MAT 312/ AMS 351 (Applied Algebra) - Fall 2026

Time and Place : TuTh 3:30-4:50; Library W4550

Instructor : Radu Laza

Office : Math Tower 4-121
Email : radu.laza@stonybrook.edu

Office Hours: Tue 5:00-6:15, Thr 2:15-3:15

TA: Connor Lehmacher (Recitations 1 and 3) and Zhulei Pan (Recitation 2)

Overview

This course covers the fundamentals of abstract algebra: groups, rings, informal set theory, relations, polynomials, together with some applications: error correcting codes, Burnside's theorem, computational complexity, Chinese remainder theorem. This course is offered as both AMS 351 and MAT 312.

Textbook

Numbers, Groups and Codes (2nd Edition), Humphreys and Prest.

Quick Links

Tentative Schedule

Announcements

Welcome!
Further information about the course can be found on Department MAT312 site
We will use Brightspace for posting grades and making class announcements. The most up-to-date information on the schedule will be here (so please check frequently this webpage).
A tentative schedule is posted below. Minor changes are likely. The dates for the exams are fixed (see schedule below).

Grading

There will be 2 midterms and a final. Theere will be 10 homework assignments and Quizzes (during the recitations).
The exams count for 85% of the final grade: 25% for each midterm and 35% for the final. The remaining 15% will be for the homework assignments and quizzes (this 15% part will be administered by the TAs).