Until recently the applications of modern algebra were mainly confined to other branches of mathematics. However, the importance of modern algebra and dis- crete structures to many areas of science and technology is now growing rapidly. It is being used extensively in computing science, physics, chemistry, and data communication as well as in new areas of mathematics such as combinatorics. We believe that the fundamentals of these applications can now be taught at the junior level. This book therefore constitutes a one-year course in modern algebra for those students who have been exposed to some linear algebra. It contains the essentials of a first course in modern algebra.
