Overview
MATH2601 is a Mathematics Level II course; it is the higher version of MATH2501 Linear Algebra.
Units of credit: 6
Prerequisites: MATH1231 or MATH1241 or MATH1251 or DPST1014, each with a mark of 70 or higher
Exclusions: MATH2501, MATH2099
Cycle of offering: Term 2
Graduate attributes: The course will enhance your research, inquiry and analytical thinking abilities.
More information: The course handout contains information about course objectives, assessment, course materials and the syllabus.
Important additional information as of 2023
UNSW Plagiarism Policy
The University requires all students to be aware of its policy on plagiarism.
For courses convened by the School of Mathematics and Statistics no assistance using generative AI software is allowed unless specifically referred to in the individual assessment tasks.
If its use is detected in the no assistance case, it will be regarded as serious academic misconduct and subject to the standard penalties, which may include 00FL, suspension and exclusion.
The Online Handbook entry contains up-to-date timetabling information.
MATH2601 (alternatively MATH2501) is a compulsory course for Mathematics and Statistics majors.
If you are currently enrolled in MATH2601, you can log into UNSW Moodle for this course.
Course aims
The principal aim of this subject is for students to develop a working knowledge of the central ideas of linear algebra: vector spaces, linear transformations, orthogonality, eigenvalues and eigenvectors, canonical forms and applications of these ideas in science and engineering.
In particular, the course introduces students to one of the major themes of modern mathematics: classification of structures and objects. Using linear algebra as a model, we will look at techniques that allow us to tell when two apparently different objects can be treated as if they were the same. A secondary aim is to understand how certain calculations in linear algebra can be thought of as algorithms, that is, as fixed methods which will lead in finite time to solutions of whole classes of problems. Additionally, there will be a focus on writing clear mathematical proofs.
Course description
The course begins with a revision of vector spaces, linear transformations and change of basis. It also covers inner products over both the real and complex fields, orthogonalization, reflections, QR factorizations unitary, self adjoint and normal transformations. It then turns to the study of eigenvalues and eigenvectors, diagonalization, Jordan forms and functions of matrices. The course also includes applications to linear systems of differential equations, quadratics and rotations. Where content is in common with MATH2501, this course aims to give students a deeper level of understanding.