Linear Algebra and Its Applications

Good enough, but I felt that learning from this book was just not that interesting. But hey... That is my take.

Professor Strang has taught Linear Algebra for many years to legions of one of the United States' top institution. So give him some credit, for starters... This book is inimitable in its clarity and in how it yields so much insight. I have many books on Linear Algebra and I think this book is worth its weight in gold. I know of no other book that teaches the fundamental subspaces so well. The book covers standard material in Linear Algebra (and then some) and has a strong matrix-oriented flavor (as opposed to a book giving an algebraic treatment - look for Valenza if you want that). I don't understand what some of the complaining is about by some reviewers. The book is not abstract enough, not formal enough? No first treatment in Linear Algebra is or should be - that is Linear Algebra 2. Besides, matrices are pervasive in all fields of engineering, physics, applied math and other disciplines and later on the student will advance to even more complex issues (such as numerical linear algebra) and they simply cannot afford not to have seen the standard matrix treatment. In fact, that would be the reason it's so widely taught - because it's so useful. It's no use delving into abstract treatment if one doesn't understand the most basic facts about why it is that you can solve a system of linear equations. Best of all, his lectures now can be seen on MIT's Open Courseware site. I have used this book since the second edition. I believe this 4th edition is the best edition yet. Unlike some other books on the market, this new edition is a fully thought-through new edition (Strang has been restructuring his book throughout all editions, ever making this more clear and insightful). Not bloat at all. I wholeheartedly recommend it. In fact, I believe you might get hurt using some other books that are on the market that do a very lousy job on teaching this subject (such as Lay). This book is the gold standard.

I'm shocked at the number of negative reviews of this book. I think it's a great book. Linear algebra is an incredibly important subject, for example in my field of electrical engineering. Every time I need to refresh my understanding of a concept, I turn back to this book (I have the edition from 1976). I had Strang as a lecturer at MIT in the late 1990s, and he is a great teacher, which I think is reflected in his book. I truly enjoy reading this book -- practical, conversational and enjoyable to read, helpful insights, as well as Strang's opinions on the usefulness and practicality of various results. I would describe the book as an advanced introductory linear algebra book, if that makes sense. It's definitely not graduate level, but unless you're pretty sharp, it might be a tough first book from which to learn linear algebra. Maybe that's why there are some negative reviews of this book here. I recommend it very highly, especially for those who already have some knowledge of linear algebra. In fact, the reason I came to this page in the first place is to buy a second copy of the book, so I can have one in my office and one at home... there aren't very many books I would say that about...

It was some years ago when I first took a Linear Algebra course and fortunately the instructor choose this as the text book. I thought that Strang's explanations were superior to the lectures given in class and I could have easily gotten through the course by reading this book and taking the tests ! Just recently I have had to go back and relearn this subject and this book was almost joy to read (well O.K. it is a math book). Mr Strang has the rare ability of making this subject intuitively obvious and convincing. He starts from very a modest beginning of solving systems of linear equations and then makes the almost seamless transition to matrices and vectors by a change of perspective. As the subject is developed, Mr Strang makes every effort he can to clearly present the material as does not defer to the usual "left as a an excercise for the reader" device to evade explaining the subject. The narrative is lively and enthusiatic and sometimes even humorous and has lots of reminders of previously mentioned ideas to keep the text flowing. If more math books were written like this, then fewer people would complain about obscurity of this subject.

What is it with you people? I see scathing review after scathing review of this book. Do you feel as though it somehow makes you into a real mathematician to belittle the informal tone? Does it make you feel any better about yourself to suggest that the target audience of this text is "kindergarteners?"Sure, Strang's book may not be an adequate sole text from which to learn linear algebra and matrix theory. But surely serious mathematicians (as opposed to kindergarteners) would never attempt to learn a subject from a single text.This is where the book shines - as a supplement to a more formal text. (Here, pick your own; I have my own personal favorite, but it has been out of press for years). And then read the two side by side. One provides rigor, the other, INTUITIVE UNDERSTANDING. This, after all, is where Strang's book shines - rather than providing only a formal understanding of the mathematics in question, he manages to convey an intuitive understanding of the objects represented by linear algebra methods in many common applications.

I am pained at the disappointing reviews submitted. Prof. Strang's work deserves better respect!I have used this book from 2nd edition onwards for students' perusing a course in Power System Analysis and Digital Protection. I recommend Matlab be used along with the course to understand the different processes in linear algebra, its relation with algorithm development in analysing various stability issues and methods that can provide dimensional reduction of the original problem. It takes time to absorb the work. But once completed, it is a poetry that one can never forget!