Linear Algebra and Its Applications, 3rd Updated Edition (Book & CD-ROM) |  | Author: David C. Lay
Publisher: Addison Wesley
List Price: $138.67
Buy Used: $70.00
as of 11/22/2009 07:24 CST details
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New (26) Used (101) from $70.00
Seller: davidsbook
Rating:  25 reviews
Sales Rank: 19891
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 3
Pages: 576
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.4
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 8.2 x 1
ISBN: 0321287134
Dewey Decimal Number: 512.5
EAN: 9780321287137
ASIN: 0321287134
Publication Date: September 1, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Linear algebra is relatively easy for students during the early stages of the course, when the material is presented in a familiar, concrete setting. But when abstract concepts are introduced, students often hit a brick wall. Instructors seem to agree that certain concepts (such as linear independence, spanning, subspace, vector space, and linear transformations), are not easily understood, and require time to assimilate. Since they are fundamental to the study of linear algebra, students' understanding of these concepts is vital to their mastery of the subject. Lay introduces these concepts early in a familiar, concrete Rn setting, develops them gradually, and returns to them again and again throughout the text so that when discussed in the abstract, these concepts are more accessible.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 25
 Linear Algebra Review October 1, 2009
Doctor Moebius (Danbury, CT)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Linear Algebra and Its Applications, 3rd Edition is an excellent college-level text on Linear Algebra. Working with it for the past month, I can attest to the quality of this work. At times, when showing the solution to a practice problem, certain intermediate steps are skipped, which is all too common in college textbooks. But the exercises really make you think and help you master the material. The enclosed CD 'Study Guide' is an essential part of the textbook, and the two work together quite well. My main criticism is that the number of exercises and difficulty level make it a little too time-consuming to keep up with a standard syllabus. Also, some of the problems require a broad understanding of math and problem solving beyond the noted prerequisites. It would benefit from having a few more examples with solutions broken down into simple steps. All in all, an excellent textbook.
 It's the most confusing text I've ever read! July 8, 2009
Game Collector
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I try to read the book by myself before the class starts. Yes I do understand what Lay tries to explain at the beginning of the book, but after that (second chapter) he just skipped steps that you are supposed to know by previous chapters and you have to figure out by yourself. In case you dont remember how to do it, you are DONE... Well, average students would have difficult time to understand this textbook...
Good book May 11, 2009
Jimmy ME (Long Island)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I am just finishing up a first course in Linear Algebra using this book. I am a mechanical engineering student, and not a math major, so keep that in mind when reading this review.
I personally really liked Lay's approach and writing style. The first chapter is a basic overview of linear algebra and helps you develop a strong background for the following chapters.
I particularly like Lay's method of highlighting important theorems and definitions. He uses a light blue background for theroems and key ideas and a greenish type color for definitions. Very helpful for studying and you don't have to dig through the text to find the main topics. I really liked that.
There is also a glossary, something you don't see in most textbooks, but its something I really liked having. Mr. Lay if you read this, don't ever get rid of it.
I also liked the practice problems before each problem set. They were very helpful in determining if you were ready to start solving problems or if you needed to re-read a section. Also, row operations in this text always work out nicely, I never had to struggle with row operations, this allowed me to focus more on what was going on and the concepts than struggling with difficult computations that need not be difficult.
I feel the book is really good for engineering students and applied math majors. Pure theoretical math majors, I could see how you might not like this book. The text doesn't seem that abstract and you aren't buried in proofs, but I believe Lay has geared his text more towards applied mathematics than pure math anyways.
Now for the bad.
I didn't feel like there was enough problems. There first 15-20 problems were usually the computational problems like I would see on tests. Then there was some true/false questions, and about 15 or so questions that weren't really computational problems, they either asked you to prove things or were like "what-if" / show that this is that type problems.
I wish there were more problems like the first 15-20 because those were the problems like the ones on my exams but its not a big deal, you can always get a schaums outline if you need more practice.
The invertible matrix theorem which starts in chapter 2 kind of bothered me. Basically throughout the whole text he keeps adding more and more statements, but once you finally conclude the theorem, which has 24 statements, is never summarized in one place. Its scattered across 6 sections in 5 different chapters. I feel that maybe in an appendix or in chapter 7 when you finish the theorem, he should of included all the statements in one place.
Alright so this was a long winded review, but hopefully you found it helpful. Overall I think it is a very good book and I was able to learn most of the material on my own as my professor (as in most math and science classes) was less than spectacular. I feel that this book is good for self-study or as a saving grace from a poor professor.
 The clearest of the bunch May 5, 2009
Schriftsteller
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I'm familiar with three linear algebra textbooks: Gilbert Strang's Linear Algebra and Its Applications, Georgi E. Shilov's Linear Algebra, and now this one. It was recommended to me by one of my brothers, who had the author as a professor at the University of Maryland - College Park.
Gil Strang's book is very well regarded, and I like it, too. However, as a writer, Strang tries a little too hard to be friendly and colloquial. As a result, some of his explanations are less clear than they need to be. It helps that videos of his linear algebra lectures are on the Web at [...], and those lectures clarify some of the "folksy" wording in the textbook. Strang obviously loves his subject and knows it thoroughly, but those qualities, however admirable, do not substitute for clear writing.
Georgi E. Shilov's book is also highly regarded, by me as well. Shilov is one of those no-nonsense Russian mathematicians who's all about the subject and doesn't care if you like him or not. As a result, his writing is very clear and straightforward, albeit a little stiff and formal even in translation. The great virtues of Shilov's book are that the writing is clear and it's very rigorous: in fact, a reader would do well to have some familiarity with abstract algebra before starting it. But the book's virtues are also its weakness: because of the rigorous treatment, Shilov offers considerably less conceptual hand-holding than Strang. Yes, you can understand what he's talking about, but you'd sure better have a strong mathematical background, time, and self-confidence to plow through his book, especially if it's on your own.
Which brings us, finally, to the Lay book. I am delighted to report that Lay combines the informal, encouraging tone and conceptual hand-holding of the Strang book with the clarity of the Shilov book. In other words, they're all good, but for most undergraduates, Lay is the best of the three. There's also an excellent study guide (Linear Algebra and Its Applications: Study Guide (update))for the Lay book.
 One of the worst textbooks I've had the pleasure of using April 24, 2009
Ron Burgandy
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book is awful. Without a teacher this textbook is nonsensical, and even with a teacher the book is so careful not to tell you anything important (because it wants you to do the problems yourself) that you end up not actually understanding the material. The examples are weak and they skip vital steps and explanations so that it is difficult to piece anything together. Found myself looking to other sources to figure stuff out.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 25
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