Office: WEH 7204
Phone: x8482 (268-8482 from external lines), messages at x2545
Email: Rami@cmu.edu
URL: www.math.cmu.edu/~rami
Office Hours: I will be in my office today (Wedesday, May 9th),
if you want to see me please stop by or send email.
Instructor: Rami Grossberg
Office: WEH 7204
Phone: x8482 (268-8482 from external lines), messages at
x2545
Email: Rami@cmu.edu
URL:
www.math.cmu.edu/~rami
Office Hours: I will be in my office today (Wedesday, May 9th),
if you want to see me please stop by or send email.
Purpose. The goal of this course is to provide a successor to
Algebraic Structures (21-373), with an emphasis on applications of
groups, rings, and fields within algebra to some major classical
problems. These include constructions with a ruler and compass, and
(un) solvability of equations by radicals. It also offers an opportunity
to see group theory and basic ring theory "in action", and introduces
several powerful number theoretic techniques.
The basic ideas and methods required to study finite fields will also be
introduced, these have recently been applied in a number of areas of
theoretical computer science including primality testing and
cryptography.
Course description. We will start with a review of ring theory.
Definitions and examples, field extensions, adjunction of roots,
algebraic numbers, dimension formula, constructions with ruler and
compass (it is impossible to trisect an arbitrary angle, and it is
impossible to duplicate the cube), splitting fields, existence (and
uniqueness) of algebraic closure, symmetric polynomials, Galois groups,
Galois extensions, the Galois correspondence theorem for characteristics
0, permutations and simplicity of An, unsolvability by radicals of the
general quintic, characterization of finite fields (and their
multiplicative groups), Wedderburn's theorem (optional), transcendental
extensions, Steinitz's theorem on trascendence degree.
Text: "Abstract Algebra" by D. S. Dummit & R. M. Foote. 2nd
edition Published by John Wiley & Sons, 1999.
price comparison.
Test Dates: The second midterm will be held on Monday 4/23 instead of a lecture.
Evaluation: There will be two one hour tests (in class), weekly homework
assignments, and a three hour final. These will be weighted as
follows:
Prerequisites. Algebraic Structures or Math Studies.
In the fall semesater I will be teaching a follow up of this course.
It is 21-611, for more information click
here .
Rami's home page.
| Last modified: May 9th, 2001 |