MAT 5146-Ring Theory
Winter 2006

Two essential classes of rings are named after, respectively, Emil Artin and Emmy Noether, artinian rings and noetherian rings, respectively.  Here are some comments about them.

"Artin, with his wide interests in all fields of human endeavor, became the stimlating center of a circle of friends.  His strange nickname "Ma" which he preferred to his given name Emil goes back to those days.  It is short for "Mathematics"; he simply appeared to these young men as the embodiment of mathematics." (Richard Brauer)

"In the realm of algebra, in which the most gifted mathematicians have been busy for centuries, she discovered methods which have proved of enormous importance in the development of the present-day younger generation of mathematicians." (Albert Einstein)

 


Some information 

LINKS
Text: A First Course in Noncommutative Rings, T.Y. Lam,  Graduate Texts in Mathematics, #131, Springer-Verlag 1991.
History of Mathematics and Mathematics of many cultures

Other useful references:
1. Rings and Categories of Modules, F.W. Anderson and K.R. Fuller, Graduate Texts in Mathematics #13, 2nd Edition, Springer-Verlag, 1992.
For a more advanced book by the author of our text.
2. Lectures on Modules and Rings, T.Y. Lam, Graduate Texts in Mathematics, #189, Springer-Verlag, 1999.
3. Algebra I, basic notions of algebra, A. Kostrikin and I. Shafarevich, Springer-Verlag, 1990.
4. Algebra, 2nd Edition, S. Lang, Addison-Wesley, 1984.
5. A Course in Algebra, E.B. Vinberg, Amer. Math. Soc., 2003.
7. A very nice book on commutative ring theory with an eye to algebraic geometry, see "An Introduction to Commutative Algebra",  Second Edition, by M. Atiyah and I.G. Macdonald (Addison-Wesley).
8. A more advanced book (and very useful) is "Commutative Ring Theory" by H. Matsumura (Cambridge Press).
9. The following is a nice and gentle introduction to group representations: Representations and Characters of Groups, G. James and M. Liebeck, Cambridge Mathematical Textbooks, 1993.
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It is useful the know the Greek alphabet (pdf): alphabet

COURSE NOTES: There will be quite detailed notes on topics not taken from the text.  These will be posted from time to time. The date of the current version appears on the first page of the notes.
Notes
Classrooms and timetable:  Tuesdays, 11:30 in KED B005 and Thursdays, 1:00 in KED B004.

In order to read "pdf" files you need the free software "Acrobat Reader". It is available from  acrobat web site.
Course outline: The course will begin some material on modules followed by much of Chapters 1, 2 and 3 of Lam.  From there, the material chosen will depend on the students and their professors.  


Assignments: There will be several.


Calculation of the final mark: To be negotiated.    


Final examination: The final exam will be a take home to be handed in by 5:00, April 14.  Question will be distributed a week in advance.




Assignements -- Solutions
Jan. 24*: 1. Exercise 2.2 (notes) -- the exercise comes from A&F where there are almost no misprints.  It was correct as originally stated.  2. Exercise 3.1 (notes). 
Suggested exercises: Lam, page 25, #15, 16, 18.
Jan. 31*: 1. Exercise 3.4 (notes). 2. Exercise 3.6 (notes).
Suggested exercises: All the exercises in the notes fall into this category.
Feb. 7*: 1. Exercise 3.15 (notes).  2. Exercise 4.2 (notes)
Suggested exercises: Exercises in the notes plus Lam, page 29, 2.5 and 2.7.  Lam page 45, 3.1, 3.5, 3.9, 3.19.
Feb. 14*: 1. Exercise 4.3 (notes). 2. Exercise 4.4 (notes).
Suggested exercises: Lam, 3.23, Notes, 4.5 and 4.6.
Feb. 28*: 1. Exercise 4.7 (notes). 2. Exercise 4.9(i) (notes) -- to make your lives easier, you may assume, in the last part of the question, that the groups are finite. 
Suggested exercises: Exercise  4.8, 4.9 (ii); the questions in Example 4.23. In anticipation of the next subject, Lam 4.1 and 4.2.
March 7*: 1. Exercise 5.3 (notes). 2. Exercise 5.5 (notes).
Suggested exercises: The other exercises from the notes, Section 5. Most of the exercises in ¶ 5 of Lam are accessible. 
March 14*: 1. Exercise 6.1 (notes). 2. Exercise 6.2 (notes).
Suggested exercises: Notes, 6.3(new), 6.4, 6.5 and 6.6.
March 21*: 1. Exercise 6.7 (notes). 2. Exercise 6.8 (notes)  **See "Final exam" above.
Suggested exercises: Lam:19.1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 14.
March 28*: 1. Exercise 6.9 (notes).  2. Exercise 6.12 (notes)
Suggested exercises: Other exercises from the notes and Exercises 21.11 - 15 in the text.
April 4*: 1. Exercise 6.15 (notes).  2. Exercise 6.16 (notes).
Suggested exercises: Exercises 6.13 and 6.14 (notes), Lam: exercises 21.18 and 21.21.
Take home final exam QUESTIONS.  If there are any ambiguities, do not hesitate to ask me for clarification.

* Solutions posted
last modified 06/04/06