This package includes Linear Algebra and Its Applications by Lay and the accompanying Student Study Guide.

Linear algebra is relatively easy for students during the early stages of the course, when the material is presented in a familiar, concrete setting. But when abstract concepts are introduced, students often hit a brick wall. Instructors seem to agree that certain concepts (such as linear independence, spanning, subspace, vector space, and linear transformations), are not easily understood, and require time to assimilate. Since they are fundamental to the study of linear algebra, students' understanding of these concepts is vital to their mastery of the subject. David Lay introduces these concepts early in a familiar, concrete Rn setting, develops them gradually, and returns to them again and again throughout the text so that when discussed in the abstract, these concepts are more accessible.

An integral part of this text, the Study Guide incorporates detailed solutions to every third odd-numbered exercise, as well as solutions to every odd-numbered writing exercise for which the main text only provides a hint.