Abstract Algebra 2

• Credit value: 15 credits at Level 6
• Convenor: Dan Mcveagh
• Assessment: coursework (20%) and a two-hour examination (80%)

In this module you will learn key concepts from abstract algebra. Combined with the module Abstract Algebra 1 which precedes it, this module will cover material on algebraic structures such as groups, rings, fields and vector spaces, giving you a thorough grounding in these topics.

The module is studied via distance learning. Each week, you will be guided through a series of learning steps. These include short instructional videos, online quizzes to test your understanding, livestreamed face-to-face examples classes, full course notes, and exercises to try at home.

Indicative syllabus

• Revision of key concepts from Abstract Algebra 1, in particular the definition of groups
• Additional results and examples of groups
• Conjugation, conjugacy classes and centralizers
• Normal subgroups - examples and properties
• Quotient groups
• The Homomorphism Theorem
• Definition of rings - key examples including number rings and matrix rings
• Subrings and the Subring Test
• Zero divisors, units and integral domains
• Factorisation and irreducibility

By the end of this module, you will:

• knowledge and understanding of, and the ability to use, mathematical methods and techniques
• knowledge and understanding of a range of results in mathematics
• appreciate the need for proof in mathematics, and be able to follow and construct mathematical arguments
• understand the importance of assumptions and have an awareness of where they are used and the possible consequences of their violation
• appreciate the power of generalisation and abstraction in the development of mathematical theories
• have a deeper knowledge of particular areas of mathematics.