Introductory Modern Algebra

Book excerpt: Praise for the First Edition "Stahl offers the solvability of equations from the historicalpoint of view...one of the best books available to support aone-semester introduction to abstract algebra." —CHOICE Introductory Modern Algebra: A Historical Approach, SecondEdition presents the evolution of algebra and provides readerswith the opportunity to view modern algebra as a consistentmovement from concrete problems to abstract principles. With a fewpertinent excerpts from the writings of some of the greatestmathematicians, the Second Edition uniquely facilitates theunderstanding of pivotal algebraic ideas. The author provides a clear, precise, and accessibleintroduction to modern algebra and also helps to develop a moreimmediate and well-grounded understanding of how equations lead topermutation groups and what those groups can inform us about suchdiverse items as multivariate functions and the 15-puzzle.Featuring new sections on topics such as group homomorphisms, theRSA algorithm, complex conjugation, the factorization of realpolynomials, and the fundamental theorem of algebra, the SecondEdition also includes: An in-depth explanation of the principles and practices ofmodern algebra in terms of the historical development from theRenaissance solution of the cubic equation to Dedekind'sideals Historical discussions integrated with the development ofmodern and abstract algebra in addition to many new explicitstatements of theorems, definitions, and terminology A new appendix on logic and proofs, sets, functions, andequivalence relations Over 1,000 new examples and multi-level exercises at the end ofeach section and chapter as well as updated chapter summaries Introductory Modern Algebra: A Historical Approach, SecondEdition is an excellent textbook for upper-undergraduatecourses in modern and abstract algebra.