Product Description

Ian Stewart's Galois Theory has been in print for 30 years. Resoundingly popular, it still serves its purpose very well, but mathematics education has changed considerably since 1973This edition brings the presentation in line with more modern approaches. While preserving and extending the most popular features of the previous editions, the author reorganized the material to place the concrete before the abstract. He also added more technical history, incorporated several newer proofs, and revived some classical topics. There is simply no more engaging, no more accessible, no more outstanding introduction to the intriguing concepts of abstract algebra than Galois Theory.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #242735 in Books
• Published on: 2003-07-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 328 pages

From the Back Cover
Ian Stewart's Galois Theory has been in print for 30 years. Resoundingly popular, it still serves its purpose exceedingly well. Yet mathematics education has changed considerably since 1973, when theory took precedence over examples, and the time has come to bring this presentation in line with more modern approaches.

To this end, the story now begins with polynomials over the complex numbers, and the central quest is to understand when such polynomials have solutions that can be expressed by radicals. Reorganization of the material places the concrete before the abstract, thus motivating the general theory, but the substance of the book remains the same.

Customer Reviews

Saved my degree!!
I have to admit, I struggled through my Maths Degree, but Galois Theory was something I developed a bit of a fondness for, probably because of this book!

This beautiful area of mathematics is presented in a clear and helpful manner, and unusually for a textbook, explains some of the definitions and theorems that you may have missed earlier in your course. Textbook writers tend to forget that refreshers are sometimes needed on elementary points - not so here.

Some interesting details about Galois himself are included, and it's funny how this seems to aid understanding of the subject.

It also gives useful examples and applications of what you have learnt, and throughout the text is a clear sense of where you are heading.

If you're stuck at Uni and baffled with Galois Theory, this book will be indispensible.

An excellent introduction to Galois theory
This book introduces the subject in a very approachable manner. The book assumes that the basics of group theory are already understood by the reader and the first few chapters gently explains the field theory required before the Galois theory starts. Some chapters are very theoretic (and therefore dull) but this is circumvented by a number of very good examples to motivate the theory. Also, later chapters give applications, such as the solubility of equations and the fundamental theorem of algebra, in which you can see the theory in action and also how beautiful the mathematics is.

I would recommend this book to anyone studying abstract algebra as it is an excellent introduction to not only Galois theory but field theory as well.

85% - In yer face!
Having sat staring starry-eyed out of lecture hall window throughout most of my lectures on Galois Theory, I decided the only way I could possibly pass would be by getting a good book and swatting. I bought this book.

All I can say is that I managed a whoping 85% in the exam - BUY IT and STUDY IT!