FSUMATH
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Department of Mathematics

College of Arts and Sciences

Algebra qualifier topics


Last revised: April 2010


Sample references:
  • P. Aluffi, Algebra: Chapter 0, AMS.
  • M. Artin, Algebra, Prentice Hall.
  • D. Dummit, R. Foote, Abstract Algebra, Wiley.
  • S. Lang, Algebra, Springer Verlag.

  • Basic topics:
  • Categories: Definition; universal properties.
  • Groups: Basic definitions; subgroups; cosets; normal subgroups; quotient groups; homomorphisms; fundamental theorems on group homomorphisms; free groups; permutation groups; Lagrange and Cayley's theorem; actions of a group on a set; class formula; Sylow's theorems; composition series and solvability; products and semidirect products; classification of finite abelian groups.
  • Rings: Basic definitions; ideals; quotient rings; ring homomorphisms; fundamental theorems on ring homomorphisms; fields; prime and maximal ideals; Noetherian rings; Hilbert's basis theorem; irreducibility; UFDs, PIDs, Euclidean domains; Gauss's lemma; Chinese Remainder Theorem.
  • Modules: Basic definitions; isomorphism theorems; free modules and algebras; Noetherian modules; complexes and homology; exact sequences, the snake lemma; free modules; presentations and resolutions; classification of finitely generated modules over PIDs.
  • Linear algebra: Vector spaces, basic definitions; linear independence, bases; matrices; Gaussian elimination; determinants and non-singularity; eigenvectors and eigenvalues; minimal and characteristic polynomials; Cayley-Hamilton theorem; Rational and Jordan canonical forms.