LECTURE TIME AND PLACE: MWF 9:30, Denny 211
INSTRUCTOR: John Palmieri
Padelford C538, 253-1785
E-mail: palmieri@math.washington.edu
OFFICE HOURS: ¯ Monday and Wednesday, 10:30-11:30
(or just drop by-I'm around a lot)
WEB: http://www.math.washington.edu/~palmieri/Math404/
TEXT: Algebra by M. Artin
EXAMINATIONS AND GRADING: There will be one mid-term exam, weekly problem sets, and a final exam. The mid-term exam is worth 100 points, the homework will count for 150 points, and the final is worth 150 points, for a total of 400 points.
HOUR EXAM: date to be announced
FINAL EXAM: 8:30-10:20 am, Wednesday, June 7
HOMEWORK: Homework will be assigned weekly. Feel free to work with other people on your homework, but you must write your solutions yourself. If you find a solution in a book, please provide a reference.
PLAN FOR THE COURSE: We will start with Chapter 10, rings: these are objects like groups, but they have two operations: addition and multiplication. Here are three of the standard examples: the integers, the real numbers, and the set of polynomials with real coefficients. We will do most of Chapter 10, then about half of Chapter 11; this deals with the topic of factoring, so we will discuss prime numbers and their generalizations, factoring integers and generalizations of that, and other related issues. If time permits, we will do some of Chapter 12, on modules. These are like vector spaces, but the scalars are chosen from a particular ring, say the integers, rather than from a field like R. Finally, we will do parts of Chapter 13, on fields. Using field theory, we will prove that it is impossible to trisect a 60° angle with ruler and compass, and we will study some important examples of fields.
PROBLEM SETS: I have provided a list of problems for each section of the text; on each Friday you will hand in the problems for the sections covered through the previous Monday's lecture. If we happen to have finished a chapter by that Monday, then you will also be responsible for the ``Miscellaneous'' problems. Note that there are a few extra-credit problems listed.
Go to Math 404 home page.
Go to John Palmieri's home page.
File translated from TEX by TTH, version 1.59.