"Exploring Abstract Algebra with Mathematica" provides both students and instructors working in the area of abstract algebra with a heretofore not available set of powerful computational tools and visual aids to readily deal with these very complex mathematical concepts.
"This work is intended as an upper-division laboratory supplement for courses
in abstract algebra. It consists of several Mathematica packages that the
authors have programmed as a foundation with two collections of labs for
group theory and ring theory built on this base. Additionally, there is
a ""users guide"" which illustrates the functionality of the underlying
code. The lab portion of the book reflects the contents of the Mathematica-based
electronic notebooks. Students interact with both the printed and electronic
versions of the material in the laboratory, and the students can look up
details and reference information in the Users Guide. Exercises occur in
the stream of the text of the lab, which provides a context within which
to answer. Questions are designed so that they either be written into the
electronic notebook, or on paper, whichever the instructor prefers. The
notebooks are available in both 2.2 and 3.0 versions of Mathematica, and
run across all platforms for which Mathematica exits. Exploring Abstract
Algebra with Mathematica is a very timely addition to the undergraduate
abstract algebra curriculum. This work is unique, filling a tremendous
void in the literature. It offers an environment for studying algebraic
structures using Mathematica, to write computer labs in which students
can explore the ideas in abstract algebra computationally and visually,
and it provides a Users Guide for the data structures and commands of this
package. Flexibility of use, and the intention of the authors to make this
work highly visual, e.g., with the inclusion of a fullcolor insert of significant
algebraic concepts/images, make this publication pedagogically useful to
both instructors and students alike."