Synopses & Reviews
Reiji wants two things in life: a black belt in karate and Misa, the girl of his dreams. Luckily, Misa's big brother is the captain of the university karate club and is ready to strike a deal: Reiji can join the club if he tutors Misa in linear algebra.
Follow along in The Manga Guide to Linear Algebra as Reiji takes Misa from the absolute basics of this tricky subject through mind-bending operations like performing linear transformations, calculating determinants, and finding eigenvectors and eigenvalues. With memorable examples like miniature golf games and karate tournaments, Reiji transforms abstract concepts into something concrete, understandable, and even fun.
As you follow Misa through her linear algebra crash course, you'll learn about:
- Basic vector and matrix operations such as addition, subtraction, and multiplication
- Linear dependence, independence, and bases
- Using Gaussian elimination to calculate inverse matrices
- Subspaces, dimension, and linear span
- Practical applications of linear algebra in fields like computer graphics, cryptography, and engineering
But Misa's brother may get more than he bargained for as sparks start to fly between student and tutor. Will Reiji end up with the girl—or just a pummeling from her oversized brother? Real math, real romance, and real action come together like never before in The Manga Guide to Linear Algebra.
Synopsis
The Manga Guide to Linear Algebra, the latest addition to No Starch Press's bestselling Manga Guide series, uses Japanese comics, clear explanations, and a charming storyline to explain the essentials of linear algebra.
Linear algebra is a required course for all technical majors (including computer science, math, engineering, and physics), and is often one of the hardest courses that students take. While the math is straightforward enough, concepts like vector spaces and linear maps are very challenging to grasp. The Manga Guide to Linear Algebra explains these tricky concepts using accessible, real-world examples like mini-golf and karate tournaments. Instead of suffering at the mercy of a dry lecturer or boring textbook, students get an engaging lesson from cartoon characters.
The book begins by defining linear algebra and its role in modern mathematics. It goes on to cover the fundamentals of linear algebra, including number systems, set theory, and linear maps. Readers explore the uses of vectors and matrices, the relationship between linear maps and matrices, and eigenvalues and eigenvectors—all with the aid of original Manga.
About the Author
Shin Takahashi graduated from the Graduate School of Design at Kyushu University in Japan. He has worked as a lecturer and as a data analyst and is currently employed as a technical writer. Takahashi has published several books in the Japanese Manga Guide series, including Statistics-Factor Analysis Edition and Statistics-Regression Analysis Edition (both published by Ohmsha).
Trend Pro, Inc. is a pioneer of Ad-Manga--advertisement and advertising using Manga--in Japan. The company has produced over 1,700 Ad-Manga for over 700 clients, including many well-known public companies and government agencies. The company has over 100 registered professional Manga artists.