Groups, rings and fields

Publication date 12 August 1998

\(p\)-groups abstract algebra divisibility examples generators group theory permutation groups polynomials primes relations rings Sylow subgroups

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Mathematics in general (00A05) Introductory exposition (textbooks, tutorial papers, etc.) pertaining to field theory (12-01) Introductory exposition (textbooks, tutorial papers, etc.) pertaining to commutative algebra (13-01) Introductory exposition (textbooks, tutorial papers, etc.) pertaining to group theory (20-01)

Review text

This text is aimed at students who are meeting abstract algebra for the first time. The stated objective is to provide an appropriate, interesting and entertaining text for those who require a rounded course as well as those who wish to continue further. This objective is admirably achieved, with the reader taken in a friendly and encouraging way through to topics covered. The scope of the text is what one might expect in a basic course and is as follows. Chapter 1 is devoted to sets and mappings and includes the basic operations, Venn diagrams, mappings, equivalence relations, well-ordering and induction, and countable sets. Chapter 2 is devoted to the integers and deals with divisibility, the division and Euclidean algorithms, and primes. In Chapter 3, by way of preparation for the algebra to follow, the topic covered is that of polynomials. Chapter 4 sees the beginning of group theory and takes the reader through Lagrange's theorem, cosets and conjugacy to the first isomorphism theorem. In Chapter 5 the theory of rings is developed and covers \(\text{mod }n\) arithmetic, integral domains and fields, Euclidean domains, principal ideal domains, unique factorisation domains, and factorization of polynomials. Finally, Chapter 6 is devoted to further group theory and covers permutation groups, generators and relations, \(p\)-groups and Sylow subgroups. There is throughout a copious supply of examples, and a good selection of exercises with solutions of these at the end of the book. In short, this lucid and well-marshalled text is an admirable introduction to abstract algebra. It has been carefully designed for the beginner, and there will be very few students who will want to part with it at the end of their course.

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