I thought I would just quickly comment on the difficulty of the later units of the M208 section on Linear Algebra. It was a real shock, how quickly it all became so abstract and a little bit counter intuitive in some parts (matrix arithmetic when diagonalising).
The whole Linear Algebra offering, was a really good example of a time where you, absolutely, must master the first 3/4 of the material, before even hoping to understand the last 1/4.
I did enjoy it, but I think it may take me the next year or so, to re-read, think about, and then finally absorb some of the finer subtleties of this subject.
I hope it doesn't take too long though; as I will probably need to apply it all, next year, if I finally register for Quantum Mechanics (The Quantum World) with the O.U in October 2013.
I am already on the look out for any interesting / classic Linear Algebra reference texts, to add to my creaking bookshelves. I think, as with most of these subjects; that enrichment by reading widely, without necessarily increasing the difficulty of the material, is the key to understanding.
The Best one I know of is Krieder et al
ReplyDeletehttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Introduction-Linear-Analysis-World-Student/dp/0201039494/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1338209540&sr=8-1
Which covers linear algebra and the absolutely amazing analogy between functions in Euclidean Space and Vector Spaces. A good mix of pure and Applied maths