Math 370, Fall 2020

Prof. Jim Haglund , jhaglund@math.upenn.edu
Course webpage: http://www.math.upenn.edu/~jhaglund/370/

(online) Office hours:R 11:00-11:50am (access via zoom link on canvas webpage).

Lectures (online using zoom - will be recorded): MWF 10:00-10:50am



Lab:

101 Tuesday 6:30-8:30p.m.
102 Thursday 6:30-8:30p.m.


Lab Instructor: Nibby Islam


(online) Office hours : W 5:30-6:30pm, R 5:30-6:30pm, F 3-4pm.

Course : This course is an introduction to modern algebra. It is a standard part of our mathematics minor and major programs, although many students planning on graduate work in math or physics will want to take the more theoretical masters-level sequence Math 502-503 instead of Math 370-371. Topics we will cover in the 370-371 sequence include Groups, Rings, and Fields. We will also incorporate material on Linear Algebra, including Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors of Matrices, as needed, although topics in Linear Algebra are covered in detail in the prerequisite course Math 314.

Text: Topics in Algebra by I. N. Herstein, 2nd edition, ISBN-13: 978-0471010906 ISBN-10: 053601090. Will be available in the Penn bookstore and also on amazon.

Homework, Exams, and Grades: There will be weekly homework assignments. You will create a pdf file of your answers to the hw questions to turn in, which we will then grade. There will be two midterms exams and a final exam, all three of which will be "take-home" exams. You will be given a week or so to do each exam, after which you will create a pdf of your solutions to turn in. HW will count 30%, each midterm 20% and the final exam 30% towards your course grade. The homework assignments will be posted at the bottom of this webpage. Exam and hw grades and other information will be accessible via canvas.




Homework 1: Due Monday, 9/21. (In the following, Exercise n.m.p refers to Chapter n, Section m, Exercise p). Do exercises 1.1.4, 1.1.7, 1.2.6, 1.2.10, 1.3.3, 1.3.7 from the book. Also do exercises 2.3.3, 2.3.6, 2.3.10, 2.3.21, 2.3.23, and 2.3.25 from the book.

Midterm 1: Due by midnight on Monday, 10/12. See assignment on Canvas.

Homework 2: Due Friday, 11/6. Do exercises 6,7, and 8 on p. 108, exercises 6 and 7 on p. 115, and exercises 1 and 7 on p. 116 from Herstein's Topics in Algebra, 2nd edition.

Midterm 2: Due by midnight on Wednesday, 12/2. See assignment on Canvas.