Linear Algebra and Its Applications (3rd Edition)

One word of advise however... the study guide for this text comes in handy at numerous points of the book. It's not needed, but strongly advised. Other than that, the book is great! I only wish that I had a calculus book that well written.


Very reader friendly   June 10, 2001
Ryan Mack (New York, NY)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful

Math texts are notoriously poorly written and difficult to follow for the typical undergrad without the guidance of a professor. This book is an exception to the norm. Not everything, but most things, are presented in a way that most students will be able to absorb on their own.


One of the best!   July 31, 2002
yup (Berkeley, California USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

This book is probably one of the best math books I have ever worked with. The last time I wrote a review for this book, I gave it 2 stars; now, after going through the whole book, I'm able to give it 5 stars. No matter what your major is, and no matter how advanced you are, this book has something to offer. It is example-oriented, easy to follow, and right to the point. Each chapter starts off with theory and ends with applications. Each section starts with basic definitions and easy problems and ends with theorems and harder probrems. The 2nd edition is pretty much the same as the 3rd edition, so don't waist money for nothing.


Very readable text   January 11, 2001
Jonathan D. Decarlo (Thomaston, Connecticut USA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

I used this as the textbook for an undergraduate course in Linear Algebra. It was by far the most reader-friendly math book I've ever had the pleasure of using. The book explains Linear Algebra in plain, easy-to-read english. Each section of each chapter is very clear and to-the-point. The examples are helpful and well-placed in the chapters. I attribute getting an 'A' in that class to this text.

One word of advise however... the study guide for this text comes in handy at numerous points of the book. It's not needed, but strongly advised. Other than that, the book is great! I only wish that I had a calculus book that well written.


Outstanding linear algebra text !!   December 4, 2002
9 out of 10 found this review helpful

I am currently about a week away from completing a course in which we've used this next (the THIRD edition). I cannot express enough the unbelievable level of quality and attention to instruction that has been put into this edition. I cannot speak for previous editions, and from some of these comments it doesn't sound as those past versions of the text are anywhere near as good as the third edition.

For what it's worth, I strongly suggest that anyone needing a secondary text for a linera algebra course consider this book. It may be pricey, but there's no way I'm letting this one go after the semester is over. It's going on my shelf and staying there!

This book has more visual, geometric interpretations and depictions that you'd ever find in another book, and what's more it's actually concise. You don't get 10 pages of explanation when one or two will suffice. Concepts are continually reinforced and re-examined, not to mention built upon. You will continuously be presented with the links between chapters and concepts, and this is one of the book's greatest strengths. When you get to see how it all fits together, it sincerely improves the learning experience. The subject matter becomes not 7 distinct chapters of abstract methodology, but instead 7 parts of the same story. You'll know why you're doing things a certain way, and when you read the material in chapter 5, for example, you'll fully and readily understand why you learned chapters 1 thru 4 first, not to mention how the material there fits with the ideas in later parts of the book.

Previous reviewers were right, you sincerely can injoy reading parts of this text, if not all of it. The examples are painfully clear even to the uninitiated. I honestly believe that if you cannot learn from this book, there is no hope for you. Take it from me, I'm not a math person at all, and yet I'm getting an A in the course thanks entirely to this book.

Following lecture I've gone home, cracked open the text and been able to do the entire homework assignment without taking a single peek at my notes from class. The instruction and examples in the text are truly all that you need to work the problems. Yes, it's THAT good. Proofs abound, but they are easy to follow and really help to enforce concepts and the inter-relation between ideas. I dare say the proofs even help you remember why certain definitions are what they are, rather than the sophmoric method of memorization.

This book is a steal at twice the price, do yourself a favor and check it out. Please don't be influenced by poor reviews of the previous "hardback" edition, because the new third edition is nothing like that others have commented. Judge for yourself, skim through it a bookstore first or whatever, but don't pass this up just because some halfwhit that failed the course decided to run his mouth on amazon (see below).