Difference LinAlg4DataScience and LinAlgBook

[tim-meese]

Hello

Noticed that you wrote two textbooks about linear algebra: i. Linear Algebra: Theory, Intuition, Code ii. Practical Linear Algebra for Data Science

Based on their descriptions, I would assume that book i. has more content than book ii. and that everything that is book ii. is also in book i. Is this correct?

With kind regards Tim

[mikexcohen]

Hi Tim. The two books do overlap, but not entirely. The "theory" book is longer and more focused on concepts, theory, and proofs (though still with an eye on implementations and applications); while the O'Reilly book is more focused on implementations and applications (though still with an eye on proofs). So the question is whether you are looking for a deeper and more thorough dive into linear algebra, or want to get up to speed quickly with applications. I also try to use different examples and exercises across the two books, so the practical work is mostly non-overlapping (with occasional redundancies).

[tim-meese]

Dear Mike

Thank you for your quick and clear answer.

I am interested in bioinformatics and statistics. I noticed that many tools and algorithms rely on linear algebra, so I want to expand my knowledge about it. I have no strong background in mathematics. Which book would you recommend?

[mikexcohen]

Perhaps the "theory" book will be more appropriate for you. It's longer, but that's because I take more time to introduce and explain concepts and work through explanations. I wrote it with the non-math-background reader in mind.

The O'Reilly book is more focused on applications in data science and implementations in Python. Some of the concepts are introduced more briskly in order to get to the coding details.

[tim-meese]

Thank you for the input. I appreciate it.

[tim-meese]

Ordered a physical copy of the theory book. Looking forward starting my journey in the linear algebra world.