Practical Linear Algebra: A Geometry Toolbox - Hardcover

Farin, Gerald; Hansford, Dianne

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1568812345 ISBN 13: 9781568812342

Publisher: A K Peters/CRC Press, 2004

Synopsis

Practical Linear Algebra introduces students in math, science, engineering, and computer science to Linear Algebra from an intuitive and geometric viewpoint, creating a level of understanding that goes far beyond mere matrix manipulations. Practical aspects, such as computer graphics topics and numerical strategies, are covered throughout, and thus students can build a "Geometry Toolbox," based on a geometric understanding of the key concepts. This book covers all the standard linear algebra material for a first-year course; the authors teach by motivation, illustration, and example rather than by using a theorem/proof style. Special Features: - Clear visual representations (more than 200 figures) for improved material comprehension. - Hand-drawn sketches encourage students to create their own sketches when solving problems-developing another layer of learning. - Numerous examples show applications to real-world problems. - Problems at the end of each chapter allow students to test their understanding of the material presented. Solutions to selected problems are provided. - Concise chapter summaries highlight the most important points, giving students focus for their approach to learning. An instructor's manual will be available soon.

About this title

About the Author

Gerald Farin received his Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Braunschweig, Germany, in 1979. He is the author of Curves and Surfaces for CAGD (5th ed.), NURBS (2nd ed.), The Geometry Toolbox, and The Essentials of CAGD. He is also editor-in-chief of the journal Computer Aided Geometric Design.

Dianne Hansford is a Fulbright scholar who received her Ph.D. in Computer Science from Arizona State University in 1991. She has published several research publications in the field of CAGD and periodically teaches for ASU's computer science department.

Review

" Read an article on teaching Linear Algebra written by Gerald Farin and Dianne Hansford. -Ties Magazine, November 2005
""It is well written and the examples are carefully chosen to motivate or exemplify the topic at hand."" -J.R. Burke, CHOICE Magazine , September 2005
""[The] mixture of linear algebra, geometry, and numerical aspects is very interesting and will probably stimulate the students."" -Yves Felix, Bulletin of the Belgian Mathematical Society, December 2005
""I picked up this book with the thought, 'oh, another linear algebra text.' I was pleasantly surprised, upon examination, that it is not just another one. The standard linear algebra material is presented with good motivating stories, illustrations and examples."" -S. Swaminathan, CMS Notes, February 2006
""This book covers all the fundamental topics of linear algebra ... It is also an inspiring book for pure mathematicians who would like to learn more about applications of linear algebra ... a useful source of many nice examples."" -EMS, December 2006
""Das Buch [ist] eine einmalige und wertvolle Ergänzung zur bestehenden reichen Literatur zur Linearen Algebra."" -Internationale Mathematische Nachrichten, April 2007"

Edition details

• Publisher: A K Peters/CRC Press
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 1568812345
• ISBN 13: 9781568812342
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 400