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INTRODUCTION TO MODERN ALGEBRA
(MATH 3163-003, Fall 2012)

Instructor: Gábor Hetyei
Office: Fretwell 335F, Phone: 704-687-2543, E-mail: ghetyei@uncc.edu
Office hours: TR 2:15-3:15 pm or by appointment (eventual changes will be announced in class).
Text: Abstract Algebra: An Introduction, 2nd Edition, by Thomas Hungerford ISBN: 978-0-03010559-3.
Some information may be provided on supplementary handouts, and you can not expect everything told in the lecture to be found in the book. Attendance is mandatory!
Prerequisites: MATH 1242 or MATH 2164 with a grade of C or better or consent of the department.
Topics: Chapter 1: Arithmetic in ℤ Revisited.
Chapter 2: Congruence in ℤ and Modular Arithmetic.
Chapter 3: Rings.
Chapter 4: Arithmetic in F[x].
Chapter 5: Congruence in F[x] and Congruence-Class Arithmetic.
Chapter 6: Ideals in Quotient Fields.

Time permitting, and depending on the interest of the audience, we will also cover some of Chapter 7 (Groups).
Test Dates:
Test 1 Thursday, September 20, 2012.
Test 2 Tuesday, October 30, 2012.
Final Exam Tuesday, December 11, 5:00 - 7:30 pm.
(Double-check in the UNCC Exam schedule !)
The final exam will be cumulative.
Homework: Homework will be assigned every day, and will be usually collected once every week. I will make an effort to regularly post the homework on the webpage
http://www.math.uncc.edu/~ghetyei/courses/3163/hw.html
In case of discrepancy, what I said in class is "official". The number of exercises per week will be low, but I will expect a detailed writeup. Keep in mind that this is a writing intensive class. Past due assignments will be rejected unless a formal excuse letter written by a University official, an actual M.D., or some equally serious authority is provided. Some homework questions will be considered bonus, their due date is November 28 or the day we discuss their solution in class. No partial credit will be given for bonus questions, only perfectly good solutions will be accepted. However, a bonus assignment may be resubmitted an arbitrary number of times before its final due date.
Evaluation: Grades will be based on: 23% for the homework, 22% for each of the tests, and 33% for the final.
Class meeting: Tuesdays and Thursdays 5:00 pm - 6:15 pm in Fretwell 305
Homepage: http://www.math.uncc.edu/~ghetyei/courses/3163/index.html