Exploring Abstract Algebra With Mathematica

This work is intended as an upper-division laboratory supplement for courses in abstract algebra. It consists of several Mathematica packages that the authors have programmed as a foundation with two collections of labs for group theory and ring theory built on this base. Additionally, there is a "users guide" which illustrates the functionality of the underlying code. The lab portion of the book reflects the contents of the Mathematica-based electronic notebooks. Students interact with both the printed and electronic versions of the material in the laboratory, and the students can look up details and reference information in the Users Guide. Exercises occur in the stream of the text of the lab, which provides a context within which to answer. Questions are designed so that they either be written into the electronic notebook, or on paper, whichever the instructor prefers. The notebooks are available for all versions of Mathematica and run across all platforms for which Mathematica exists. Exploring Abstract Algebra with Mathematica is a very timely addition to the undergraduate abstract algebra curriculum. This work is unique, filling a tremendous void in the literature. It offers an environment for studying algebraic structures using Mathematica, to write computer labs in which students can explore the ideas in abstract algebra computationally and visually, and it provides a Users Guide for the data structures and commands of this package. Flexibility of use, and the intention of the authors to make this work highly visual, e.g., with the inclusion of a fullcolor insert of significant algebraic concepts/images, make this publication pedagogically useful to both instructors and students alike.

For more information on the underlying software packages, please go to the website http: //www.central.edu/eaam/.

Allen C. Hibbard is Associate Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science at Central College (Pella, Iowa).