file:/afs/eos/users/k/kaltofen/public.html/Courses/ComputAlgebra/Fall96/syllabus.html

MA-683-001 Topics in Symbolic Math Comput Fall 1996

Harrelson 265, TH 11:20am-12:35pm

Instructor:

Text (recommended; in addition, class notes are posted on the Internet):

General Information

On-line information: All information on courses that I teach (except individual grades) is now accessible via html browsers, which includes this syllabus. My courses' directory is at You can also find information on courses that I have taught in the past, and examinations that I have given. Our course is further under ComputAlgebra/Fall96.

The format of this course is to discuss fundamental topics in algebraic algorithm design. The course will introduce both deterministic as well as randomized methods. The areas covered will be solution of sparse linear equations over finite fields, polynomial factorization, GCD computation with imprecise coefficients, and other topics. Not all of the material covered is of the textbook kind, and some recent discoveries will be discussed in a research-oriented manner. Maple will be used as an experimentation/visualization tool of the mathematics covered and as a building platform for some new algorithms. Therefore, a basic understanding of abstract algebra and algorithm design is prerequisite.