Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination Topics
Abstract Algebra
2005
Groups
Basic Definitions and Examples
- Group; Abelian group; order of a group; order of an element of a group
- The dihedral group D2n of order 2n; the
symmetric group Sn; the matrix groups
GLn(F); the quaternion group Q8
Subgroups, Homomorphisms and Quotient Groups
- Group homomorphisms and isomorphisms; kernels and images; group actions
- Subgroups, normal subgroups, lattice of subgroups
- Quotient groups; left (or right) cosets; Lagrange's Theorem; Cauchy's
Theorem; The First Isomorphism Theorem; The Second Isomorphism Theorem; The
Third Isomorphism Theorem
Group Actions and Representations
- Group action on a set; permutation representation given by an
action; stabilizers; orbits; transitive actions; action by left
multiplication; Cayley's Theorem; action by conjugation; The Class Equation;
conjugacy classes in Sn
Abelian Groups
- Direct products of abelian groups
- The Fundamental Theorem of Finitely Generated Abelian Groups
Rings
Basic Definitions and Examples
- Rings; division rings; fields; zero divisors; Z, Q, R, and
C; Zn (integers modulo n); H
(quaternions);
; matrix rings;
R[x]
Ring Homomorphisms, Ideals and Quotients
- Ring homomorphisms, kernels and images; ideals; quotient rings;
The First Isomorphism Theorem; principal ideals;
maximal ideals; prime ideals
Polynomial Rings, Factorization and Irreducibility
- Polynomial rings R[x],
R[x1,x2, ... ,
xn]; the division algorithm and the Euclidean
algorithm; uniqueness of factorization, (principal) ideals in
F[x]; irreducibility; Gauss' Lemma; Eisenstein's
Criterion; maximal ideals in F[x], (F is a field)
Fields
Field Extensions
- Characteristic; prime subfield; extension field; degree of an extension;
basis for F[x]/(p(x)); simple
extension; algebraic extensions; minimal polynomial
- Splitting fields and Galois groups
- Finite fields
- Fundamental theorem of Galois theory
- Galois group of a cubic over Q
References:
Abstract Algebra, 3rd Edition, Dummit and Foote.
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