Linear Algebra Demystified [Paperback]

David McMahon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 28, 2005 | ISBN-10: 0071465790 | ISBN-13: 978-0071465793 | Edition: 1

Taught at junior level math courses at every university, Linear Algebra is essential for students in almost every technical and analytic discipline.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

• QUICK and DEPENDABLE review of a typical LINEAR ALGEBRA course
• Brings ABSTRACT concepts down to EARTH
• Hundreds of SOLVED PROBLEMS show you how to get answers, step by step
• Lots of QUIZZES, test questions, and a "final EXAM"

GET A LINE ON LINEAR ALGEBRA!
Now anyone with an interest in linear algebra can master it -- without formal training, unlimited time, or a genius IQ. In Linear Algebra Demystified, mathematician, physicist, and student-savvy author David McMahon provides an effective, illuminating, and entertaining way to learn the essentials of linear algebra.

With Linear Algebra Demystified, you master the subject one step at a time -- at your own speed. This unique self-teaching guide offers problems at the end of each chapter and section to pinpoint weaknesses, and a 100-question final exam to reinforce the entire book.

This fast and entertaining self-teaching course makes it much easier to:

• Conquer linear algebra with step-by-step explanations
• Get problem-solving help from hundreds of worked examples
• Gain practical mathematical tools for use in engineering, computer science, physics, and other fields
• Master eigenvalue and eigenvector problems with examples and clarifying discussions
• Find plain-language explanations of complex topics such as vector spaces, linear transformations, inverses, inner product spaces, and matrix decompositions
• Review for advanced linear algebra courses with this quick and reliable guide
• Take a "final exam" and grade it yourself!

Simple enough for beginners but challenging enough for those who already know something about linear algebra, Linear Algebra Demystified is the best self-teaching tool or brush-up you can find!

About the Author

David McMahon works as a researcher at a National Laboratory, a Department of Energy facility. His research involves work on nuclear fusion and the design of nuclear-powered spacecraft. He has a master's degree in physics and a bachelor's in applied mathematics, both from the University of New Mexico at Albuquerque. He is currently doing research for a doctorate in theoretical physics in the areas of quantum field theory and the use of general relativity. Mr. McMahon is a published author. Previous work includes two books on computer programming: Rapid Application Development with Visual Basic 6 and Rapid Application Development with Visual C ++. He also wrote Quantum Mechanics Demystified, Relativity Demystified, and was a contributing writer to Ace the Technical Interview.

Product Details

• Paperback: 255 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Professional; 1 edition (October 28, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071465790
• ISBN-13: 978-0071465793
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #371,528 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am is the author of Linear Algebra Demystified, Quantum Mechanics Demystified, Relativity Demystified, and A Beginner's Guide to Mathematica. He holds advanced degrees in physics and mathematics and works as a consultant at Sandia and Los Alamos National laboratories. He has worked on space nuclear propulsion, the ITER fusion project, optics, and quantum information theory. More information about my books including sample text can be found at http://www.davidmcmahonbooks.com/

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A little disappointed, April 4, 2006

By 

C. Lynch (Ellicott City, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Linear Algebra Demystified (Paperback)

I really like the format of this book, and I bought it after reading the good reviews on this site. But I have a big problem with the errors in the worked out problems and the problem answers in the book. Pages 30, 31, 64, 102, 233, 234, and 235 contain either mis-printed values or answers that are demonstrably wrong. (One can always check the solution to a set of equations by verifying that they do, in fact, solve the set of equations.) Since I am only up to page 138, there are probably more errors, as well. Given that this is supposed to be a self-teaching guide, this is a definite drawback since the student's first impulse is always to assume that the mistake is their own. Needless to say, this can result in a lot more frustration than required. Even now I'm wondering if I really just missed something, but I don't think so. A book like this really could have used better proofreading (a lot of the mistakes may simply be dropped or duplicated digits). So Caveat Emptor and Caveat Lector.

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A pleasant surprise, December 20, 2005

By 

Working physicist - See all my reviews

This review is from: Linear Algebra Demystified (Paperback)

After reading the author's other book Quantum Mechanics Demystified, I was curious about this work. I was quite surprised. The author's talents are topic selection and presentation. It seems linear algebra books are either theoretical or applied. While this book is clearly of the applied flavor, it steals the gems from the theoretical presentations. Most people who have had linear algebra and are not math majors see matrices as collections of numbers to solve linear systems. While the author covers the solution of linear systems, he shows that Gaussian elimination is a form of reduction which tells us about the problem, not just the solution. By the time you get through QR reduction and singular value decomposition (SVD), you will think of linear algebra in a broader sense. To me this volume corrects a common problem where practitioners think linear algebra = Gaussian elimination + determinants. He brings in the practical perspective from advanced treatments without a cumbersome theoretical framework. As for the quality of the presentation, I must say that when I compared the SVD presentation in LAD to that in Numerical Recipes, I had a strong preference for LAD. By way of critique, I would encourage the author to rework his problems so that they have integer solutions; the manipulation of complex fractions is tedious and detracts from the clarity of the presentation. In closing, this book collects the material you should have in your mind after completing a class in linear algebra.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the hottest books on Linear Algebra, March 21, 2006

By 

Joseph E. Karpinski - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Linear Algebra Demystified (Paperback)

If your looking for a book to supplement your textbook on Linear Algebra, or a book that provides a mathematical background for a course in Quantum Physics, check out this book. Many textbooks seem to be written at a level that requires the reader to already have a solid understanding of the material being presented. If you don't, you struggle through the book. How many times have you started a chapter on Vector Spaces, Linear Equations, or Matices, only to be lost after the first page or two. David McMahon does an excellent job of giving clear, step-by-step examples, as he walks you through Linear Equations, Matrix Algebra, Determinants, Vectors Spaces, and Eigenvectors. And here's the thing, you understand each topic, as you complete it. I have nothing but the highest praise for David McMahon as an author, who took the essentials of linear algebra, and presented it in a format that is easy to understand, and at the same time fun.
If you agree with this review, and are interested in building on what you learned in "Linear Algebra DeMystified", check out David McMahon's two other books, "Quantum Mechanics DeMystified" and "Relativity DeMystified".