Undergraduate Course: Commutative Algebra (MATH10017)
Course Outline
| School | School of Mathematics |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | This course will be an introduction to commutative algebra, mainly focusing on methods to work with polynomial rings. The course begins with the abstract foundations of commutative algebra including the Noetherian and Hilbert's basis theorem. After the foundations are established the course focuses on practical methods for solving systems of polynomial equations. An important branch of algebra in its own right, commutative algebra is an essential tool to explore several other areas of mathematics, such as algebraic geometry, number theory, Galois theory, Lie theory, and non-commutative algebra. |
| Course description |
The course begins by reviewing and building upon the elementary ring theory seen Honours Algebra. The material will include (but is not limited to) integral domains, unique factorisation domains, Noetherian rings, Hilbert's basis theorem, prime and maximal ideals. This builds the necessary foundations for the second part of course and allows for transparent connections with other areas of mathematics.
The course then moves to develop methods to solve systems of polynomial equations. In linear algebra you learnt to solve systems of linear equations in many variables. You probably have encountered a few methods so far to find the zeroes of univariate polynomials. in this course we consider the more general case of systems of polynomial equations with many variables and arbitrary degree. Such sets equations come up naturally - in kinematics, robotics, physics, statistics, biology, optimization, etc. A key tool in the solution to this problem is Buchberger's algorithm and Groebner bases.
There is a close relationship to geometry in this class: we will discuss Hilbert's nullstellensatz which shows how solution sets to polynomial equations are the building blocks of algebraic varieties, the objects studied in algebraic geometry. This class will provide some concrete examples of the concepts you have learnt in Honours Algebra and give you tools to do computations with them.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
Honours Algebra (MATH10069)
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2022/23, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Lecture Hours 22,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 5,
Summative Assessment Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
69 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
80 %,
Coursework
20 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Coursework 20%, Examination 80% |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
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| Main Exam Diet S1 (December) | | 2:00 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Gain familiarity with commutative rings and perform basic operations with both elements and ideals.
- Use computational tools, especially Groebner bases and the Buchberger algorithm, to solve problems in polynomial rings; for example the ideal membership problem, or finding solutions to polynomial equations, but also to be able to apply these tools without prompting.
- State accurately and explain the proofs of the main results in the class without access to notes or other resources.
- Produce examples illustrating the mathematical concepts learnt in the class.
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Reading List
Cox, Little, O'Shea: Ideals, Varieties and Algorithms. An introduction to computational Algebraic Geometry and Commutative Algebra
Reid: Undergraduate Commutative algebra |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | CoA,Polynomials,Algebra,Rings,Hilbert,Groebner basis,UFD,PID,Noetherian |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Susan Sierra
Tel: (0131 6)50 5070
Email: S.Sierra@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Alison Fairgrieve
Tel: (0131 6)50 5045
Email: Alison.Fairgrieve@ed.ac.uk |
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