Using the proof of the non-trisectability of an arbitrary angle as a final goal, the author develops in an easy conversational style the basics of rings, fields, and vector spaces. Originally developed as a text for an introduction to algebra course for future high-school teachers at California State University, Northridge, the focus of this book is on exposition. It would serve extremely well as a focused, one-semester introduction to abstract algebra.
Using the proof of the non-trisectability of an arbitrary angle as a final goal, the author develops in an easy conversational style the basics of rings, fields, and vector spaces. Originally developed as a text for an introduction to algebra course for future high-school teachers at California State University, Northridge, the focus of this book is on exposition. It would serve extremely well as a focused, one-semester introduction to abstract algebra.
Using the proof of the non-trisectability of an arbitrary angle as a final goal, the author develops in an easy conversational style the basics of rings, fields, and vector spaces. Originally developed as a text for an introduction to algebra course for future high-school teachers at California State University, Northridge, the focus of this book is on exposition. It would serve extremely well as a focused, one-semester introduction to abstract algebra.
Recipient of the Mathematical Association of America's Beckenbach Book Prize in 2012! Group theory is the branch of mathematics that studies symmetry, found in crystals, art, architecture, music and many other contexts, but its beauty is lost on students when it is taught in a technical style that is difficult to understand. Visual Group Theory assumes only a high school mathematics background and covers a typical undergraduate course in group theory from a thoroughly visual perspective. The more than 300 illustrations in Visual Group Theory bring groups, subgroups, homomorphisms, products, and quotients into clear view. Every topic and theorem is accompanied with a visual demonstration of its meaning and import, from the basics of groups and subgroups through advanced structural concepts such as semidirect products and Sylow theory.
This unique text provides a geometric approach to group theory and linear algebra, bringing to light the interesting ways in which these subjects interact. Requiring few prerequisites beyond understanding the notion of a proof, the text aims to give students a strong foundation in both geometry and algebra. Starting with preliminaries (relations, elementary combinatorics, and induction), the book then proceeds to the core topics: the elements of the theory of groups and fields (Lagrange's Theorem, cosets, the complex numbers and the prime fields), matrix theory and matrix groups, determinants, vector spaces, linear mappings, eigentheory and diagonalization, Jordan decomposition and normal form, normal matrices, and quadratic forms. The final two chapters consist of a more intensive look at group theory, emphasizing orbit stabilizer methods, and an introduction to linear algebraic groups, which enriches the notion of a matrix group. Applications involving symm etry groups, determinants, linear coding theory and cryptography are interwoven throughout. Each section ends with ample practice problems assisting the reader to better understand the material. Some of the applications are illustrated in the chapter appendices. The author's unique melding of topics evolved from a two semester course that he taught at the University of British Columbia consisting of an undergraduate honors course on abstract linear algebra and a similar course on the theory of groups. The combined content from both makes this rare text ideal for a year-long course, covering more material than most linear algebra texts. It is also optimal for independent study and as a supplementary text for various professional applications. Advanced undergraduate or graduate students in mathematics, physics, computer science and engineering will find this book both useful and enjoyable.
