FALL 2018               Math 461 --- RINGS AND MODULES

Prerequisite: Math 367 or consent of instructor.       Credits: (3-0) 3.   

Instructor:  Semra Öztürk, M 138,     Schedule  and office hours are at the address   http:/www.metu.edu.tr/~sozkap/aa.pdf.

Catalog Contents: Rings, ideals, isomorphism theorems, group rings, localization, factor rings. Modules, submodules, direct products, factor modules. Homomorphisms, classical isomorphism theorems. The endomorphism ring of a module. Free modules, free groups. Tensor product of modules. Finitely generated modules over a principal ideal domain.  

Grading will be based on two midterms %40 each, one  final exam %50, and attendence/homeworks %10.

You should take both of the midterm exams, I will omit the lower grade (even if you are happy with your first midterm grade you still have to take the second midterm exam)

There will be only one make -up exam for any of the exams missed. It will be after the final exam and you should have your instructor’s permission to be able to take it.

 

Attendence is required, attendance and weekly homeworks will be %10 of the course grade.

 

Description  of the course: This course is to provide  the background for students who are willing to learn more about rings which are  the common mathematical structures occuring everywhere J!  It is good for everyone J but especially for students who are planning to study  any  algebra related topics such as algebraic topology, algebraic geometry, even analysis .  As the title suggests this course consists of two parts, rings and modules. 

This semester I will spend  the fisrt half of the semester on rings and the second half on modules.   We will skip  tensor products completely.   Rings will be  a more detailed version of some of the topics  you have seen in Math 367, and  Math 116.   Modules will be new to you. They are generalizations of  vector spaces.  In spirit  module theory is a generalization of linear algebra.

 

Modules over group algebras are examples of groups acting on vector spaces.

About 7 weeks we will cover Rings : rings, subrings,  ideals, quotient rings, annihilators, homorphism of rings, isomorphism theorem for rings, rings of fractions, Chineese remainder theorem, Euclidean domains, principal ideal domains,   group algebras, polynomial rings.

About 7 weeks we will cover  Modules: modules , submodules, simple modules, Schur’s Lemma, generation of modules, direct sums,  annilators of modules, free modules, torsion modules, torsion-free modules,  finitely generated torsin free modules, modules over a principal ideal domain, primary decomposition theorem, elementary divisors, invariant factors, (the rational canonical form , if there is enough time and interest).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We will use one of the   following two books

 I have used the two books below  in different semesters, for this semester I have not decided yet which one to use, please have a look at both and let me know which one you prefer  for which reason.

 

Abstract Algebra, Third Edition, by D.S. Dummit and R.M. Foote, (only Chapters, 0, 7, 8, 9, 10.1, 10,2, 10,3, 12,1,  (12.2  if time permits) ). (Syllabus )

 

Introduction to Rings and Modules, Second Revised Edition, by C. Musili, Narosa Publishing House, 1994 (Chapters 1—4 are on rings, only Chapter 5 is on modules so I will expand it  a little bit.)

 

 Supplementary solved exercises  

 

 The number of homomorphisms from Zn to Zm.pdf 

 Classification_of_Finite-Finite rings.pdf