Modern Algebra (Paperback)

~ (Author) "The most fundamental concept in modern algebra is that of an operation on a set..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York, Division Algorithm, Lagrange's Theorem (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Engineers and computer scientists who need a basic understanding of algebra will benefit from this accessible book. The sixth edition includes many carefully worked examples and proofs to guide them through abstract algebra successfully. It introduces the most important kinds of algebraic structures, and helps them improve their ability to understand and work with abstract ideas. New and revised exercise sets are integrated throughout the first four chapters. A more in-depth discussion is also included on Galois Theory. The first six chapters provide engineers and computer scientists with the core of the subject and then the book explores the concepts in more detail. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 362 pages
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons (WIE); 2nd edition (July 8, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471628999
• ISBN-13: 978-0471628996
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fine Intro to Modern Algebra, April 26, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Modern Algebra: An Introduction, 4th Edition (Hardcover)

A very readable first text on modern algebra! This book does a great job to ease the reader into the subject. Durbin keeps it in mind that students often struggle with reading and writing proofs at this level, and accomadates starting off with detailed proofs in the beginning and backs off as he moves on through the text. Those who want a more rigorous treatment may want to read Herstein. Over all, it's a fine introductory text.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A comprehensive and concise introduction to Algebra., January 22, 2001

By	Laurence Horan (Dublin, Ireland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Modern Algebra: An Introduction, 4th Edition (Hardcover)

As a first year student studying maths at Trinity College Dublin I have found this book very helpful. Our lecturer in Algebra sticks closely to the format of the book and almost uses it as his lecture notes. The book is very student friendly and gives a lot of good examples along the way. As with any good maths book no point is trivialised and the wording is all important. Modern Algebra can be a challenging subject but it is also immensely rewarding when things begin to fall together.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Too vague with many errors in later chapters/sections, April 7, 2003

By	Sweetcheeks McMuffin (Ohio, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Modern Algebra: An Introduction, 4th Edition (Hardcover)

This book covers many of foundations of abstract algebra including groups, rings, homomorphisms, isomorphisms, Sylow's theorem, Galois theory, etc. While most of the sections are fairly well-worded, most of the text is vague and the more challenging problems are given without too much training on them in the section's text.
Also, I found the algebraic coding chapter very difficult to read and understand. Durbin does a lackluster job at clearly explaining the concept of coding theory. There are also many errors in the answer key which definitely lead to confusion especially for newcomers.
On a positive note, I found the section on frieze and crystallographic groups an icebreaker in the seemingly endless blurb of unclear information.