Outline of algebra

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Algebra is one of the main branches of mathematics, covering the study of structure, relation and quantity. Algebra studies the effects of adding and multiplying numbers, variables, and polynomials, along with their factorization and determining their roots. In addition to working directly with numbers, algebra also covers symbols, variables, and set elements. Addition and multiplication are general operations, but their precise definitions lead to structures such as groups, rings, and fields.

Contents

Branches

Algebraic equations

An algebraic equation is an equation involving only algebraic expressions in the unknowns. These are further classified by degree.

History

General algebra concepts

See also

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In mathematics, an equation is a mathematical formula that expresses the equality of two expressions, by connecting them with the equals sign =. The word equation and its cognates in other languages may have subtly different meanings; for example, in French an équation is defined as containing one or more variables, while in English, any well-formed formula consisting of two expressions related with an equals sign is an equation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Field (mathematics)</span> Algebraic structure with addition, multiplication, and division

In mathematics, a field is a set on which addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division are defined and behave as the corresponding operations on rational and real numbers. A field is thus a fundamental algebraic structure which is widely used in algebra, number theory, and many other areas of mathematics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Linear algebra</span> Branch of mathematics

Linear algebra is the branch of mathematics concerning linear equations such as:

In mathematics, a polynomial is a mathematical expression consisting of indeterminates and coefficients, that involves only the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and exponentiation to nonnegative integer powers, and has a finite number of terms. An example of a polynomial of a single indeterminate x is x2 − 4x + 7. An example with three indeterminates is x3 + 2xyz2yz + 1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vector space</span> Algebraic structure in linear algebra

In mathematics and physics, a vector space is a set whose elements, often called vectors, can be added together and multiplied ("scaled") by numbers called scalars. The operations of vector addition and scalar multiplication must satisfy certain requirements, called vector axioms. Real vector spaces and complex vector spaces are kinds of vector spaces based on different kinds of scalars: real numbers and complex numbers. Scalars can also be, more generally, elements of any field.

In mathematics, a coefficient is a multiplicative factor involved in some term of a polynomial, a series, or any other type of expression. It may be a number without units, in which case it is known as a numerical factor. It may also be a constant with units of measurement, in which it is known as a constant multiplier. In general, coefficients may be any expression. When the combination of variables and constants is not necessarily involved in a product, it may be called a parameter. For example, the polynomial has coefficients 2, −1, and 3, and the powers of the variable in the polynomial have coefficient parameters , , and .

Field theory is the branch of mathematics in which fields are studied. This is a glossary of some terms of the subject.

In mathematics, a transcendental function is an analytic function that does not satisfy a polynomial equation whose coefficients are functions of the independent variable that can be written using the basic operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. This is in contrast to an algebraic function.

In mathematics, especially in the field of algebra, a polynomial ring or polynomial algebra is a ring formed from the set of polynomials in one or more indeterminates with coefficients in another ring, often a field.

In mathematics, a linear differential equation is a differential equation that is defined by a linear polynomial in the unknown function and its derivatives, that is an equation of the form where a0(x), ..., an(x) and b(x) are arbitrary differentiable functions that do not need to be linear, and y′, ..., y(n) are the successive derivatives of an unknown function y of the variable x.

In mathematics, an algebraic equation or polynomial equation is an equation of the form , where P is a polynomial with coefficients in some field, often the field of the rational numbers. For example, is an algebraic equation with integer coefficients and

In mathematics, an expression or equation is in closed form if it is formed with constants, variables and a finite set of basic functions connected by arithmetic operations and function composition. Commonly, the allowed functions are nth root, exponential function, logarithm, and trigonometric functions. However, the set of basic functions depends on the context.

In mathematics, an algebraic function is a function that can be defined as the root of an irreducible polynomial equation. Algebraic functions are often algebraic expressions using a finite number of terms, involving only the algebraic operations addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and raising to a fractional power. Examples of such functions are:

Transcendental number theory is a branch of number theory that investigates transcendental numbers, in both qualitative and quantitative ways.

This page lists some examples of vector spaces. See vector space for the definitions of terms used on this page. See also: dimension, basis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Symmetry in mathematics</span>

Symmetry occurs not only in geometry, but also in other branches of mathematics. Symmetry is a type of invariance: the property that a mathematical object remains unchanged under a set of operations or transformations.

In mathematics, an algebraic expression is an expression built up from constants variables, and the basic algebraic operations: addition (+), subtraction (-), multiplication (×), division (÷), whole number powers, and roots .. For example, is an algebraic expression. Since taking the square root is the same as raising to the power 1/2, the following is also an algebraic expression:

Algebra is the branch of mathematics that studies certain abstract systems, known as algebraic structures, and the manipulation of statements within those systems. It is a generalization of arithmetic that introduces variables and algebraic operations other than the standard arithmetic operations such as addition and multiplication.

In mathematics and physics, vector is a term that refers informally to some quantities that cannot be expressed by a single number, or to elements of some vector spaces.