MATH/AMSC 420 Resources, Spring 2012

Principle Resources

• There is no required textbook.
  Rather, we will provide you with slides from the lectures.
  We will also provide helpful references below.

• You need to be able to program.
  This means you should know a sufficiently powerful computer language to do the homeworks and projects.
  It also means you need access to a platform on which you can do the homeworks and projects.
  
  • MATLAB can be used.
    MATLAB Student Version R2011a is the most recent. .
    The Mathworks Inc., Natick, MA
    Avoid versions R2008a and R2008b! Older student versions that includes MATLAB 6.0 or 7.0 will work.
    This software is available in most OIT WAM labs, so you do not have to buy it.

Other Resources

• Linear Algebra and Its Applications, Fourth Edition, by David C. Lay
  Pearson, New York, 2011.
  This contains all the linear algebra background you need for the course.
  Chapter 6 covers some of the material from the first two lectures on fitting.
  This is the standard text for Math 240 and 461.
  

• Getting Started with MATLAB 7, A Quick Introduction for Scientists and Engineers,
  by Rudra Pratap
  Oxford University Press, New York, 2005
  (There are some significant differences between the MATLAB 7 described in this book and versions 2008a or later.)

• Essentials of MATLAB Programming, Second Edition, by Stephen J. Chapman
  Cengage Learning, Stamford CT, 2009
  This is also based on MATLAB 7. I do not know if it is current with version 2011a)