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Yeah, this is it. A year ago if I tried to find the perfect textbook to learn Linear Algebra, I would still be looking. There are certainly good and bad textbo
by magnio 2y ago
Yeah, this is it. A year ago if I tried to find the perfect textbook to learn Linear Algebra, I would still be looking.
There are certainly good and bad textbooks, and a book good for many people might be unsuitable for your style, your goals, and your background. But there are plenty of good enough textbooks, trudging through any of them will yield far more benefits than getting that ideal book.
- blopker 2y agoIf you're still looking, Gilbert Strang makes the best introduction book I know of: https://math.mit.edu/~gs/linearalgebra/ila6/indexila6.html https://math.mit.edu/~gs/linearalgebra/ila6/indexila6.html
- plonk 2y agoI like that he leaves determinants to a later chapter and doesn't _start_ with them, I never understood why they were useful or made sense. His view, represented on the cover, is great for learning
- lupire 2y agoI don't understand the anti-determinant brigade. Many linear algebra books don't don't start with determinants.
- plonk 2y agoThey're fine where they are useful, I guess, but my undergrad put way too much emphasis on them when they're not intuitive, don't help (me) much with comprehension, and aren't useful in that many cases compared to the other techniques.
- zozbot234 2y ago> A year ago if I tried to find the perfect textbook to learn Linear Algebra, I would still be looking. You know, there is a textbook for Linear Algebra that's literally titled "Linear Algebra Done Right". It's pretty much what it says on the tin.
- apocadam 2y agoEqually there is also a text called "Linear Algebra Done Wrong"
- lupire 2y agoNot equally, better. It's intended as a book for learning the concepts of Linear Algebra intuitively and with some introductory rigor, before doing it "right" in a professional way.
- lupire 2y agoAnd it is strongly discouraged as a first book, by the author himself! https://linear.axler.net/ https://linear.axler.net/ > This best-selling textbook for a second course in linear algebra is aimed at undergraduate math majors and graduate students. > No prerequisites are assumed other than the usual demand for suitable mathematical maturity.
- ghostpepper 2y agoThis seems a false dichotomy to me. Surely the optimal solution would be to spend a few hours / days in the first week picking the textbook, then 51 weeks studying it, as opposed to literally picking the first one you see and studying it for 52 weeks.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]