I’ve been working most of today on the foundations of my Modern Algebra course for the fall, which you will remember is being done without a required textbook. The last time I posted about this course ...

The use of the letter x as a mathematical unknown is a relatively modern convention. Algebra has been around for a lot longer. Daryl Benson/Stockbyte via Getty Images You might be most familiar with x ...

Imagine winding the hour hand of a clock back from 3 o’clock to noon. Mathematicians have long known how to describe this rotation as a simple multiplication: A number representing the initial ...

For most people, the word "algebra" conjures classroom memories of Xs and Ys. Weekend Edition's math guy, Keith Devlin, says that's because most schools do a terrible job of teaching it. He talks with ...

Several fields of mathematics have developed in total isolation, using their own 'undecipherable' coded languages. Mathematicians now present 'big algebras,' a two-way mathematical 'dictionary' ...

(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Surprise: You can answer this question with modern algebra. Most folks who have been ...

The study of Gorenstein algebras has emerged as a cornerstone of modern algebra, offering a powerful paradigm in which duality and symmetry in module theory can be rigorously examined. These algebras ...