Sets and Groups - A First Course in Algebra

Originally published 1988, this is a fully revised and extended edition of the author’s highly successful Set and Groups (1965). Intended for students beginning algebra at university or college, it is a major textbook for all students of mathematics and the sciences. The first four chapters give a thorough and elementary introduction to modern mathematical language and method, the basic terms, such as set, equivalence, relation, map, group are explained carefully with many examples. On this foundation are developed some special topics in algebra: group theory (chapters 5, 6, 7), rings and fields (chapter 8), and vector spaces and matrices (chapter 9). Emphasis throughout is on algebraic structures – for example matrices and vectors are discussed in terms of the algebraic structure known as a vector space. Familiarity with such structures will prepare the student for more advanced texts in algebra. Now available again, this is an excellent resource for maths and science students.