Coordinator: Wang Xiyuan (王溪源)
Email: wangxiyuan928 AT yahoo DOT cn
Textbook: Algebra, by Michael Artin
06.25. Chapter 1 Matrix operations, Sections 1.1—1.5, speaker:
06.28. Chapter 2 Groups, Sections 2.1—2.4, speaker:
07.2. Chapter 2 Groups, Sections 2.5—2.10, speaker:
07.5. Chapter 3 Vector spaces, Sections 3.1—3.6, speaker:
07.9. Chapter 4 Linear transformations, Sections 4.1—4.8, speaker:
07.12. Chapter 5 Symmetry, Sections 5.1—5.4, speaker:
07.16. Chapter 5 Symmetry, Sections 5.5—5.9, speaker:
07.19. Chapter 6 More group theory, Sections 6.1—6.4, speaker:
07.23. Chapter 6 More group theory, Sections 6.5—6.9, speaker:
07.26. Chapter 7 Bilinear forms, Sections 7.1—7.6, speaker:
If you want to participate in the seminar, please contact the coordinator.
There will be two speakers in each session.
Chapters 1, 3, 4, and 7 are meant to be review of what you have already learned in linear algebra and they will be covered in a quick pace. If you do not have a solid basis in linear algebra, spend more time on these chapters. (Anyone interested in mathematics should have a solid grasp on linear algebra.)
Besides the reading and the presentations, it is important that about one-third of the exercises in the book should be worked out. You may hand them to the coordinator for corrections.
Objectives of the seminar
On the presentations
1. Each presentation should be meticulously prepared, not only by the speaker, but also by the audience (in order to understand the talk).
2. Because of the time limit, you have to tailor the contents. Focus on the most central and essential ideas and leave out the secondary stuffs.
3. Definitions and theorems should always be stated clearly, precisely, and concisely.
4. Do not try to give all the details of a proof unless it involves useful techniques or it is very interesting. Just sketch the main line of thought.
5. Be prepared to answer and discuss any question posed by the audience.
6. For effective learning, English should be used as much as possible, at least for the blackboard writing.