Linear Algebra and Its Applications | 
 enlarge | Author: Gilbert Strang
Publisher: Brooks Cole
Category: Book
List Price: $186.95
Buy New: $129.55
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Rating:  72 reviews
Sales Rank: 14723
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 4th
Pages: 496
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 7.4 x 0.9
ISBN: 0030105676
Dewey Decimal Number: 512
EAN: 9780030105678
Publication Date: July 19, 2005
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Product Description
Renowned professor and author Gilbert Strang demonstrates that linear algebra is a fascinating subject by showing both its beauty and value. While the mathematics is there, the effort is not all concentrated on proofs. Strang's emphasis is on understanding. He explains concepts, rather than deduces. This book is written in an informal and personal style and teaches real mathematics. The gears change in Chapter 2 as students reach the introduction of vector spaces. Throughout the book, the theory is motivated and reinforced by genuine applications, allowing pure mathematicians to teach applied mathematics.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 67 more reviews...
 Unsurpassed clarity - and this book just got better! September 14, 2007
H. Lenzi (Porto Alegre, RS Brazil)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Professor Strang has taught Linear Algebra for many years to legions of one of the United States' top institution. So give him some credit, for starters...
This book is inimitable in its clarity and in how it yields so much insight. I have many books on Linear Algebra and I think this book is worth its weight in gold. I know of no other book that teaches the fundamental subspaces so well.
The book covers standard material in Linear Algebra (and then some) and has a strong matrix-oriented flavor (as opposed to a book giving an algebraic treatment - look for Valenza if you want that).
I don't understand what some of the complaining is about by some reviewers. The book is not abstract enough, not formal enough? No first treatment in Linear Algebra is or should be - that is Linear Algebra 2. Besides, matrices are pervasive in all fields of engineering, physics, applied math and other disciplines and later on the student will advance to even more complex issues (such as numerical linear algebra) and they simply cannot afford not to have seen the standard matrix treatment. In fact, that would be the reason it's so widely taught - because it's so useful. It's no use delving into abstract treatment if one doesn't understand the most basic facts about why it is that you can solve a system of linear equations.
Best of all, his lectures now can be seen on MIT's Open Courseware site.
I have used this book since the second edition. I believe this 4th edition is the best edition yet. Unlike some other books on the market, this new edition is a fully thought-through new edition (Strang has been restructuring his book throughout all editions, ever making this more clear and insightful). Not bloat at all. I wholeheartedly recommend it. In fact, I believe you might get hurt using some other books that are on the market that do a very lousy job on teaching this subject (such as Lay). This book is the gold standard.
Excellent book for linear algebra December 13, 2000
stat
10 out of 12 found this review helpful
I have had a linear algebra course and I have to admit it was not enjoyable becuase of the book. It was not understandlable and actually quite frustrating. Now when I am taking some advanced courses in Matrix Analysis I was looking for a book that would actually help me in the course. So I found this book and now not only that I enjoy linear algebra I really like it. Gilbert Strang's book really helped me out. Strang explains the concepts really as if we don't know anything about the course and then it goes into more complex situations. He covers everything that a beginner or an intermediate in linear algebra should know, and even he goes to explain some relevant applications of linear alegbra, such as to mechanical and electrical systems, dynamical systems... We can indeed see that Strang is a genius in this field and I think we can completly trust him as to what is written in the book. The book starts with some basic concepts of matrices, vectors and vector spaces. Then he goes on to describe the theory of linear independecy or dependency, determinants, symmetric matrices, Factorization, transposes, permutations, application and theory of column and null spaces, left and right inverses, complex matricesm eigenvalues and eigenvectors, Markov process, Fourier series, orthogonality, projection matrices.... The theory is well explained and combined with an appropriate example. There are plenty of exercises at the end of the chapter where the odd ones have answers in the back. If you are planning to are taking linear algebra course I would strongly recommend this book. It is not for an advanced linear algebra reader, but it is certainly for a beginner or an intermediate one.
Excellent Teacher May 10, 2001
Rajesh Kumar Venugopal (Syracuse,Ny)
9 out of 13 found this review helpful
I had the opportunity to learn linear algebra from Prof. Strang's online video lectures at MIT. This book will be a good comapanion to those lectures.All of you who hate Linear Algebra should take it from me : Watch the lectures along with the book, you will do no wrong. Strang's insights as he lectures, will make you fall in love with Linear Algebra.
First "...and its Applications" Book I Met True to the Title December 12, 2004
Jeremy Chen (Muenchen, Bayern, Deutschland)
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
Firstly, this book is true to its title...
It motivates the subject matter clearly and presents instances of why a certain type of problem is important (Why do we care about Ax=b, Ax=[lambda]x, ...)
It motivates the use of certain algorithms (Why do we use Gaussian Elimination, why pivot, why do the SVD, ...)
Also, as a basic text in Linear Algebra, which is THE introductory subject to applied mathematics, it serves a a primer for various areas in applied math: optimization, numerical solution of PDEs, "curve fitting" =), etc.....
A tricks-of-the-trade insider's guide December 15, 2007
Viktor Blasjo
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is an excellent book for people who will work with linear algebra for the rest of their careers. For the typical linear algebra student it is also very valuable, although for them Strang takes too much pleasure in non-essential tricks of the trade. For example, elementary matrix theory is crowned by a discussion of "the four fundamental subspaces". This quartet is introduced as a triumphant theoretical unification and we then see them each play their part to the letter in a flawless staging of Kirchhoff's circuit laws. Although a stunning performance, it is a connoisseur's delight more than anything else. This is just one example of a beautiful application "tied up" in a lot of theory. As a second illustration, finding the n:th Fibonacci number (p. 256) can be done with just straightforward diagonalisation rather than difference equation theory. Strang's way if of course the best way, assuming that the reader has lots of time. Naturally there are also application that are very enjoyable in isolation, both nuggets (e.g., it takes as many operations to compute A^2 as it does to compute A^-1; p. 48) and entire sections (e.g., a good introduction to game theory, pp. 408-414). The fact that this book is written by a linear algebra user rather than a textbook author also has many other benefits besides the actual applications. To take but one example, it continues to puzzle us how so many linear algebra textbooks can fail to emphasise the interpretation of matrix multiplication in terms of linear combinations of columns (p. 23).
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