Symmetry and Groups

School of Mathematics

College of Engineering and Physical Sciences

Details

Code 02337

Level of study Second Year

Credit value 10

Semester 2

Pre-requisite modules 23601,23602,22481

Module description

This course will introduce abstract algebraic structures by way of concrete examples. It will consider the symmetries of familiar objects (polygon, circle, cube, icosahedron, ...) and show how rotation and reflections may be represented by matrices or by permutations of the vertices. The significance of other group theoretic concepts will become clear through their geometric role, e.g. the symmetries of a cube acting in the three pairs of opposite faces.

Teaching and learning methods

Lectures