How to Think About Abstract Algebra

How to Think about Abstract Algebra provides an engaging and readable introduction to its subject, which encompasses group theory and ring theory. Abstract Algebra is central in most undergraduate mathematics degrees, and it captures regularities that appear across diverse mathematical structures - many people find it beautiful for this reason. But its abstraction can make its central ideas hard to grasp, and even the best students might find that they can follow some of the reasoning without really understanding what it is all about. This book aims to solve that problem. It is not like other Abstract Algebra texts and is not a textbook containing standard content. Rather, it is designed to be read before starting an Abstract Algebra course, or as a companion text once a course has begun. It builds up key information on five topics: binary operations, groups, quotient groups, isomorphisms and homomorphisms, and rings. It provides numerous examples, tables and