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Discovering Group Theory: A Transition to Advanced Mathematics presents the usual material that is found in a first course on groups and then does a bit more. The book is intended for students who find the kind of reasoning in abstract mathematics courses unfamiliar and need extra support in this transition to advanced mathematics.
The book gives a number of examples of groups and subgroups, including permutation groups, dihedral groups, and groups of integer residue classes. The book goes on to study cosets and finishes with the first isomorphism theorem.
Very little is assumed as background knowledge on the part of the reader. Some facility in algebraic manipulation is required, and a working knowledge of some of the properties of integers, such as knowing how to factorize integers into prime factors.
The book aims to help students with the transition from concrete to abstract mathematical thinking.
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List of contents
1. Proof; 2 Sets; 3. Binary operations; 4. Integers; 5. Groups ; 6. Subgroups; 7. Cyclic groups; 8. Products of groups; 9. Functions; 10. Composition of functions; 11. Isomorphisms; 12. Permutations; 13. Dihedral groups; 14. Cosets; 15. Groups of orders up to 8; 16. Equivalence relations; 17. Quotient groups; 18. Homomorphisms; 19. The First Isomorphism Theorem; Answers; Index
About the author
Tony Barnard has lectured at King's College London on abstract algebra for over 35 years. His research activity was initially in abstract algebra and more recently has been in the psychology of mathematics education. He has served on several consultative committees of the UK government and learned societies, advising on matters relating to the school mathematics curriculum and university mathematics teaching.?Hugh Neill started as a school teacher, moved into mathematics teaching at the University of Durham and then became the senior mathematics inspector in schools in Inner London until the Inner London Education Authority was abolished in 1990. During this time he was heavily involved in the design and assessment of mathematics courses for future mathematics teachers. Since 1990 he has been writing mathematics books.?
Summary
This book presents group theory to students taking a course to transition to advanced mathematics with the goal of preparing them for higher level mathematical study. The book covers the usual material which is found in a first course on groups with both preliminary chapters and examples of groups, results about integers, study cosets, and isomorphism theorem.
