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I want to share my favorite linear algebra textbook (Linear Algebra Done Right by Axler) http://linear.axler.net/ http://linear.axler.net/ It's meant for a se
by adenadel 6y ago
I want to share my favorite linear algebra textbook (Linear Algebra Done Right by Axler)
http://linear.axler.net/ http://linear.axler.net/
It's meant for a second course in linear algebra and the focus is on abstract vector spaces and linear transformations (rather than a table of numbers perspective). It also doesn't use determinants until the last chapter.
- sannee 6y agoLADR is probably the best linear algebra book around. It's a bit of a shame that the "marketing" mostly involves the fact that it does not use determinants. The last edition also contains chapters on stuff like dual spaces and quotient spaces, which are important yet very often missing in other textbooks. That being said, his reliance on C/R in about half the book could be a problem for people with CS background. Like, what if I want to compute determinants of linear maps which are over Z_2? There are also no chapters on number wrangling (like the gaussian elimination and friends), which is a big plus in my view but possibly a problem for others.
- adenadel 6y agoI think these are great points. I justify the lack of some of the fundamental concepts like Gaussian elimination to be due to the fact that the book is meant for a second course in linear algebra. My copy has dual and quotient spaces and I think these are important topics to get an introduction to if you're looking to learn functional analysis, topology, etc. Some discussion of finite fields could be interesting. This has prompted me to look up linear algebra over finite fields.