Comments on: Iskra on Really Modern Algebra

By: Walt

Walt — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 04:34:50 +0000

Johan: That’s a good point. In the humanities, there’s a certain period that they refer to as “modern”, which they are now stuck with, so they’ve had to invent terms like “post-modern”.

Michael: I’m a simple man. I like my groups expressed through generators and relations (or in a pinch, as matrices). The only thought that I put in your head was “Damn you Walt! Get out of my head!”, and that was just as a test.

By: michael

michael — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 17:15:11 +0000

Well, the lime green got to me after a little while, but overall I quite liked what I saw. Oddly though, I feel some agreement with Walt on the matter (or what I *imagine* to be agreement) in that I find it easy to imagine someone finishing a course from this book (and doing quite well) and then floundering in the “real world” because all they had learned was the abstractions. Damn you Walt! Get out of my head!

By: johan.richter

johan.richter — Sun, 06 Aug 2006 10:45:45 +0000

I have forgotten which mathematician it is told about but it goes like this.

Someone asks a mathematicain why he uses the name “Abstract Algebra” instead of “Modern Algebra”. He answers “because someday it won’t be so modern”.

By: Walt

Walt — Sat, 05 Aug 2006 23:02:33 +0000

Is that a famous story/joke? I don’t think I’m familiar with it.

By: johan.richter

johan.richter — Sat, 05 Aug 2006 08:31:03 +0000

Haven’t he heard the story about why some mathematician choose Abstract instead of Modern Algebra? Indeed, calling the book “Really Abstract Algebra” seems right.