Elementary Linear Algebra with Applications [Hardcover]

Howard Anton (Author), Chris Rorres (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 23, 2003 | ISBN-10: 0471433284 | ISBN-13: 978-0471433286 | Edition: 8

This classic treatment of linear algebra presents the fundamentals in the clearest possible way, examining basic ideas by means of computational examples and geometrical interpretation. It proceeds from familiar concepts to the unfamiliar, from the concrete to the abstract. Readers consistently praise this outstanding text for its expository style and clarity of presentation.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 848 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 8 edition (December 23, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471433284
• ISBN-13: 978-0471433286
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 8.3 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,633,748 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Rough Journey., December 14, 2005

By 

W. Richardson "L is R x P" (Altadena, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Elementary Linear Algebra with Applications (Hardcover)

This is the text I used this previous semester for my Linear Algebra class. I had no linear algebra background before taking this class. That being said, this was one of the roughest classes I've ever got through only because the book kept going against the grain in every way possible. I didn't even begin to understand the entire point of linear algebra until about chapter 7 and 8 when the chapters started going into the general cases, and even now, I know how to "solve" all the problems without even knowing their meaning, which seems totally pointless to me. The selected answers to the problems in the book are in no particular pattern. It's not "all odds" or "all evens"; it's just scattered and it made doing homework a nightmare. I felt like I was back in elementary school while reading this book, because back then all I did was learn "methods" of solving problems without understanding "why". The book almost never discussed the purpose or main idea of the subjects it discussed. The "explanations" it gave would be based off of other vague topics. For example "What is the Eigenvector Problem? Well, the eigenvector problem asks if there is a basis for R^n in a nXn matrix consisting of eigenvectors of said matrix", OK so What's a basis? "A basis a set of vectors for a vector space S is linearly independant and/or set that spans the space S" and the cycle kept hitting me with one definition after another without giving me a big picture or anything. A bit of the book is about "applications" of linear algebra, but doesn't help until you've understood the meat of the book that came beforehand. Also, there were no teachers' solutions manuals available when I took this class, because the distributers have been extremely lax about getting them out (why? who knows). I'm not just saying this book is bad because I was lazy and didn't do well. I worked extremely hard to do "well" in this class. I must have read this book twice through and like I said before, I can solve all the problems but please don't ask me to explain their significance or validate their existence, because I can't. STAY AWAY!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars starts with tangible topics, July 18, 2005

By 

W Boudville (Terra, Sol 3) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Elementary Linear Algebra with Applications (Hardcover)

Anton is now in the 9th edition of this book. Spanning decades of refinement. What you get is a very polished and well written text, that has incorporated feedback from generations of students.

The book starts by describing matrix manipulations and determinants. These are very tangible things to most maths students. Accordingly, explaining how to take determinants or to invert a matrix lets you build confidence in your knowledge. Also, these topics lends themselves readily to many problems for you to do.

After this, the book heads into more abstract territory. Null and range spaces and the rank nullity theorem, for example. You are exposed to the concept of an abstract vector space. Which invariably some students always trip over. So the grounding in the early chapters can mitigate this awkwardness.

The last chapter touches lightly on the interesting applications, like chaos and fractals. But mostly to pique your interest in proceeding further in the field.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy to understand and good homework problems, June 12, 2009

By 

Craig E. Shea "fourpastmidnight" (PA, United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Elementary Linear Algebra with Applications (Hardcover)

I just used this book in the Spring '09 semester for the first half of Linear Algebra (my school likes to take forever to get through things, consequently, we have Linear Algebra I and II).

The book was easy to read and understand and the homework problems were pretty good (but at times laborious). It also had a lot of good background information and examples of how this type of mathematics is used today in research and industry.

I got a 3.0/4.0 in the course, so I'm pleased. I would recommend this book for your college.