Boolean Algebra in the Context of Mathematics

[PhotonTrail]

I'm currently taking a course on Boolean algebra. It's officially named "Mathematical Logic", but I really don't see much resemblance between what I'm doing and other courses of mathematical logic that are taught in the US.

It has only been a couple of weeks, but to let you have an inkling of the syllabus, so far we've covered roughly the following content:

• Boolean functions and formulae
• Identities of Boolean algebra
• Representation by schemes of functional elements
• Disjunctive and conjunctive normal forms
• Shannon's expansion - simply referred to as the decomposition theorem in my course
• Algebraic normal form
• Essential and fictitious variables

What I find rather curious is that I simply cannot find an equivalent course at an American institution. It is also quite impossible to find supplementary information on the internet. For example, when I was confused about Shannon's expansion, all I could find online was stuff about decomposition by one variable, whereas my course covered the more general situation of decomposition by m variables.

So, what's the deal? Is it simply taught under a different guise with completely different terminology in the States? A quick search on the forums brought up an ancient thread that mentioned a textbook by a certain Dr Monk published in the late 1980s, but it seems to be out of print. It probably approaches the subject with way more depth and breadth than I require, too.

Is the topic even being taught today, as a mathematical course? Or are people only concerned about the applied aspects of it in computer science?

 

[Square1]

I took a ring theory class and the textbook was on intro abstract algebra. There was a chapter (maybe even two) that talked about it but we never did it. And yea funny because I was looking around too for a course about it too but couldn't find one. I haven't looked for textbooks in our library though.

Weird title by the way o_0

 

[PhotonTrail]

I took a ring theory class and the textbook was on intro abstract algebra. There was a chapter (maybe even two) that talked about it but we never did it. And yea funny because I was looking around too for a course about it too but couldn't find one. I haven't looked for textbooks in our library though.

Weird title by the way o_0

Haha my thread title? I was trying to get across the idea that I'm curious about what's happening on the mathematical side of the pond. I'm quite sure computer scientists do deal with it on a regular basis in some form or another. The most helpful resources I've found on the internet so far came from computer science departments, and largely dealt with logic gates if I remember correctly.

 

[Square1]

I see I see. Yeah try looking in abstraact algebra books I guess.