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INTRODUCTION TO MODERN ALGEBRA
(MATH 3163-001, Spring 2015)

Instructor: Gábor Hetyei
Office: Fretwell 335F, Phone: 704-687-2543, E-mail: ghetyei@uncc.edu
Office hours: MW 10:55-11:25 am, W 4:15-4:40 pm, or by appointment (eventual changes will be announced in class).
Text: Abstract Algebra: An Introduction, 3rd Edition, by Thomas Hungerford ISBN: 9781111569624.
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 may also cover some of Chapter 7 (Groups).
Test Dates:
Test 1 Monday, February 9, 9:30 am - 10:45 am
Test 2 Monday, March 23, 9:30 am - 10:45 am
Final Exam Wednesday, May 6, 8:00-10:30 am
(Double-check in the UNCC Exam schedule !)
The final exam will be cumulative, consisting of two parts. The first part will be mandatory, covering only material taught after Test 2. The second half will contain questions reviewing the material taught before Test 2. This part will be optional, if left unanswered, I will reuse the average of your test scores (with the appropriate weight).
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 April 15 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. Some of my test questions may be very similar or even identical to homework questions that have been previously discussed in class. This by itself is a great reason to regularly attend every lecture, another reason being that mathematics is cumulative, failing to understand one section will impact the ability to learn several subsequent sections.
Evaluation: Grades will be based on: 23% for the homework, 22% for each of the tests, and 33% for the final (22% for the mandatory part, 11% for the optional part).
Class meeting: MWF 9:30 am - 10:45 am Friday 381
Regular lecture times will be Mondays and Wednesdays. Fridays are reserved to make up cancelled classes and for optional consultation.
Homepage: http://www.math.uncc.edu/~ghetyei/courses/3163/index.html
Disabilities: UNC Charlotte is committed to access to education. If you have a disability and need academic accommodations, please provide a letter of accommodation from Disability Services early in the semester. For more information on accommodations, contact the Office of Disability Services at 704-687-0040 or visit their office at Fretwell 230.