Is Linear Algebra Worth Taking as an Engineering Major?

[Chunkysalsa]

I'm currently an electrical engineering major taking Calc 2 and Physics I right now. Linear Algebra is not required at my school but I kinda want to take it. I feel like I'm missing a good chunk of math knowledge related to that area. However its going to be hard to fit it in an already packed schedule.

1) What's the benefit of taking this class is it relates to my other classes.
2) How hard is it relative to the calc sequence and physics sequence. I know this question is very subjective but I'd like to know if I can throw it in with other potentially hefty courses.


I kinda also want to take a course on analysis but I think that's pushing it too far lol. I'm not afraid of taking 5 years to graduate but I don't want to plan for 5 years this early in the game.

 

[General_Sax]

LA sucks imo. I'm sure if I tried harder, then I might have got something out of it.

To me it just seemed like a bunch of random lessons/tricks tied together.

The matrix/determinant/cramer's rule was kind of useful though.

 

[MasterX]

Since you are an engineer, you will often encounter matrices, and you will often find yourself in the situation where you need to solve a system A*x=b, where A is a matrix and x,b are vectors. Is good to know how to deal with matrices, and how to solve this system.

 

[Fredrik]

I have no idea how useful it is in engineering, but the basics are very useful in special relativity, and most of what you'll learn in a linear algebra class is absolutely essential in quantum mechanics. So if you ever want to understand those theories better...

How hard it is depends on how hard your teachers want it to be. At my university, the linear algebra course was the easiest math course we had. The calculus course was much, much harder.

 

[radou]

It's very useful in engineering, especially if you're going to do some more theoretic stuff and research.

 

[fasterthanjoao]

LA sucks imo. I'm sure if I tried harder, then I might have got something out of it.

To me it just seemed like a bunch of random lessons/tricks tied together.

The matrix/determinant/cramer's rule was kind of useful though.

I don't know why you even bothered replying.

To the OP: Linear algebra is an excellent course to have - techniques and methods from linear algebra are used in some fashion in just about everything. As far as the difficulty, it really depends on the course - is it a course for engineers or in the math department? Linear algebra can potentially be extremely easy, or difficult. If you have an outline of the course, you could post a few of the main topics and we can give you a better idea.

 

[Chunkysalsa]

Its taught by the math department. The course description is pretty general.

Systems of linear equations, matrices, vector spaces, linear transformations, eigevectors and eigenvalues.

This is the syllabus of the guy who's teaching it this semester. It's the only one I could find without actually being in the class.

http://www.unf.edu/~ddreibel/mas3105/index.html


I might take it next fall after ODE

 

[General_Sax]

Originally Posted by General_Sax

LA sucks imo. I'm sure if I tried harder, then I might have got something out of it.

To me it just seemed like a bunch of random lessons/tricks tied together.

The matrix/determinant/cramer's rule was kind of useful though.

I don't know why you even bothered replying.

lol, for the same reason you commented on my post?

 

[chingkui]

LA is extremely useful in EE, especially in control system/signal processing/communication. You should learn as much as possible as early as you can. The topics you listed are the minimal basic, to do any advance stuff, you should at least get to understand singular value decomposition and possibly much more which are usually not covered in a first course. I wish I know linear algebra much much earlier as much as I do now. My experience is that too often students getting into an advanced EE class utterly unprepared in linear algebra.
Going for real analysis is also a good idea, if you want to do advanced EE work in signal/system. You will not regret it.

 

[fasterthanjoao]

lol, for the same reason you commented on my post?

I commented on your post to point out that it was useless in the hope that you wouldn't do it again, and also to make sure the OP avoids any 'advice' you give. Other than that, I actually gave useful points of information.

OP: There obviously isn't a whole lot of info in that course description but it sounds like a bog-standard intro to linear algebra. You'll learn matrix operations, how to find eigenvalues and eigenvectors and a couple of other things. The math required for those topics isn't difficult - understanding the actual significance of what you're doing can be, I think that is probably under appreciated by undergraduates.

I would say if you're interested in linear algebra, then take it. It's certainly a useful course, and techniques can crop up all over the place. For instance, it's possible to find solutions to systems of differential equations with techniques in linear algebra.

 

[clope023]

Yes, take linear algebra, it should be a requirement in every engineering program.

 

[General_Sax]

I commented on your post to point out that it was useless in the hope that you wouldn't do it again, and also to make sure the OP avoids any 'advice' you give. Other than that, I actually gave useful points of information.

That depends on your interpretation of useless. From the average student's standpoint Linear Algebra is a course full of seemingly disconnected lessons without a conceptual basis. I don't think imparting this opinion as being useless. However, I do think that your comment on my post was useless. Funny how that works isn't it?

 

[fourier jr]

I'm currently an electrical engineering major taking Calc 2 and Physics I right now. Linear Algebra is not required at my school but I kinda want to take it. I feel like I'm missing a good chunk of math knowledge related to that area. However its going to be hard to fit it in an already packed schedule.

1) What's the benefit of taking this class is it relates to my other classes.
2) How hard is it relative to the calc sequence and physics sequence. I know this question is very subjective but I'd like to know if I can throw it in with other potentially hefty courses.

I kinda also want to take a course on analysis but I think that's pushing it too far lol. I'm not afraid of taking 5 years to graduate but I don't want to plan for 5 years this early in the game.

1. since you're in EE it would be helpful for vector analysis & you would get a different understanding of a solution set of a differential equation, or of integral transforms. It might not necessarily help compute them but it will help conceptualize those things. & as mentioned a lot of things in engineering come down to computing a matrix equation Ax=b (I don't know from experience but I can believe it )
2. if you mean a course on matrix theory I would say it's more concrete like calculus & it only gets theoretical near the end when you would probably do eigenvalues & eigenvectors. If you mean real linear algebra it would be pretty theoretical from the beginning, but by the end you would see the stuff in 1 completely differently

 

[clope023]

That depends on your interpretation of useless. From the average student's standpoint Linear Algebra is a course full of seemingly disconnected lessons without a conceptual basis. I don't think imparting this opinion as being useless. However, I do think that your comment on my post was useless. Funny how that works isn't it?

Clearly you weren't paying attention in your course than if that's your opinion of it; your little relativism comment doesn't work here; everyone is entitled to their opinion but no one is entitled to being correct.

 

[General_Sax]

Clearly you weren't paying attention in your course than if that's your opinion of it;

Yup, I beat the average by not paying attention.

your little relativism comment doesn't work here; everyone is entitled to their opinion but no one is entitled to being correct.

Isn't the correctness of an opinion relative to the reader?

 

[aspiring_one]

I'm taking linear algebra in my university right now. If you're doing any sort of engineering, you should take it. If your schedule is packed right now, consider a summer course or taking it next semester if it isn't required.

What you are doing is taking a system of linear equations (matrix) and manipulating it in order to find out what combinations will give you certain answers (which are in certain "spaces"). Also, there is an online MIT free video lecture on the whole course. He is a very good professor in my opinion, a little hard to understand in the beginning but it gets easier.

I'm taking it because it is a pre-req for a differential equations class i want to take, even though I'm a biochem major, I like math.

 

[Chunkysalsa]

Ive decided to take it next fall. When I say my schedule is packed I meant for my entire college career. Especially next summer which I'll be taking ODE, Circuit Analysis, and Philosophy.

You can say a bit of stupidity and a couple of mistakes (some ranging all the way back to the 8th grade lol) pushed me back a bit.


Theres a chance I can use LA as a technical elective for my degree though, so it wouldn't be "extra" but I've already made up my mind on taking it. The only thing I can lose is time, and one semester isn't going to change anything in the grand scheme of things.

 

[General_Sax]

have fun