Math 521A

Math 521A, Abstract Algebra
(5:35-6:50 MW in C-9)

Final exam: 12-2 on Fri, 12/16 in our usual classroom. The final is comprehensive and will cover material up to and including p. 78 in 2.3.

Office hours during exam week: 4-5:30 Mon (12/12), 4:30-6 Wed (12/14), 12-1:30 Thu (12/15), 10:30-11:30 F (12/16).

Syllabus: Here is the syllabus.

Online resources:

I use Blackboard to post your grades periodically throughout the semester

Homework:

Assigned	Due date	Read	Exercises
8/29		1.1-2	No exercises yet.
8/31	9/12	1.1-2	1.1.7, 9, 14, 18-20 Turn in on 9/12: 1.1.12
9/12	9/19	1.3-4	1.2.4, 7-9, 15, 17 Turn in on 9/14: 1.2.16 Turn in on 9/19: 1.3.12
9/19	9/26	1.4	1.3.10, 14, 15, 22, 26, 28 Turn in on 9/26: 1.3.27
9/26	10/3	1.4, 2.1	1.4.7, 9, 11, 12, 16, 24 Turn in on 10/3: 1.4.10 (Hint: Use the Division Algorithm to divide φ(n) by k.)
10/3	10/10	2.1	Homework holiday. Prepare for the upcoming exam.
10/10	10/17	2.1, 2	2.1.1, 5, 6, 8 (worry about whether the proposed function is well-defined), 11, 15 Turn in on 10/17: 2.1.6
10/17	10/24	2.1, 2	2.1.2, 7, 10, 12, 16 Turn in on 10/19: 2.1.20 Turn in on 10/24: 2.1.7
10/24	10/31	2.2	2.1.3, 4, 14, 17-19 Turn in on 10/31: 2.1.18
10/31	11/7	2.2	Homework holiday. Prepare for the upcoming exam.
11/14	11/21	2.2	2.2.3-5, 8a, 9, 10a, 11ab Turn in on 11/21: 2.2.8b
11/21	11/28	2.2	2.2.1, 2, 7, 8c, 10b, 12ab
11/28	12/5	2.2, 3	2.2.6, 12c-j
12/7	12/14	2.2, 3	Optional HW: you may redo any one turn-in HW assignment. If you choose to do so, your new score on that assignment will replace your old score, whether it is higher or lower.

The Putnam Competition: This is not strictly related to this course. The William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition will be held on Sat, Dec 3 this year. It is administered locally at the Calexico campus. The exercises primarily test your ability to construct rigorous mathematical arguments to solve (difficult) unfamiliar problems and not lexical knowledge. If you like proofs and enjoy the challenge of thinking about such problems, I encourage you to sign up for the competition. Here is an archive of past exercises and solutions. Send me an e-mail by 5 PM on Mon, Oct 10 if you would like to sign up. It is of course free.

Exam solutions:

First hourly exam pdf
Second hourly exam pdf

Educational links:

A serious paper on teaching/learning at the university level by Prof. Steven Zucker
A more light-hearted, but very true guide on how to be on good terms with your professor (who assigns your grade) by Prof. Doug Andrews at Wittenberg University

Math links: The links below lead to sites with encyclopedias of math terms. You can use them to find definitions, examples, and some theorems.

Other algebra books: Here are a few other textbooks you may want to consult.

M. Artin, Algebra, Prentice Hall. This is a textbook for a rather sophisticated undergrad algebra course. Artin likes matrices.
J.R. Durbin, Modern Algebra, Wiley. This is an undergrad text which covers a little more material than our book. It's quite concise.
I.N. Herstein, Topics in algebra, Wiley. This is a classic textbook used by many undergrad and some graduate level algebra courses. It's more sophisticated than our course, but you may still get some good ideas from it.
I.N. Herstein, Abstract algebra, Wiley. This is a lighter version of the above book. In fact, it's often referred to as "baby Herstein."
T.W. Hungerford, Algebra, Springer-Verlag. This is a graduate level textbook in the Graduate Texts in Mathematics series. It is a good reference.
J.A. Gallian, Contemporary Abstract Algebra, Houghton Mifflin. A classic algebra text comparable in level and coverage to our textbook.
A. Papantonopoulou, Algebra: pure & applied, Prentice Hall. This is a book with lots of examples. Its level is a little more sophisticated than our course, but you could still understand many of the examples.
J.J. Rotman, Advanced modern algebra, Prentice Hall. This is another graduate level textbook and could also serve as a good reference.

Some scholarship opportunities for prospective teachers: