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In order not to intimidate students by a too abstract approach, this textbook on linear algebra is written to be easy to digest by non-mathematicians. It introduces the concepts of vector spaces and mappings between them without dwelling on statements such as theorems and proofs too much. It is also designed to be self-contained, so no other material is required for an understanding of the topics covered. As the basis for courses on space and atmospheric science, remote sensing, geographic information systems, meteorology, climate and satellite communications at UN-affiliated regional centers, various applications of the formal theory are discussed as well. These include differential equations, statistics, optimization and some engineering-motivated problems in physics. ContentsVectorsMatricesDeterminantsEigenvalues and eigenvectorsSome applications of matrices and determinantsMatrix series and additional properties of matrices

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"The book is written in a lovely style: it is easy to read, it is self-contained and assumes no mathematical knowledge beyond high school level. It also contains a huge number of examples showing how linear algebra can be used in other mathematical, physical and engineering domains and even in social science. [...] All in all, the book is one of the nicest elementary books on linear algebra. I recommend it not only for physicists and engineers but also for all students who need linear algebra as a tool." MAA Reviews

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Arak Mathai, Centre for Math. and Stat. Sciences, Kerala, India;Hans Haubold, UN Office for Outer Space Affairs, Vienna, Austria.

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