Instructor: David Savitt
Office: Math Building, Room 214
E-mail: savitt at math dot arizona dot edu
Phone: 621-2170
Office hours: Mondays and Thursdays, 2-3 pm
Course assistant: Tommy Occhipinti

Time: MWF, 1-1:50 pm
Location: Math 501

Textbook: Anthony Knapp, Basic Algebra, available for download from Springerlink

Syllabus: In the fall semester we will cover chapters II-VI of Knapp and (time permitting -- which it probably won't) part of chapter VII. This includes linear and multilinear algebra over arbitrary fields, as well as the basic theory of groups and groups acting on sets. In the second semester we will study commutative rings and their modules, fields and Galois theory, and (time permitting -- which it probably will) an introduction to representation theory.

Grades: There will be weekly homework assigments (usually due on Fridays); one midterm exam, on October 10; and a final exam. The midterm will cover chapters II, III, and some portion of chapter IV that will depend on our pace. The homework and midterm are each worth 25% of your grade; the final is worth 50%.

Homework: All homework assignments will be posted on this website.

Homework 1 (due August 31): pdf; solutions
Homework 2 (due September 7): pdf; solutions
Homework 3 (due September 14): pdf solutions
Homework 4 (due September 21): pdf solutions
Homework 5 (due September 28): pdf solutions
Homework 6 (due October 5): pdf solutions
Homework 7 (#1-5 due October 22; #6-10 due October 26): pdf solutions
Homework 8 (due November 5): pdf solutions
Homework 9 (due November 9): Knapp, Chapter 7, #37-46; solutions in Knapp
Homework 10 (due November 16): pdf solutions
Homework 11 (due November 26): pdf solutions
Homework 12 (due December 5): pdf solutions

Handouts:

Finitely generated abelian groups
Semidirect products