Customer Reviews

Linear Algebra With Applications

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book was not purchased for any required course, but because I wanted to gain a better understanding about linear algebra. What I was looking for was a book with clarity, conciseness, and readability and this is exactly what this book provided. I am an electrical engineer, and very rarely have I come across a book so enjoyable to read. Not even one time had I been stumbled or stuck or wonder-struck as to what the author was trying to convey or how something had been derived. Not even once!

I had seen and reviewed many books on linear algebra by many authors (Strang, Poole, Anton, Myers) and was convinced that I would have had to settle for a book by one of them. In most cases, they were either too simple and boring, or only touched on the surface, or were all over the place, or were more difficult that what I could easily take in.

This book was not only the easiest to understand, it also went right to the point in just the right amount of words with easy to understand and very thorough examples to follow which would show all the steps involved - yet never feeling like an over simplified or elementary introduction to the subject and somehow keeping me so interested that I wanted to keep on reading.

About the proofs, all I can say is that it felt as though they were written to be understood. I am not a mathematician by any means, and I still think they were extremely easy to follow, yet they were the real thing.

But what about the applications of linear algebra? This aspect of the book just stands out from anything that I've ever seen in a book on LA. The applications chosen are highly motivating and really help you appreciate the subject, why you are learning what you are, and what amazing things can be done through it.

I also feel that the organization of the book is extremely well thought out. This is something that can be so influential in your overall experience with a book and is so easily overlooked. Only when you see a presentation that has been so well organized do you realize how much it adds to the overall effectiveness.

Lastly, the book has a detailed appendix as the last chapter on using Matlab for Linear Algebra with respect to the material taught in the chapters. It too was very well thought out by first introducing the main commands for each area of the subject, giving some examples, and asking you to try a few further exercises (just a few thought, so that you're not overwhelmed).


Note: This book was initially published in 2007, then reprinted in 2008 with a different ISBN with corrections. Amazon may be selling both - the publisher's website can clarify this. I believe the updated book has ISBN: 978-0763757533).


Lastly, I believe this book is being used at Universtiy of Waterloo within the Systems Design Engineering program (SYDE114).

Most math students may not realize the importance and usefulness of linear algebra, but this text gives a wonderful introduction to the subject. It is easy to read, there are plenty of easy-to-follow example problems, and plenty of chapters giving the real-life application of the mathematics. It's a great textbook that won't completely put you to sleep.

This textbook was required for my college linear algebra class. As the linear algebra book for business majors, it has a lot of real-world applications/examples in it, which I appreciated. Having now completed the class when looking back through the book, I can remember how to do the work. When learning it for the first time though, reading the book was a nightmare. Fortunately, I had an excellent professor who explained the examples he was working very well, so I only used the book for homework problems, not for learning the material cold.

I do NOT recommend this book for someone learning about matrices and vectors for the first time.

Like the other reviewer said, this book has been written with clarity, conciseness, and readability. Glad to see still some authors are trying to express the relatively abstract ideas in a smooth and readable manner to help readers not terrifying them.

i'm excited to see a Linear Algebra book actually make SENSE! i thank the author who was a professor at my college, Stetson University, and to my professor of the class for choosing a great how-to math book.
yes!

No real complaints on this product. It arrived in fair, but used condition and in a relatively timely manner