:: Math 402 :: Abstract Algebra ::
:: Pacific University :: Fall 2006 ::

:: Announcements ::

  • The Studysheet for the Final is available here. The Final is Saturday, Dec 9, 8:30-11:00. I am having office hours Thursday and Friday starting at 1pm.
  • Solutions to Midterm II have been posted. See the homework page or click here.
  • Midterm II is scheduled for Monday, November 6. It will cover chapters 6-10.
  • Midterm I has been postponed, and will now be given on Wednesday, October 4.
  • Homework will now be collected on Fridays.
  • The course calendar has been updated (9/18). Click the link below
  • Partial solutions to the first and second HW assignment have been posted on the HW page. Let me know if you find any errors or have any questions about them.
  • Monday, September 4 is Labor Day; there will be no class.
  • Class meets every MWF 10:00-10:50 in Marsh 213. The first day of class is Monday, August 28. I look forward to seeing you there!


    • :: Quick Links: :: Homework Assignments :: Course Calendar :: Pacific Homepage :: Caleb Emmons' Homepage ::

    :: Syllabus ::

    Instructor: Caleb Emmons
    Email: emmons@pacificu.edu
    Office Hours: 2:00-2:50 M, 11:00-11:50 W, 10:00-11:50 Th in 301 Strain.
    Email is always a good way to contact me. You might also find me in my office at other times; if the door is open, I'm probably not too busy to chat with you!

    Prerequisites: Math 240 and Math 360 both with a grade of "C" or better.
    Text: Contemporary Abstract Algebra, 6th Edition by Joseph A. Gallian.
    Plan: Groups, rings and fields are the backbone of modern mathematics and also provide very powerful tools for solving real world problems. In this course we pursue an extensive study of groups, take a shorter look at rings, and manage a few words about fields.

    Participation: You should attend every class! Read the section. I will set aside time for questions and discussion, so come prepared. Math is not a spectator sport.

    Grading: The material is weighted as follows:
    Midterm I  20% 
    Midterm II  20% 
    Final Exam  30% 
    Homework  24% 
    Oral Presentation  6% 
    Grades will be assigned on the scale:90-100 = A-/+, 80-89 = B-/+, 70-79 = C-/+, 60-69 = D, 0-59 = F. I reserve the right to lower these cutoffs at the end of the semester. I will give +'s and -'s at my discretion.

    Academic honesty: Cheating is completely unacceptable. Any violation of the policies outlined in the Pacific University catalog will result in the strictest penalties possible.

    Exams: There are three exams in the class. No makeup exams will be given unless you have a valid excuse and make arrangements with me before the exam. The final exam must be taken during the scheduled time; please make travel plans accordingly.
    Midterm 1: Friday, September 29. Covers Chapters 0-5
    Midterm 2: Monday, November 6. Covers Chapters 6-10, 29
    Final exam: Saturday, December 9, 8:30am-11:00am. Cumulative with an emphasis on Chapters 12-15


    Learning Support Services: Services and accommodations are available to students covered under the ADA. If students require accommodation, they must contact Edna K. Gehring, Director of LSS, at X2107. She will meet with students, review the documentation of their disabilities, and discuss the services Pacific offers. Contact should be at the earliest possible point in time.

    Homework: (View the homework assignments) Homework will be collected on Wednesday each week, at the beginning of lecture. No late homework will be accepted. In computing your homework grade, I will disregard your lowes t score. Completing the assignments is absolutely essential to success in this class. Homework problems are not simple; some will require several attempts & sleep to solve. Therefore you must start the assignment early, ideally working the problems fro m a particular section the day that it was covered in class. You may discuss the proofs with your classmates, but every writeup must be in your own words. Writeups must be legible. Good mathematical writing skills are essential. In particular, every writeup must be written in full, grammatically correct sentenc es. Every sentence must begin with a (capitalized) English word, not a symbol. (See the proofs in the text for the correct style.)

    Oral Presentations: Each student is expected to make a 15 minute in-class mathematical presentation. (This is a very short amount of time, so plan well!) Presentations should focus on either an interesting application of algebra to a real world problem, or an advanced algebraic topic in pure mathematics. The topic of your presentation is yours to choose, though I can make suggestions (see below for a sampling). Sign-ups will be taken early in the semester as to when you wish to present. You must have your topic approved by me at least two weeks before your presentation. Also, you must come by my office to review what you have prepared prior to its presentation.

    Suggested Presentation Topics: (These are only suggestions. You are encouraged to find your own topic, or come to my office hours to discuss it.)
    Suitable for early-semester: (a) Solving Rubik's Cube, (b) Frieze and Crystallographic Groups, (c) Cayley Digraphs, (d) Jacobian of an Elliptic Curve
    Suitable for mid-semester: (a) Mathematics of Su Doku, (b) RSA Encryption, (c) Sylow Theorems
    Suitable for late-semester: (a) Finite fields, (b) Class numbers, (c) p-adic numbers, (d) Galois theory