Abstract Algebra Self-Study Roadmap: Groups to Galois

There are three major areas of mathematics: geometry, analysis, and algebra. This insight gives a roadmap for learning basic abstract algebra for self-study, including the study of groups, rings, fields, and other algebraic structures.

Abstract Algebra Prerequisites

The requirements for self-studying abstract algebra are surprisingly low. You should be familiar with most pre-calculus mathematics and have a basic idea of what proofs are and how they work.

For high school mathematics, see my previous insight: Self-Study: Basic High School Mathematics.

For learning proofs, I recommend the following books (in no particular order):

• Velleman — How to Prove It: A Structured Approach
• Bloch — Proofs and Fundamentals: A First Course in Abstract Mathematics
• Hammack — Book of Proof (free online)

These books teach the fundamentals of proof-based mathematics and the basic notation and assumptions of set theory. Both are essential preparation for algebra.

Abstract Algebra for High School Students

If you’re in high school and haven’t taken calculus yet, you can still study a substantial amount of abstract algebra. A good introductory text for this level is Pinter — A Book of Abstract Algebra.

This book covers group theory, basic number theory, ring theory, vector spaces, field theory, and culminates in Galois theory. Chapters are short and the exercises are particularly instructive — not always hard, but very helpful for building understanding.

A First Course in Abstract Algebra (Anderson & Feil)

Anderson & Feil — A First Course in Abstract Algebra

Book structure and approach

If you’re serious about becoming a mathematician, this is an excellent, pedagogical book. Each chapter contains short exercises within the text, followed by warm-up problems and then more challenging exercises. The selection of problems is strong and well-structured.

First part: A rigorous study of the integers and polynomials to show how these structures are similar; includes discussion of arithmetic modulo n.

Second part: Detailed ring theory with many examples, with emphasis on unique factorization theorems.

Third part: Group theory including the standard topics and culminating in the Sylow theorems; groups are presented as geometric objects describing symmetries.

Fourth part: Fields and Galois theory, leading to the proof that some quintic equations are unsolvable by radicals via the fundamental theorem of Galois theory.

Differential Algebra

Beyond polynomial unsolvability, Liouville’s theorem addresses whether certain integrals can be expressed in elementary terms. This area is part of differential algebra. If you work through Anderson and Feil, you may be interested in a clear introduction to Liouville’s theorem: Rick’s exposition on Liouville’s theorem.

Differential algebra extends further: differential Galois theory studies which differential equations are analytically solvable.

Representation and Character Theory

Representation theory studies how groups and other algebraic objects can be represented as matrices. It has deep links to Fourier analysis and applications in pure group theory, probability, graph theory, and mathematical physics.

Many modern treatments frame representation theory with modules and algebras, but it’s valuable to see the connection with Fourier analysis. A strong recommendation is Steinberg — Representation Theory of Finite Groups.

Basic Algebraic Geometry

A solid grasp of abstract algebra benefits from at least an introduction to algebraic geometry, which offers a different perspective on ring theory. For related geometry background, see my geometry recommendations: Self-Study: Pure Geometry. Especially the books by Brannan and Bennett are recommended.

A recommended first book in algebraic geometry is Cox, Little, & O’Shea — Ideals, Varieties, and Algorithms. It introduces computational algebraic geometry and commutative algebra via Gröbner bases and elimination theory, covers affine and projective geometry, invariant theory, dimension theory, and includes applications (robotics, automatic theorem proving) as well as standard results like Bézout’s theorem.