A Survey of Modern Algebra (AKP Classics) (Akp Classics) | 
 enlarge | Authors: Garrett Birkhoff, Saunders Mac Lane
Publisher: AK Peters, Ltd.
Category: Book
List Price: $75.00
Buy New: $60.00
You Save: $15.00 (20%)
New (6) Used (4) from $47.80
Rating:  2 reviews
Sales Rank: 533039
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 512
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.9
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6.2 x 1.4
ISBN: 1568810687
Dewey Decimal Number: 512.02
EAN: 9781568810683
Publication Date: January 1997
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
This classic, written by two young instructors who became giants in their field, has shaped the understanding of modern algebra for generations of mathematicians and remains a valuable reference and text for self study and college courses.
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| Customer Reviews:
 This is how algebra texts ought to be written April 25, 2002
23 out of 24 found this review helpful
I have just started reading this book, and already I am
enthralled by the beauty and elegance of the authors'
exposition. Assuming nothing more than an acquaintance with
school algebra and a little geometry, they develop
the basic properties of central algebraic structures, including
rings, groups and fields. These are treated by reference to
familiar examples, such as the ring of integers and the
rational, real and complex fields. Everything that one learned
in school algebra is to be found here, though, as is to be
expected, each topic is treated at a rigorous, mathematically
sophisticated level. In the first two chapters, the properties
of the integers and rational numbers are gradually examined,
ultimately down to the definition of addition and multiplication
on the basis of Peano postulates. The authors then consider
polynomials, the real and complex numbers, vector spaces, linear
algebra and other topics.
The writing style is clear, concise and elegant, with each new
concept being carefully defined as it is introduced. The proofs
achieve a satisfying balance between detail and brevity. Indeed,
reading the proofs and completing the exercises would do much, I
am sure, to enhance a reader's mathematical facility.If you are interested in acquiring a deeper understanding of
algebra, this book should serve as an excellent introduction.
 A smorgousborg of symmetries of the square December 12, 2000
Andrew Young (Manhattan, KS)
4 out of 40 found this review helpful
Modern algebra is an extraordinary topic and Birkhoff and MacLane do a superb job of exploring it. However, as is often the case with mathematical texts, the material can be somewhat dry.
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