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Math 6270: Group Theory, Fall 2017


Syllabus


Catalogue description: 
Studies nilpotent and solvable groups, simple linear groups, multiply transitive groups, extensions and cohomology, representations and character theory, and the transfer and its applications. Department enforced prerequisites: MATH 6130 and MATH 6140. Instructor consent required for undergraduates.

Requisites:
Restricted to graduate students only.

   
Text: 
A Course in the Theory of Groups (Graduate Texts in Mathematics, Vol. 80) 2nd Edition, by Derek J.S. Robinson (1996).
You can freely download the PDF for the book from Springer through our library by following this link.

Homework: 
If you are enrolled for a grade I will ask you to solve some problems. You will be asked to work on the problems in small groups of 2-3. Different groups will be assigned different problems, and groups will change with each assignment. You will typically have a week for your group to solve its assigned problem(s) and submit the solution(s). (This deadline is not strict. but I'll check in with you if I don't get solutions within a couple days of the due date.)

If you are solving Problem M of HW assigment N, please submit the solution as a PDF file called "groupsNpM.pdf" (which abbreviates "group theory assignment N, problem M"). At the top of the first page of the solution please include the assigment number and the names of all group members/authors who are responsible for the work. After receiving your solution I will correspond with you about improvements and corrections, if I can think of any. This step in the process should take at most one week. You are not obligated to take any of my advice, but if one of my comments involves a correction, then you should correct that part in some way. For example, if I say "Here is a shorter way to do it", you don't have to change anything unless you want to. If I say "The first displayed equation is wrong. Here is how to fix it …", then you should fix the error, not necessarily along the lines of my suggestion. If you believe that one of my criticisms is incorrect, then you do not have to change your work, but you do have to explain why the criticism is incorrect.

New assignments will be posted regularly starting the second week. Solutions to old assignments will be posted when they are in final form. You should read your classmates' solutions.