2022 March 31 ILAS-NET Message No. 2404
CONTRIBUTED ANNOUNCEMENT FROM: Judi McDonald
SUBJECT: Linear Algebra Education Seminar (Raf Vandebril)
The ILAS Education Committee (ILAS‑ED) is hosting a Linear Algebra Education Seminar. We meet virtually on the first Tuesday of every month at 8 am (PST). Normally, each event will feature about a 45‑minute presentation followed by a social half‑hour where participants can ask the speaker(s) questions and visit with other participants. Join us for the opportunity to network and discuss best practices for teaching linear algebra. To suggest a speaker or request a topic, or for more information, please email Judi McDonald at JudiJMcDonald@gmail.com.
Linear Algebra in its abstract setting is a powerful tool with many applications at hand. To make our mathematics tangible to the students we need to take their interests into account when selecting demonstrations. In this lecture we illustrate how we were able to make the course attractive and reveal that it is an essential part in the educational program for students civil engineering. We illustrate how we redesigned the course with hands-on sessions to enhance the interactions and we focus especially on the practicum. Here we link the courses mechanics, analysis, informatics, and linear algebra by executing a vibration analysis of a shear building. From the mechanical interactions, differential equations are deduced leading to an eigenvalue problem, solved with a python toolbox. Students will then see how the computed eigenvectors and eigenvalues link back to the physical scale model of the shear building that will be excited.
Recordings of the seminars, and slides where appropriate, are available on the ILAS-ED webpage You can view the recordings or download the slides of past seminars at the ILAS-ED webpage: https://la-education.oucreate.com/monthly-seminar/.