.. _introduction:

Introduction to the Course
============================

This course is primarily about linear algebra applications to spatial
geometry, projective geometry, image processing, virtual reality, data
analysis, and computer systems. We want to address the mathematics needed
for these disciplines that are not discussed in a college student's
traditional math courses (College Algebra, Trigonometry, and Calculus). If
time permits, additional topics may also be covered.

The course is not only about mathematics; we will use computers to
experiment with and implement fundamental concepts. However, it is not a
computer programming course. The code that we write will be very short --
not complex programs. We will primarily use Python. Although this is a new
course, I have taught most of the material before in courses for Engineering
Technology students. Those courses are Applied Data Analysis and Tools,
Robotics Programming, and Machine Vision. In those courses, I primarily use
MATLAB. Thus, a work in progress is to rewrite the code we need to consider
in Python. I may need to use MATLAB occasionally.

I'm confident that we will learn a lot this semester and also have fun as we
explore together. Since this is a new course, I will be patient with you and
ask that you be patient with me too.