econ1869 Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Dilemma I decided to take math courses at night this year to make myself more competitive but have limited options. I will take Cal 2 this fall and and can take 2 more classes (1 in the spring and 1 in the summer). I can take Diff equations and Cal 3 or Matrix Algebra and Diff Equations or Cal 3 and Linear Algebra due to scheduling conflicts. Which two classes do you suggest and is the difference between matrix and linear algebra substantial enough to sway admission committees? Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sombaner Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 I thought that there is not much difference. But anyway....matrix algebra is a must if you plan to do econometrics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxPhD Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 It's hard to say without knowing what the two courses cover at the school you are taking them at. In general, I think matrix algebra courses tend to focus more on the matrix notation and matrix operations like addition, multiplication, inversion, etc.... Where as a linear algebra course will go deeper and cover stuff like vector spaces, transforms, eigenvectors, etc... So I think a matrix algebra course would likely be a bit more basic than a linear algebra course; however, hammering these matrix operations and notations into your head will be valuable to you in the PhD econometrics coursework. So if you haven't had those topics before I would probably lean towards the matrix algebra course. If you have some familiarity with matrix notation and operations I would probably take the linear algebra course. Overall, I do not think either one would sway an admissions committee one way or the other. Just take the one that you think is a better fit material wise, and fits better in your schedule. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finance1989 Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 If the courses are at the same level (as measured by course numbers or something similar) and both have a pre-requisite of Intro to Linear Algebra , Matrix Analysis/Algebra is the applied version of Linear Algebra. Linear Algebra uses proofs (this might be your determining factor if you haven't taken an Intro to Proofs course), while Matrix Analysis teaches you how to use Linear Algebra in an applied sense. Hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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