- Textbook:
- Algebra: Pure and Applied,
Aigli Papantonopoulou (Prentice Hall, 2002).
- Prerequisites:
-
The official prerequisite is Math 247 and 315; in practice, we simply
require a certain amount of mathematical maturity and willingness
to think abstractly.
- Homework:
- There will be weekly homework
assignments, due on Wednesdays, usually with problems assigned
from the textbook. The homework counts for about 30% of the course grade.
No late homework will be accepted. Your two lowest homework scores will
be dropped.
- Exams:
- There will be two hour-tests on Fridays in class.
These will be on Feb 28 and Apr 11; the exact material covered
on each will be announced later. These tests together count for
about 40% of your grade. The final exam covers the entire course,
and counts for about 30% of the course grade.
The final exam will be 8-11am Tue 13 May.
- Outline:
-
This course introduces abstract algebra through the theory of groups and rings.
Groups are a mathematical expression of how symmetries relate.
Rings generalize the familiar arithmetic operations on integers.
We will consider applications of these ideas, including to cryptography.
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