ABSTRACT
First, a pep talk. Matrix algebra is a beautiful subject with many impor tant applications both within mathematics and in other areas of science and industry. To master it you will have to learn to think clearly, read carefully, and write correctly. The computer exercises in this book should help you learn to write correctly. Computers are rather stupid beasts that produce error messages in response to vague or imprecise input. This book will help you read carefully. It contains many questions answered at the back of the book1 which test your understanding of the text immediately preceding. To learn to think clearly, you should ask questions. Often it is enough to ask yourself the question. A student who can formulate a question correctly can usually answer it.
