- Course Code
- MA 2004
- Credit Points
- 15
- Course Coordinator
- Professor D Benson
Pre-requisites
MA 1502 or, with the permission of the Head of Teaching, MA 1504.
Overview
This course provides an introduction to algebraic structures and elementary number theory. The course includes a discussion of sets (notation, functions, maps, injections, surjections, bijections), countability of the rational numbers and uncountability of the real numbers, the integers and factorization (prime numbers, Euclidean algorithm, uniqueness of factorization), the integers ( mod n), equivalence relations, permutations, group axioms, the symmetric group, Lagrange's theorem, definition of commutative ring and of a field with examples, vector spaces and linear transformations.
Structure
12 week course - 3 one-hour lectures and 1 tutorial per week (to be arranged).
Assessment
1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (80%); in-course assessment (20%).
Resit: 1 two-hour written examination paper (maximum of 100% resit and 80% resit with 20% in-course assessment).