Midterm Exam. Friday, October 18.
Solutions
Class average was 72%.
Format. The exam closed book, i.e., no books, no notes, no
calculators allowed. The exam is 50 minutes long, it will take
place during the regular class period.
Syllabus. The exam covers all material in Chapters 1 (basic
definitions and results) and 2 (splitting fields, multiple roots) of
the text, except the sections on transcendental numbers and
algebraically closed fields in Chapter 1, and the section on multiple
roots in Chapter 2.
In particular, be prepared to
- Prove that polynomials are irreducible
- Do calculations inside a stem field
- Decide if a number is constructible
- Find the minimal polynomial of an algebraic element
- Find the degree of a field extension
- Find the degree of an element in a field extension
- Find the splitting field of a polynomial
- Find the number of automorphisms of a field extension
The exam will consist of three parts:
- Carefully state definitions and theorems
- Give examples or counterexamples (no proofs)
- Solve problems (with proofs)
Sample midterms:
2013
2017.
Admittedly, the text is not very rich in practice problems, but a bit
of rummaging on the internet will turn up plenty.
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Final Exam. Wednesday, December 11, 12:00-14:30, Buchanan B213.
Format. The final exam will be similar in format to the midterm
exam. It will be 150 minutes long. No aids
of any kind are allowed.
Syllabus. The exam covers all material from Chapters 1-5 of the
textbook, with the following exceptions:
- Transcendental numbers
- Quartic polynomials (substitute what we learned about biquadratic
polynomials)
- Computing Galois groups over Q (except for Proposition
4.27, and Remark 4.28, which you do need to be familiar with)
- Fundamental Theorem of Algebra
- Normal basis theorem
- Symmetric polynomials
- General polynomials
- Norms and traces
- Etale algebras
- Separable closures
In particular, be prepared to
- Prove that polynomials are irreducible
- Do calculations inside a stem field
- Decide if a number is constructible
- Find the minimal polynomial of an algebraic element
- Find the degree of a field extension
- Find the degree of an element in a field extension
- Find the splitting field of a polynomial
- Find the Galois group of a polynomial
- Especially of a polynomial of degree less than 5
- Find the Galois group of a field extensions
- Exhibit the lattice of intermediate fields of a field extension
using the fundamental theorem of Galois theory
- Find primitive elements of field extensions
As the midterm exam, the final will consist of three parts:
- Carefully state definitions and theorems
- Give examples or counterexamples (no proofs)
- Solve problems (with proofs)
The textbook has review excercises in Appendix A, with solution hints
in Appendix C.
Sample finals: 2013
2017.
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