Course Description
Course description: This course will cover groups and rings. The textbook for the course is Artin, Algebra, 2nd edition (ISBN 9780132413770). There is a continuation of this course into second semester, called Math 30820.
Homework: There will be weekly problem sets. You are free and encouraged to collaborate with other students in the class in solving the problems, but you must write up all your solutions on your own.
Exams: There will be one in-class midterm, one take-home midterm, and a take-home final exam.
Final grade:The final grade will be computed as a weighted average: 40% homework, 15% for each midterm, 30% final exam.
Joke
A mathematician, physicist and engineer, taking a test. "How much is one plus one?"
The mathematician, two hours later: "I have proven it's a natural number".
The physicist, after checking parallax error and quantum tables: "It's between 1.9999999999, and 2.0000000001".
The engineer: "Oh! its easy! It's two,.... No, better make it three, just to be safe".
