A free online textbook written by Robert A Beezer, Ph.D. in mathematics who has been teaching mathematics at the university level since 1978. His free linear algebra textbook has been frequently updated on average 2-3 times a year since it was first published in 2004.
Free Online Linear Algebra Textbooks
Students taking a linear algebra course will be studying vector or linear spaces along with linear functions that input one vector and output another. Matrix theory is also something they will most likely learn. Linear algebra is usually a degree requirement for mathematics, engineering and computer science majors.
When I studied this subject in college, it was near impossible to find materials outside of my assigned textbook or the instructor. We only had our fellow students to rely upon when it came to trying to decipher the text since our summer session instructor kept very limited office hours.
Today’s students have such a huge advantage with access to a number of excellent linear algebra textbooks.
I plan to continually add free and open source materials as I find them. They will most likely cover a great deal of the same content but offer students a number of different teaching approaches and explanations.
List of Free Online Linear Algebra Textbooks
A First Course on Linear Algebra
Computational and Algorithmic Linear Algebra and n-Dimensional Geometry
Katta G. Murty of the Department of Industrial and Operations Engineering at The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, wrote this sophomore level webbook. The text on linear algebra and n-dimensional geometry was written in plain terms and includes lots of examples to enable students to go through the textbook on their own.
Course of Linear Algebra and Multidimensional Geometry
Ruslan A. Sharipov, 2004, Bashkir State University. This textbook was originally written in Russian and used in all Universities of Russia. Now translated into English, it would make an excellent reference source or linear algebra course textbook.
Elementary Linear Algebra
Keith Matthews is an Honorary Research Consultant in the School of Mathematics and Physics at the University of Queensland. On his Number Theory website, he offers his online textbook on linear algebra. It is based upon many years of lectures and includes problems with their solutions.
Elements of Abstract and Linear Algebra
Edwin H. Connell from the University of Miami Department of Mathematics has been teaching linear algebra since 1965. Not finding a textbook that met the needs and prerequisite knowledge of his students, he started compiling his course notes into chapters. This living textbook is the result. Students and educators are invited to contribute by writing [...]
Introduction to Matrix Algebra
For five years, Autar K Kaw, University of South Florida offered his textbook online for free. He now sells the textbook for $29.99 on Lulu but continues to offer eight of the ten chapters freely online. The chapters are offered as downloadable PDF files. The chapter titles are: Introduction, Vectors, Binary Matrix Operations, Unary Matrix [...]
Linear Algebra
Jim Hefferon professor at Saint Michael’s College, 2008. This textbook was the outgrowth of one professor’s personal growth in the classroom and his desire to blend computational aspects of linear algebra with proofs and avoid some of the difficulties students often have with traditional linear algebra texts. What perhaps makes this textbook most useful is [...]
Linear Algebra Done Wrong
Sergei Treil admits that he’s not an algebraist. Which is why his book on linear algebra emphasizes topics important for analysis, geometry, probability among others. His Brown University page shows pictures of him braving white-water rapids in a kayak and on a riverboard. So, is it any wonder that this mathematics professor would take a [...]