Linear Algebra: Core Topics for the First Course

The book is an introduction to linear algebra intended as a textbook for the first course in linear algebra. In the first six chapters we present the core topics: matrices, the vector space R^n, orthogonality in R^n, determinants, eigenvalues and eigenvectors, and linear transformations. The book gives students an opportunity to better understand linear algebra in the next three chapters: Jordan forms by examples, singular value decomposition, and quadratic forms and positive definite matrices.

In the first nine chapters everything is formulated in terms of R^n. This makes the ideas of linear algebra easier to understand. The general vector spaces are introduced in Chapter 10. The last chapter presents problems solved with a computer algebra system. At the end of the book we have results or solutions for odd numbered exercises.