1st Edition

An Elementary Transition to Abstract Mathematics

By Gove Effinger, Gary L. Mullen Copyright 2020
292 Pages 12 B/W Illustrations
by CRC Press

292 Pages 12 B/W Illustrations
by CRC Press

292 Pages 12 B/W Illustrations
by CRC Press

An Elementary Transition to Abstract Mathematics will help students move from introductory courses to those where rigor and proof play a much greater role. The text is organized into five basic parts: the first looks back on selected topics from pre-calculus and calculus, treating them more rigorously, and it covers various proof techniques; the second part covers induction, sets,... Read more

A Look Back: Precalculus Math



A Look Back: Calculus



About Proofs and Proof Strategies



Mathematical Induction



The Well-Ordering Principle



Sets



Equivalence Relations



Functions



Cardinality of Sets



Permutations



Complex Numbers



Matrices and Sets with Algebraic Structure



Divisibility in Z and Number Theory



Primes and Unique Factorization



Congruences and the Finite Sets Zn



Solving Congruences



Fermat’s Theorem



Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange



Euler’s Formula and Euler’s Theorem



RSA Cryptographic System



Groups-Definition and Examples



Groups-Basic Properties



Groups-Subgroups



Groups-Cosets



Groups-Lagrange’s Theorem



Rings



Subrings and Ideals



Integral Domains



Fields



Vector Spaces



Vector Space Properties



Subspaces of Vector Spaces



Polynomials



Polynomials-Unique Factorization



Polynomials over the Rational, Real and Complex Numbers



Suggested Solutions to Selected Examples and Exercises

Biography

Gove Effinger received his Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Massachusetts (Amherst) in 1981 and subsequently taught at Bates College for 5 years and then Skidmore College for 29 years. He is the author of two books: Additive Number Theory of Polynomials over a Finite Field (with David R. Hayes), and Common-Sense BASIC: Structured Programming with Microsoft QuickBASIC (with Alice M. Dean), as well as numerous research papers. His research focus has primarily been concerned with the similarities of the ring of polynomials over a finite field to the ring of ordinary integers.



Gary L. Mullen is Professor of Mathematics at the Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA. He has taught both undergraduate and graduate courses there for over 40 years. In addition, he has written more than 150 research papers and five books, including both graduate as well as undergraduate textbooks. He also served as department head for seven years and has served as an editor on numerous editorial boards, including having served as Editor-in-Chief of the journal Finite Fields and Their Applications since its founding in 1995.