a Course in Linear Algebra

This best-selling textbook for a second course in linear algebra is aimed at undergrad math majors and graduate students. The novel approach taken here banishes determinants to the end of the book. The text focuses on the central goal of linear algebra: understanding the structure of linear operators on finite-dimensional vector spaces. The author has taken unusual care to motivate concepts and to simplify proofs. A variety of interesting exercises in each chapter helps students understand and manipulate the objects of linear algebra.

This book is a thorough introduction to linear algebra, for the graduate or advanced undergraduate student. Prerequisites are limited to a knowledge of the basic properties of matrices and determinants. However, since we cover the basics of vector spaces and linear transformations rather rapidly, a prior course in linear algebra (even at the sophomore level), along with a certain measure of "mathematical maturity," is highly desirable. Chapter 0 contains a summary of certain topics in modern algebra that are required for the sequel. This chapter should be skimmed quickly and then used primarily as a reference. Chapters 1-3 contain a discussion of the basic properties of vector spaces and linear transformations. Chapter 4 is devoted to a discussion of modules, emphasizing a comparison between the properties of modules and those of vector spaces. Chapter 5 provides more on modules. The main goals of this chapter are to prove that any two bases of a free module have the same cardinality and to introduce noetherian modules. However, the instructor may simply skim over this chapter, omitting all proofs. Chapter 6 is devoted to the theory of modules over a principal ideal domain, establishing the cyclic decomposition theorem for finitely generated modules. This theorem is the key to the structure theorems for finite dimensional linear operators, discussed in Chapters 7 and 8. Chapter 9 is devoted to real and complex inner product spaces.