Algebra: A Very Short Introduction

Description

This Very Short Introduction invites readers to revisit algebra and appreciate the elegance and power of equations and inequalities. Offering a clear explanation of algebra through theory and example, Higgins shows how equations lead to complex numbers, matrices, groups, rings, and fields.

• Explains algebra clearly through theory and example
• Renews the reader's acquaintance with school mathematics before taking them progressively further
• Elucidates the laws governing algebra in order to reveal the elegance and power of equations and inequalities
• Provides an accessible account of algebra for the general reader
• Part of the bestselling Very Short Introductions series - over seven million sold worldwide

About the Author(s)

Peter M. Higgins, Professor in Pure Mathematics at the University of Essex

Peter M. Higgins is a Professor in Pure Mathematics at the University of Essex. He is the inventor of the Circular Sudoku puzzle type that now features in numerous newspapers, magazines and computer games. He has written extensively on the subject of mathematics, including Numbers: A Very Short Introduction (OUP, 2011) and Nets, Puzzles, and Postmen (OUP, 2007), which won the 2012 Premio Peano prize for the best book on mathematics, published in Italian.

Table of Contents

1:Numbers and algebra
2:The laws of algebra
3:Linear equations and inequalities
4:Quadratic equations
5:The algebra of polynomials
6:Introduction to matrices
7:Matrices and groups
8:Determinants and matrices
9:Algebra and the arithmetic of remainders
10:Vector spaces
Further Reading
Index