Return to Jake's teaching.
This class has completed. Information on this web page may not be applicable to future semesters.
| Instructor: | Jake Wildstrom Office: Natural Sciences Building 113 Primary office hours: Wednesday 15:30–16:30, Friday 12:00–14:00 Secondary office hours: Monday 11:00–13:00, Tuesday 14:30–15:30, or by appointment Phone number: (502)852-5845 (x5845) E-mail: djwild01@louisville.edu |
| Lecture: | TR 16:00–17:15 in Natural Sciences Building 212E |
| Prerequisites: | MATH 206 or equivalent, MATH 311, and MATH 325. |
| Description: | An introduction to the theory of groups, rings, integral domains, and fields. |
| Textbook: | Contemporary Abstract Algebra by Gallian, eighth edition (ISBN 978-1-133-59970-8) chapters 1–11; if time allows, we may also do topics from chapters 24–29. |
| Objectives: | We will learn the definition and properties of algebraic groups, and several applications and specific concepts relating to groups. |
| Learning Outcomes: | Students will learn the basic theory of groups; improve ability of following the proofs of difficult statements; increase mathematics logic skills and writing proofs skills in the context of a high level course. Outcomes will be assessed via homework and exams. |
| Responsibilities: | You are responsible for attending class daily and maintaining comprehension of the material presented in class. Problem sets will be assigned regularly and posted online. You must complete all assigned problems promptly, and attend examinations on the scheduled dates. Extracurricular interaction with your fellow students, and with the instructor, will be very useful in developing your comprehension. |
| Special needs: | Any scheduled absence during a quiz or examination, or any other special needs, must be brought to my attention during the first week of class. During a scheduled absence, you are expected to complete assignments on time, submitting them by e-mail if necessary. Absence due to unforseen emergencies will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis and must be documented. |
| Honesty: | There are many resources available to help you succeed in this class, including consultation during office hours, secondary texts, and cooperation with other students. It is important, however, that all papers handed in be the result of your individual comprehension of the course material. Duplication of others' work is both a disservice to your own education and a serious violation of the university's academic honesty policy. |
| Grades: | Problem sets will account for 30% of your grade, the midterm examinations will each be worth 20%, and the final examination will be worth 30%. A 90% overall guarantees a grade of A–, 80% guarantees a B–, and 70% guarantees a C–. |
| Changes: | The syllabus is subject to change. Changes will be announced in class and updated online. |
This schedule is tentative and may not reflect our progress at any particular time in the class; treat this as a rough guide only.
| Week | Tuesday | Thursday |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
August 26th
Intro and Chapter 0
|
August 28th
Chapter 1
|
| 2 |
September 2nd
Chapter 2
|
September 4th
Chapters 2, 3
Problem Set #1 due
|
| 3 |
September 9th
Chapter 4
|
September 11th
Chapter 4
|
| 4 |
September 16th
Chapter 5
|
September 18th
Chapter 5
Problem Set #2 due
|
| 5 |
September 23rd
Chapter 5
|
September 25th
Chapter 6
|
| 6 |
September 30th
Chapter 6
|
October 2nd
Exam #1
Problem Set #3 due
|
| 7 |
October 7th
Midsemester break
|
October 9th
Chapter 7
|
| 8 |
October 14th
Chapter 7
|
October 16th
Chapter 7
Problem Set #4 due
|
| 9 |
October 21st
Chapter 8
|
October 23rd
Withdrawl date
Chapter 8
|
| 10 |
October 28th
Chapter 8
|
October 30th
Chapter 9
Problem Set #5 due
|
| 11 |
November 4th
Chapter 9
|
November 6th
Chapter 9
|
| 12 |
November 11th
Chapter 10
|
November 13th
Exam #2
Problem Set #6 due
|
| 13 |
November 18th
Chapter 10
|
November 20th
Chapter 10
|
| 14 |
November 25th
Chapter 10
|
November 27th
Thanksgiving break
|
| 15 |
December 2nd
Chapter 11
|
December 4th
Chapter 11
Problem Set #7 due
|
| 16 |
December 9th
Reading day
|
Saturday, December 13th
Final exam, 16:45–19:15
|
Solutions should be legible and, where written exposition is used, grammatical, and are due at the beginning of class.
You may find it useful to type your solutions, although doing so is not necessary. In preparation for future mathematical studies, you may find the LaTeX mathematical typesetting tool to be well worth learning; to assist in that process if you elect to do so, a template will be provided for you to write your solutions. For help using LaTeX, please visit Dr. Wildstrom during office hours.