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: Tuesday 11:00–13:00, Thursday 14:30–15:30 Secondary office hours: Monday 11:00–12:30, Wednesday 14:00–15:30, and by appointment Phone number: (502)852-5845 (x5845) E-mail: djwild01@louisville.edu |
| Lecture: | TR 13:00–14:15 in Natural Sciences Building 110 |
| Prerequisites: | MATH 521. |
| Description: | Continuation in greater depth of topics introduced in MATH 521; introduction to theory of ideals, field extensions, and abstract vector spaces. |
| Textbook: | Contemporary Abstract Algebra by Gallian, eighth edition (ISBN 978-1-133-59970-8) chapters 12–20; if time allows, we may also do topics from chapters 21–23. |
| Objectives: | We will learn the definition and properties of algebraic rings and fields, and several applications and specific concepts relating to rings and fields. |
| Learning Outcomes: | Students will learn the basic theory of rings; 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.
| Tuesday | Thursday | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
January 8th
Chapter 12
|
|
| 2 |
January 13th
Drop date
Chapter 12
|
January 15th
Chapter 13
|
| 3 |
January 20th
Chapter 13
|
January 22nd
Chapter 14
Problem Set #1 due
|
| 4 |
January 27th
Chapter 14
|
January 29th
Chapter 14
|
| 5 |
February 3rd
Chapter 14
|
February 5th
Chapter 15
Problem Set #2 due
|
| 6 |
February 10th
Chapter 15
|
February 12th
Exam #1
|
| 7 |
February 17th
Chapter 16
|
February 19th
Chapter 16
|
| 8 |
February 24th
Chapter 16
|
February 26th
Chapter 17
Problem Set #3 due
|
| 9 |
March 3rd
Chapter 17
|
March 5th
Chapter 17
|
| 10 |
March 10th
Chapter 18
|
March 12th
Chapter 18
Problem Set #4 due
|
| 11 |
March 16th&nadsh;20th
Spring break
|
|
| 12 |
March 24th
Chapter 18
|
March 26th
Exam #2
|
| 13 |
March 31st
Chapter 19
|
April 2nd
Chapter 19
Problem Set #5 due
|
| 14 |
April 7th
Chapter 19
|
April 9th
Chapter 20
|
| 15 |
April 14th
Chapter 20
|
April 16th
Chapter 20
|
| 16 |
April 21st
Chapter 20
Problem Set #6 due
|
April 23rd
Reading day
|
|
Final exam, Friday, April 24, 14:30PM-17:00
|
||
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.