Linear Algebra With Applications

Rating:
Summary: promising textbook
Review: I just used this book for an undergraduate LA course.

Most of the book is remarkably clear and straight-forward. For example, the authors manage to avoid sigma notation entirely in the proofs. The book has a nice balance of applications, computer work and theory. Before taking the course I did some work in Anton's 7th edition. The definitions and theorems in Nakos/Joyner are much clearer and less wordy than Anton's.

The book still has a lot of rough edges, though. Typos abound and the text is murky in some spots. I think this would be an excellent text for an undergraduate course if the instructor used it with a critical eye to its weak spots. The second edition, if there is one, should be much more polished and, perhaps, a good choice for self study.

Rating:
Summary: promising textbook
Review: I just used this book for an undergraduate LA course.

Most of the book is remarkably clear and straight-forward. For example, the authors manage to avoid sigma notation entirely in the proofs. The book has a nice balance of applications, computer work and theory. Before taking the course I did some work in Anton's 7th edition. The definitions and theorems in Nakos/Joyner are much clearer and less wordy than Anton's.

The book still has a lot of rough edges, though. Typos abound and the text is murky in some spots. I think this would be an excellent text for an undergraduate course if the instructor used it with a critical eye to its weak spots. The second edition, if there is one, should be much more polished and, perhaps, a good choice for self study.