MTH 619: Algebra
Fall 2018
Instructor: Alexandru Chirvasitu

Lectures: Office: 216 Mathematics Building
Office hours: TuTh 12 - 1
Email: achirvas AT buffalo.edu
#GEN_SYLL
Textbook

Other sources might come in handy for various topics we touch on. For commutative rings, for instance, is just about priceless (link opens a pdf).
Reading

I'll probably ask you to read some of the sections in the textbook before most lectures, so we're in sync. I'll post the reading assignments here. Unless specified otherwise the sections are those in Dummit-Foote.

'Specified otherwise' might mean for instance AM for Atiyah-Macdonald (the other source given above).

The date is that of the lecture, so please do the reading before that.

Due date Assignment Remarks
1 Th Aug 30 7.1, 7.2
2 Tu Sep 4 7.3
Appendix II (category theory)		 Category theory can have an enlightening effect
on much of the math you learn and do, so you may
as well get a leg up on the topic as soon as you can.
3 Th Sep 6 7.4, 7.5, 7.6
4 Tu Sep 11 10.1, 10.2, 10.3
5 Th Sep 13 10.4
6 Tu Sep 18 10.5 up to 'Injective modules' (p. 392)
7 Th Sep 20 finish 10.5 You'll have to go back occasionally and briefly
to some material we won't have covered yet, like
principal ideal domains, to make sense of Proposition 36.
8 Tu Sep 25 11.3, 11.5 up to
'Symmetric Algebras' (p. 444)
9 Th Sep 27 finish 11.5
10 Tu Oct 2 13.1
11 Th Oct 4 13.2 before 'Definition' on p. 524 You might have to brush up on some things, like
the Euclidean Algorithm for polynomials.
12 Tu Oct 9 finish 13.2
13 Th Oct 11 return 1st take-home exam
14 Tu Oct 16 13.4
15 Th Oct 18 13.5
16 Tu Oct 23 Chapters 6 and 7 in AM,
stopping at 'Primary Decomposition [...]' on p. 82
17 Th Oct 25 Chapter 8 of AM
18 Tu Oct 30 Chapter 3 of AM
19 Tu Nov 6 Chapter 4 of AM
20 Th Nov 8 finish Chapter 7 of AM
No classes the whole week of Nov 19
21 Tu Nov 27 Chapter 10 of AM
22


Supplementary material

On occasion I'll post extra notes, comments, etc. in this space.
Homework

All assignments are due Thursday in class, as indicated in the table below.

No late homework for any reason, but we are dropping the two lowest scores.

Due date Assignment Remarks
1 Th Sep 13 7.2: 3,4,5,6,7
7.3: 16, 20, 26, 28, 29, 34, 35
7.4: 11, 13, 33, 34, 37
7.5: 4
10.2: 6, 9, 10
10.3: 2, 7, 9, 23
10.4: 3, 4, 12, 14, 15
2 Th Sep 20 10.5: 4, 5, 6, 7,
9, 16, 18, 19,
23, 25, 27, 28
3 Th Oct 4 11.3: 4, 5
11.5: 1, 4, 13
13.1: 1, 3, 4, 5
13.2: 1, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9,
12, 13, 14, 15, 16
Th Oct 11 Exam
4 Th Oct 25 Chapter 6: 1, 2, 3, 5
Chapter 7: 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 11
Chapter 8: 2, 3 		all from AM
5 Th Nov 8 Chapter 4: 5, 6, 7, 8, 16
Chapter 7: 17, 18 		AM
6 Tu Nov 27 Chapter 10: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 AM
Th Dec 6 Exam


The grader will assign each homework a grade out of 10 with only a few problems being graded (3 or 4 or so). There will also be points awarded for the overall completeness of the assignment. I won't be telling you in advance which problems are being graded though..

Do collaborate on the homework if you like, but write up your own solutions. I also strongly advise you to have a look at the UB Academic Integrity Policy, as it very much applies to this class.

And by all means drop by at office hours if you need a hand.
Exams

We're having two take-home exams. The dates are as follows


Exam policy:

Those are the due dates. I will post the problem lists a few days before, so you will have plenty of time to work on them.
Grading
We'll drop the two lowest homework scores.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to email me.

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