Talk:Linear Algebra/Systems of linear equations

The discussion of linear equations as lines is not correct. In general, a single linear equation in n-space can be viewed as a constraint determining a space of dimension n-1. In the cartesian plane this is a line but in three space, for example, it is a plane. A very simple specific case is x=0 in cartesian 3-space is the y-z plane.

--Ted Taylor tedbtaylor3@yahoo.com

I would like to suggest to someone well versed on the subject that he or she go through and elaborate this section. As a reader who is hoping to learn from this book about linear algebra, it is quite dense. It seems to be written for a reader who is already well versed in intermediate-advanced mathematics (perhaps for the purpose of a review). As a teaching tool, it needs quite a bit of work to make it more accessible. And, obviously, the Gaussian operations need to be explained.

Some specific suggestions for this module:

1)clarify that different variables can be denoted either by different letters or by the same letter with different subscripts, then explain what the convention is (I don't know if there is one).

2) Clarify what is meant by order of one and order of zero. It may not be clear to a naïve reader.

3)give a clear definition of what a system of linear equations is and how it works. Is it just a series of equations?  Is it a group of lines?  Must they have the same variables, must they have the same number of variables?  Give some examples of what is and what is not a system of equations, like was done with individual linear equations (perhaps each with different ways of expressing linear equations). dwinetsky