
               | My gut feeling is that I just don't know the correct way
               | to study math in general. I have no problem doing the
               | work. But it feels more like mechanical or algorithmic
               | solving than it does like true understanding. There is a
               | difference. I can't deconstruct a problem and think in
               | the abstract to come up with a different method to solve
               | it.
               | 
               | And there always seem to be some fundamental truth that
               | I'm always missing. A part of a proof here or an axiom
               | there that seems obvious to other people who study these
               | subjects that I just don't "see".
               | 
               | It's incredibly frustrating, because deep down I know I
               | have the aptitude for this stuff. I guess that most
               | subjects have always been easy for me. I could ace exams
               | without cracking the book (or just skimming).
               | 
               | Math is not like that. You need to read. And then re-
               | read. And then do. And then do some more. And then go
               | back and re-read again to see what you missed. And
               | there's a lot of things that are between the lines, and
               | if you're not following it, those things fall by the
               | wayside.
               | 
               | I just need to learn how to learn math. I need to learn
               | how to deconstruct notation and proofs to truly
               | understand them. And there's no shortcut. It's grind and
               | grind until it all becomes clear. That sort of thing is
               | just difficult for me.
        
               | jamesliudotcc wrote:
               | Maybe your problem is Stewart? I used that textbook and
               | was successful, but it's not for everyone. For example,
               | beginning calculus with limits is another bit of
               | misguided conventional wisdom. I still don't get limits,
               | really. Serge Lang's calculus book takes the approach to
               | just roll with an intuitive notion of limits, saving
               | rigor for analysis. Which seems better.
               | 
               | Gilbert Strang has a textbook, also more intuitive and
               | applied. Free PDF provided by MIT. Sylvanus Thompson's
               | book is recommended here, again, intuitive, applied.
               | 
               | Other comments here, 3 hours isn't enough, use Math
               | Academy, nobody gets it on the first approach, all seem
               | relevant. One of the textbooks recommended here says in
               | the preface that it's for a second course in Linear
               | Algebra. Analysis is just calculus the second (or third)
               | go round, and it's said to be the hardest class in a math
               | major.
               | 
               | I am in your boat, but about linear algebra instead of
               | calculus. This is what I try to get myself over the hump.
        
             | sn9 wrote:
             | You should check out Math Academy.
             | 
             | It schedules everything for you including the review so you
             | just have to keep showing up to do the work.
             | 
             | Even as little as 30 minutes per day done consistently for
             | months will have you make tremendous progress.
             | 
             | And once you master multivariable calculus, fields like
             | probability and machine learning will be unlocked for you.
        
             | monadINtop wrote:
             | If by 3d-calc you mean vector calculus then yeah I never
             | actually understood any of it, I just moved on to
             | differential forms and the tensor calculus and Riemannian
             | geometry and then wondered why anyone bothered with
             | 3d-calculus in the first place.
             | 
             | Most of the time I've found that the deeper I plunge into
             | abstraction in math I get rewarded with an extremely
             | elegant formalism. Its like upgrading your weapon in dark
             | souls, the early game enemies get one-shotted when you go
             | back.
        
             | BeetleB wrote:
             | > It's that I hate calculus. Not the subject itself, just
             | the grinding away at problem sets.
             | 
             | Most math majors I knew hated the standard calculus
             | courses, for precisely this reason. It's taught this way
             | because they're targeting engineers and some hard sciences
             | (physics).
             | 
             | The reason is that for many of those majors (EE, physics),
             | you will take courses where doing calculus is your daily
             | bread and butter. You need to be as adept at it as algebra.
             | Over 50% of HW problems in those courses will involve
             | calculus. They really don't want students who understand
             | circuits but can't do anything useful because they stumble
             | on calculus.
             | 
             | They are the largest "customers" of the math department, so
             | the department caters to them.
        
           | antman wrote:
           | We had the basic Linear Algebra in high school
        
         | mp05 wrote:
         | Yes back in 2005 when I first went to undergrad as a mech
         | engineering major, linear algebra was not a requirement. Our
         | mechanics professors were highly irritated by this.
         | 
         | I don't think this has changed much (but absolutely should).
         | I've watched in real time as Micron representatives reject
         | mechanical engineers and prefer resumes from industrial
         | engineers for design roles due to their superior grasp on
         | linear algebra and statistics. I'm paraphrasing but "it's
         | easier to teach an IE how to do FEA than it is to teach a
         | mechanical engineer DOE and Weibull analysis".
        
           | angry_moose wrote:
           | Yeah, stats is the other major deficiency in the course load.
           | I think one course is required but its basically high school
           | level "check out these normal distributions, 68-95-99.7,
           | here's a Z-score, see you later".
           | 
           | Thankfully the companies I've worked for have done a really
           | good job with advanced stats training.
        
           | lupire wrote:
           | Why can't professors set LA as a prereq for their courses?
           | 
           | Or use it in their courses and earn students that they need
           | to learn it so succeed?
        
             | mp05 wrote:
             | It's up to department heads and dean and they're pressured
             | by ABET and companies that write them checks.
             | 
             | Education is secondary; this is job training! We need to
             | crank out people ready to drop into Boeing's way of doing
             | things!
        
           | gnubison wrote:
           | What do these acronyms mean?--IE, FEA, DOE?
        
             | angry_moose wrote:
             | IE == Industrial Engineering: broad, but generally
             | "Engineering of Systems" instead of a physical product.
             | Laying out factories, setting up supply chains, etc. It's
             | morphed a little bit from the original field so the name
             | isn't super accurate.
             | 
             | FEA == Finite Element Analysis: advanced method of
             | predicting the strength of a product via numerical
             | simulation.
             | 
             | DOE == Design of Experiments: evaluation of how the outputs
             | of a system change as you vary the inputs. At a high level,
             | you build model of the system, then vary all the inputs
             | through their entire range and to build a response surface
             | of the output.
        
               | mp05 wrote:
               | > It's morphed a little bit from the original field so
               | the name isn't super accurate.
               | 
               | I'm currently doing a masters in IMSE--Industrial and
               | Management Systems Engineering--and yeah it's changed
               | since the 70s or whenever it had its real heyday (they
               | come in waves).
               | 
               | The updated curriculum for undergrad is essentially the
               | same as a mechanical engineering for the first two years,
               | but as they wander off into advanced mechanics and
               | fluids, IMSE students are doing time studies, factory
               | design (FLOW!), and lots of stats and algorithms.
               | 
               | I've actually had the pleasure of getting to gripe to our
               | school's Industrial Advisory Board which seems mostly
               | full of Boeing people. They want to know if the
               | curriculum serves the students well and I preach to them
               | that, actually, if you spend 6 or 9 extra credits on
               | proper software engineering that you've created a
               | monster... but they don't listen. Some even get kind of
               | offended because they think that a career in project
               | management is a fine way to go about life (why go to
               | engineering school?)
               | 
               | Sorry programming blows your mind? Perhaps that's why we
               | need to teach it? I've done a lot of ERP integrations in
               | my career and I'm not sure who they think is most
               | qualified to do those sorts of things.
        
         | cashsterling wrote:
         | Same... I didn't have to take Linear Algebra in ChemE
         | undergrad. DiffEq had a little bit of LA... and ChemE had few
         | classes where bits of pieces of LA where introduced and
         | applied.
         | 
         | Graduate school definitely made up for lost time... LA was very
         | front and center in the applied math courses.
        
       | yardie wrote:
       | I love Linear Algebra. I took it in college almost 20 years ago
       | and I still use it everyday. The higher level maths almost broke
       | me academically. And it was a course in LA that really kept my
       | head in the game. Even now, when I'm talking to students I try
       | and encourage them to take the class if it's available.
        
         | gertlex wrote:
         | For me LA was spread across several courses (I was at Michigan
         | in engineering too), and I never got enough internalization of
         | when it was useful from these, sadly. It definitely seemed more
         | useful that a lot of the higher level maths, like you imply.
        
       | RobbieGM wrote:
       | I took this course 3 years ago. I found it fast-moving, and it
       | focused a lot more on applications than fundamentals, which meant
       | it was more wide than it was deep. This didn't turn out so well
       | when I decided to study ML later and needed stronger linear
       | algebra fundamentals, but it was a fun course. There were a
       | couple interesting course projects, one of which was using linear
       | algebra to balance a (simulated) 2D robot.
        
         | byefruit wrote:
         | What would you recommend for building a strong linear algebra
         | foundation?
        
           | RobbieGM wrote:
           | UMich has a couple other linear algebra courses that might be
           | better for that: MATH 214, MATH 217 are the numbers if I
           | remember correctly. 217 is known for having a high workload
           | and greater rigor, but some say it's worth it even for non-
           | Math majors.
        
           | gauge_field wrote:
           | In terms of books, I would say Linear Algebra Done Right. The
           | book requires some background to understand efficient. But,
           | once you have some background, it is very good for having a
           | systematic and rigorous understanding of Linear Algebra
           | theory
        
             | fn-mote wrote:
             | LADR is the SICP of linear algebra.
             | 
             | If you can handle it, fabulous. If not, you're really in
             | deep doo-doo. There did not seem to be a half-way to me.
             | Astounding exercises, and also some are astoundingly hard.
        
           | ellisv wrote:
           | Anything by Gilbert Strang
           | 
           | https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE7DDD91010BC51F8
        
           | krosaen wrote:
           | Also a big fan of Strang. "Linear algebra and its
           | applications" has problem sets with solutions for odd number
           | questions.
           | 
           | Would highly recommend
           | https://mathacademy.com/courses/linear-algebra or
           | https://mathacademy.com/courses/mathematics-for-machine-
           | lear...
           | 
           | I originally spent time working through practice problems
           | from one of Strang's books, now really appreciate how
           | systematic math academy is in assessing, building a custom
           | curriculum, then doing spaced repetition.
        
             | javiramos wrote:
             | I took 18.085 (applied linear algebra) as a grad student at
             | MIT. The best taught math course I've ever taken. Strang is
             | a fantastic teacher.
        
             | kosmet wrote:
             | After working with math academy, any form of video learning
             | seems so inefficient. I think people lose a lot of time
             | watching these videos thinking that they are learning
             | without applying anything by themselves.
        
               | gessha wrote:
               | It's $50/month online course. As effective as it can be,
               | I can't justify this expense for myself, as much as I'm
               | fascinated by math.
        
             | a-dub wrote:
             | i don't really care how many people i respect liked it, i
             | have to be honest, i hated strang's "linear algebra and its
             | applications."
             | 
             | there's a strang text on computational science that was
             | much more my speed (less of the baby talk and repetitive
             | manual arithmetic exercises) and i think that some of the
             | revisions that came later (+ "learning with data") were
             | better.
             | 
             | i did not find doing endless exercises of gaussian
             | elimination or qr factorization by hand on small matrices
             | to be all that enlightening.
             | 
             | this michigan course looks awesome!
        
               | krosaen wrote:
               | > less of the ... repetitive manual arithmetic exercises
               | 
               | I think this post (from a math academy employee) has a
               | good argument for why these sorts of exercises are
               | important. It's about basic arithmetic, but I think it
               | applies to tedious things like performing gaussian
               | elimination on small matrices as well.
               | 
               | https://www.justinmath.com/if-you-want-to-learn-algebra-
               | you-...
               | 
               | I like to come at it from both angles - higher level with
               | useful applications, and then lower level "I could maybe
               | implement this if I had to" exercises. The latter are
               | tedious, and hard to motivate effort for without the
               | former. Ultimately, as the post argues, I agree that if
               | you don't understand the lower level (tedious)
               | operations, you will only get so far in your ability to
               | apply LA.
        
         | tptacek wrote:
         | Where do you feel the gaps were for what you needed for ML?
         | Downthread, Jesse Grizzle notes they've added some stuff in
         | 2023 (it's on Github I think?) to support an ML class.
        
         | frognumber wrote:
         | No one, and let me repeat that, no one "gets" linear algebra,
         | differential equations, or frequency domain on the first pass.
         | It takes years to absorb and multiple passes.
         | 
         | See:
         | 
         | Bruner / Spiral Curriculum.
         | 
         | Ebbinghaus / Spacing effect
         | 
         | Hattie / Deep-surface-transfer learning
         | 
         | Chunking ("How People Learn" has a good copy on this)
         | 
         | Etc.
         | 
         | The way you do this is you take a course, and then you take
         | more courses. After a few years, it all connects and makes
         | sense. The first course, I find, is often best short,
         | simplified, and applied. Once you get through that, you can go
         | deeper.
         | 
         | Different angles are nice too. For linear algebra:
         | 
         | - Quantum computing
         | 
         | - Statistics and probability
         | 
         | - Machine learning
         | 
         | - Control theory
         | 
         | - Image processing
         | 
         | - Abstract algebra / groups / etc.
         | 
         | - Computer graphics
         | 
         | All come to mind.
         | 
         | On a mile-high level, this course seems ideal for a first pass.
         | On a detailed level, I'm confused by some licensing issues.
        
           | btilly wrote:
           | Not with the way it is taught. But if the course structure is
           | changed slightly to have reinforcement of early concepts
           | woven through the course, people learn much better.
           | 
           | At least that was my experience when I taught it. See
           | https://bentilly.blogspot.com/2009/09/teaching-linear-
           | algebr... for more detail on my experience.
        
           | almostgotcaught wrote:
           | > No one, and let me repeat that, no one "gets" linear
           | algebra, differential equations, or frequency domain on the
           | first pass. It takes years to absorb and multiple passes...
           | 
           | I don't understand the point of this comment. On the one hand
           | you're trying to encourage people by saying "don't feel bad
           | you didn't get it the first time" but then you throw a
           | mountain more work/terms/books at them? You think it's
           | encouraging to a student to hear that if they didn't succeed
           | in this robotics class because the LA coverage wasn't great
           | ...... they should go take quantum computing, control theory,
           | abstract algebra classes?
        
         | pxmpxm wrote:
         | Tangent, but how does that course make anything "more
         | equitable" as per the video?
         | 
         | One of the umich grad school prereqs for economics was linear
         | algebra, and it was literally just that - pure math.
        
       | profgrizzle wrote:
       | Chapter 13 of the textbook was added in January 2022. It covers
       | separating hyperplanes, signed distance to a hyperplane, Max-
       | margin Classifiers, a remark on Soft Margin Classifiers, and the
       | Orthogonal Projection Operator. The material was added to support
       | EECS 445, Machine Learning at Michigan.
        
       | profgrizzle wrote:
       | Chapter 13 of the textbook was added in January 2022. It covers
       | separating hyperplanes, signed distance to a hyperplane, Max-
       | margin Classifiers, a remark on Soft Margin Classifiers, and the
       | Orthogonal Projection Operator. The additional material was added
       | to support EECS 445, Machine Learning at Michigan.
        
         | tptacek wrote:
         | This is (one of?) the authors of the course, for what it's
         | worth. Welcome to HN! Pelt him with questions, everybody. :)
        
       | alexk wrote:
       | For folks interested in 101 on linear algebra - I highly
       | recommend book "Linear Algebra: Theory, Intuition, Code" by Mike
       | X Cohen.
       | 
       | After trying a couple of courses and books, I liked it the most
       | because it gives a pretty deep overview of the concepts,
       | alongside the numpy and matlab code, which I found refreshing.
       | 
       | It's has good amount of proofs and has sections designed to build
       | your intuition, which I really appreciated.
        
       | mettamage wrote:
       | What's the best online credential for doing linear algebra? I
       | like to do some self-studying but also, I'd like some form of
       | "evidence" that I actually know my stuff and don't have t
       | constantly explain that I do
        
         | sn9 wrote:
         | Who are you trying to prove this to?
        
           | redmerchant2 wrote:
           | Probably trying to transition from a SWE role to a ML one
        
             | mettamage wrote:
             | I'd like to keep that option open yea, not sure if I want
             | to. I just want to learn it, but I also want to prove to
             | people that I can do it. This is one of the things I'm
             | playing with.
             | 
             | Not why I'm going to study it though, but yea, I might want
             | to switch.
        
               | sn9 wrote:
               | If it's ML you want, you should check out Math Academy.
               | 
               | They have courses on linear algebra and mathematics for
               | machine learning.
               | 
               | No certificates, but you can always demonstrate your
               | mastery in interviews.
               | 
               | You can always build a project as well.
        
             | mp05 wrote:
             | The writing is certainly all over the wall, in bold red
             | ink.
        
         | caspper69 wrote:
         | I can't personally vouch for the program as I have not
         | attended, but the University of Illinois offers quite a few
         | mathematics courses online geared toward high school students,
         | distance learners, and those preparing for grad school.
         | 
         | It is self-paced, so may not be what you're looking for, and it
         | is expensive ($1250 if you have a BS already), but I seriously
         | considered going this route before deciding to save big $$ and
         | attend the local community college (which was actually a decent
         | decision).
         | 
         | Program link: https://netmath.illinois.edu/
         | 
         | They offer 2 linear algebra courses, Math 257, which is Linear
         | Algebra with Computer Applications (likely the "easy" applied
         | version) and Math 416, Abstract Linear Algebra. Some of these
         | Netmath courses do not have online lectures, but the Abstract
         | LA course has video lectures from 2016.
         | 
         | From their site: "Math 416 is a rigorous, abstract treatment of
         | linear algebra. Topics to be covered include vector spaces,
         | linear transformations, eigenvalues and eigenvectors,
         | diagonalizability, and inner product spaces. The course
         | concludes with a brief introduction to the theory of canonical
         | forms for matrices and linear transformations."
         | 
         | When I was investigating what to do in order to solidify my
         | math credentials (still a work in progress), I knew UofI was a
         | good school, and figured credit in one of their courses (online
         | or not) would not be a terrible investment. At a bare minimum
         | it wouldn't be belittled or untrusted like other online
         | certificates might.
         | 
         | Plus the credit should transfer anywhere, if that's important.
        
           | fn-mote wrote:
           | > Math 416 is a rigorous, abstract treatment of linear
           | algebra. Topics to be covered include vector spaces, linear
           | transformations, eigenvalues and eigenvectors,
           | diagonalizability, and inner product spaces. The course
           | concludes with a brief introduction to the theory of
           | canonical forms for matrices and linear transformations
           | 
           | Just be warned that this is literally the graduate level
           | linear algebra course taken by mathematics majors. If you are
           | looking for applications, this might not be it. On the other
           | hand, if you are looking for a deep understanding of the
           | fundamentals - I would say you found it.
        
             | caspper69 wrote:
             | Thank you for posting that info. I'd hate for the guy to
             | want the applied computer-centric linear algebra only to
             | find himself neck deep in a super rigorous course that
             | might go deeper that he intended! Oof.
             | 
             | I should have posted the Math 257 description too. It also
             | has lectures online as well as a synchronous Zoom
             | component:
             | 
             | Introductory course incorporating linear algebra concepts
             | with computational tools, with real world applications to
             | science, engineering and data science. Topics include
             | linear equations, matrix operations, vector spaces, linear
             | transformations, eigenvalues, eigenvectors, inner products
             | and norms, orthogonality, linear regression, equilibrium,
             | linear dynamical systems and the singular value
             | decomposition.
        
           | mettamage wrote:
           | I'm from Europe, I suspect the credentials would still stand.
        
       | casey2 wrote:
       | I like Lay, it's one of the few math books anyone can read cover
       | to cover, prove every statement and solving every problem, with
       | no experience. It's like the Thomas' calculus equivalent linear
       | algebra. If you do the work you'll get an easy A and will have
       | built a great foundation for further engineering or theoretical
       | study.
        
       | eigenman wrote:
       | I taught numerical linear algebra in grad school and was really
       | frustrated that even the applied math department took so long to
       | build up to solving linear systems and eigen-decompsotions. The
       | ordering of the material in the textbook is great, focusing on
       | algorithms and decompositions.
        
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