Course: STAT 24310=CAAM 24310
Title: Numerical Linear Algebra: An Introduction to Computation
Instructor(s): Alexander Strang
Teaching Assistant(s):
Class Schedule: Sec 1: TR 12:30 PM-1:50 PM in Eckhart 206
Textbook(s): Trefethen, Bau, Numerical Linear Algebra
Description: Computation is an essential topic across the physical and social sciences, in statistics, data science, and machine learning. Numerical linear algebra is the essential language of computation. Through a series of hands-on applications, students will implement and evaluate the essential algorithms used to solve linear systems and least squares problems, perform regression, orthogonalize bases, decompose signals via the FFT and related transforms, and perform matrix factorizations. We will focus on the computational complexity and stability of each algorithm, as well as its practical uses. Example applications include iterative optimizers used to solve large systems arising in engineering, spectral embedding methods for dimension reduction (PCA, MDS, and diffusion maps), and linear methods for classification and clustering. Examples will be presented as interactive coding notebooks available through a web browser. Prior coding experience is strongly encouraged, though students looking for an introduction to Jupyter notebooks and Python are welcome to enroll.