Groups Modular Mathematics Series

This text provides an introduction to group theory with an emphasis on clear examples. The authors present groups as naturally occurring structures arising from symmetry in geometrical figures and other mathematical objects. Written in a 'user-friendly' style, where new ideas are always motivated before being fully introduced, the text will help readers to gain confidence and skill in handling group theory notation before progressing on to applying it in complex situations. An ideal companion to any first or second year course on the topic.

Introduction to mathematical groups

Provides an introduction to the results, methods and ideas which are now commonly studied in abstract algebra courses

The theory of groups, especially of finite groups, is one of the most delightful areas of mathematics. Its proofs often have elegance and crystalline beauty. This textbook is intended for the reader who has been exposed to about three years of serious mathematics. The notion of a group appears widely in mathematics and even further afield in physics and chemistry, and the fundamental idea should be known to all mathematicians. In this textbook a purely algebraic approach is taken and the choice of material is based upon the notion of conjugacy. The aim is not only to cover basic material, but also to present group theory as a living, vibrant and growing discipline, by including references and discussion of some work up to the present day.

As an introduction to discrete mathematics, this text provides a straightforward overview of the range of mathematical techniques available to students. Assuming very little prior knowledge, and with the minimum of technical complication, it gives an account of the foundations of modern mathematics: logic; sets; relations and functions. It then develops these ideas in the context of three particular topics: combinatorics (the mathematics of counting); probability (the mathematics of chance) and graph theory (the mathematics of connections in networks). Worked examples and graded exercises are used throughout to develop ideas and concepts. The format of this book is such that it can be easily used as the basis for a complete modular course in discrete mathematics.

The representation theory of finite groups has seen rapid growth in recent years with the development of efficient algorithms and computer algebra systems. This is the first book to provide an introduction to the ordinary and modular representation theory of finite groups with special emphasis on the computational aspects of the subject. Evolving from courses taught at Aachen University, this well-paced text is ideal for graduate-level study. The authors provide over 200 exercises, both theoretical and computational, and include worked examples using the computer algebra system GAP. These make the abstract theory tangible and engage students in real hands-on work. GAP is freely available from www.gap-system.org and readers can download source code and solutions to selected exercises from the book's web page.