Abstract algebra

The principal change from the second edition is the addition of Grobner bases to this edition. The basic theory is introduced in a new Section 9.6. Applications to solving systems of polynomial equations (elimination theory) appear at the end of this section, rounding it out as a self-contained foundation in the topic. Additional applications and examples are then woven into the treatment of affine algebraic sets and Jt-algebra homo-morphisms in Chapter 15. Although the theory in the latter chapter remains independent of Grobner bases, the new applications, examples and computational techniques significantly enhance the development, and we recommend that Section 9.6 be read either as a segue to or in parallel with Chapter 15. A wealth of exercises involving Grobner bases, both computational and theoretical in nature, have been added in Section 9.6 and Chapter 15. Preliminary exercises on Grobner bases can (and should, as an aid to understanding the algorithms) be done by hand, but more extensive computations, and in particular most of the use of Grobner bases in the exercises in Chapter 15, will likely require computer assisted computation.