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AIM Open Textbook Initiative

 
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     Open source math textbooks
     for undergraduate courses
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The following book has met the evaluation criteria developed by the AIM Editorial Board.

Algebra: Abstract and Concrete
  Frederick M. Goodman

Digital versions pdf
Latex source No
Exercises Yes
Solutions No
License Copyright held by SemiSimple Press (2006)

  • Upper level text for math majors
  • 572 pages, 11 chapters
  • First and second editions published by Prentice Hall
  • Current edition is 2.5
  • May be printed and distributed with a nominal charge to cover costs
  • For more information and to download

The writing style is informal and conversational. Examples appear before formal definitions. In addition to the usual material for a year long course on groups, rings, and fields, this book treats group actions, modules, and the Galois correspondence. The prerequisite is a good grasp of linear algebra, and overall the level of sophistication is above that of most undergraduate texts. There are appendices with background material in logic, set theory, induction, complex numbers, and linear algebra.

There are exercises at the end of each section. They range from computational to proofs of theorems in the text that have been left to the reader. There is no student solution manual because a major goal of the book is that students learn to work things out for themselves.