algebraic field extensions

Groups, Fields, and Galois: Part 1 | UCLA Extension

Dr. Michael Miller, a retired researcher at RAND, has been teaching upper level undergraduate/graduate level math courses for fun at UCLA Extension for over 50 years. This fall he’ll be introducing the areas of groups, fields, and Galois theory from abstract algebra to those interested in abstract math: Groups, Fields, and Galois: Part 1. His intention is to do a follow-on class on Galois theory in the Winter which will use this class as a foundation. If you’re in the Los Angeles area his class starts on September 22, 2026 at UCLA on Tuesday nights from 7-10PM. Register here: https://www.uclaextension.edu/sciences-math/math-statistics/course/groups-fields-and-galois-part-1-math-9001

His courses are thorough and rigorous, but geared toward lifelong learners and beginners in abstract mathematics to allow people better entry points into higher level mathematics. His classes are interesting and relatively informal, and most students who take one usually stay on for future courses. The vast majority of students in the class (from 16-90+ years old) take his classes for fun and regular exposure to mathematical thought, though there is an option to take it for a grade if you like. There are generally no prerequisites for his classes, and he makes an effort to meet the students at their current level of sophistication. For this particular class, if you’ve got some experience in high school algebra and know some preliminaries about mathematical proofs you’ll be ready to dive in.

There are regular commuters joining from as far out as Irvine, Ventura County and even Riverside. Most in the class are dedicated hobbyist and professional mathematicians, engineers, physicists, and others from all walks of life (I’ve seen actors, directors, doctors, artists, poets, retirees, and even house-husbands in his classes.)

If you’re unsure of what you’re getting into, I recommend visiting on the first class to consider joining us for the Fall quarter. Sadly, this is an in-person course. There isn’t an option to take this remotely or via streaming, and he doesn’t typically record his lectures. I hope to see all the Southern California math fans next month!

Course Description

Group theory is recognized as one of the great unifying mathematical disciplines, with far-reaching applications in virtually all scientific (and many non-scientific) fields. This course, the first of a two-quarter sequence that concludes in Winter 2027 with a course on fields and Galois Theory, is geared toward developing the tools of group theory needed to establish the Abel-Ruffini theorem on the insolvability by radicals of the general polynomial of degree five or greater. Results established along this journey will also be applied toward addressing the three classical ruler and compass construction problems of antiquity: trisecting the angle, duplication of the cube, and squaring the circle, as well as Gauss’ surprising characterization of constructible regular polygons.
September 22 – December 1
Tuesday 7:00PM – 10:00PM PT
REG# 410697
Fee: $450.00

Recommended textbook: TBD

Dr. Miller provides enough background and thorough notes that if you’re taking notes on his lectures, you typically won’t need a textbook.

If you’ve never joined the class before (Dr. Miller has been teaching these for 53 years and some of us have been with him for nearly that long; I’m starting into my 20th year personally), I’ve written up some tips and hints.

Algebraic Number Theory: The Sequel | UCLA Extension

I know you’ve all been waiting for the announcement with bated breath! We’ve known for a while that Mike Miller’s Winter course would be a follow-on course to his Algebraic Number Theory course this Fall, but it’s been officially posted, so now you can register for it: Algebraic Number Theory: The Sequel.

I’m sure, as always, that there are a few who are interested, but who couldn’t make the Fall lectures. Never fear, there’s a group of us that can help you get up to speed to keep pace with us during the second quarter. Just drop us a note and we’ll see what we can do.

Algebraic Number Theory: The Sequel

In no field of mathematics is there such an irresistible fascination as in the theory of numbers. This course, the second in a two-quarter sequence, is an introductory, yet rigorous, survey of algebraic number theory, which evolved historically through attempts to prove Fermat’s Last Theorem. Beginning with a quick review of the previous quarter’s work, the course continues discussions on the structure of algebraic number fields, focusing particular attention on primes, units, and roots of unity in quadratic, cubic, and cyclotomic fields. Topics to be discussed include: norms and traces; the ideal class group; Minkowski’s Translate, Convex Body, and Linear Forms theorems; and Dirichlet’s Unit Theorem.

UCLA: 5137 Math Sciences
Tuesday, 7-10pm,
January 5 – March 15
11 meetings total

MATH X450.9
3.00 units

Algebraic Number Theory | UCLA Extension

Only Me

Like a kid anxiously awaiting Christmas morning, I spent some time refreshing UCLA Extension’s web page over the weekend in hopes of seeing the announcement of Mike Miller’s Fall math course with no results.

I checked again a half hour ago and their site was down!

My salivating hit a fever pitch!

Refreshing, refreshing, refreshing… and now it’s live again with:

Mike Miller is teaching Algebraic Number Theory in the Fall!

Algebraic Number Theory

MATH X 450.8 | 3.00 units

In no field of mathematics is there such an irresistible fascination as in the theory of numbers. This course, the first in a two-quarter sequence, is an introductory, yet rigorous, survey of algebraic number theory, which evolved historically through attempts to prove Fermat’s Last Theorem. Beginning with a quick review of primality and unique factorization for ordinary integers, the course extends these notions to more exotic domains: quadratic, cubic, cyclotomic, and general number fields. This development is then applied to the representation of integers as sums of squares and, more generally, to classic Diophantine equations. Topics to be discussed include: Euclidean, principal ideal, and Noetherian domains; integral bases; binary quadratic forms; algebraic field extensions; and several remarkable theorems/conjectures of Ramanujan.

UCLA: 5137 Math Sciences
Tuesday, 7-10pm,
September 22 – December 8
11 meetings total
(no mtg 11/17)

See you all in just a few weeks!

A Note For the Reticent

Exercise Your Brain

As many may know or have already heard, Dr. Mike Miller, a retired mathematician from RAND and long-time math professor at UCLA, has been offering incredibly inexpensive upper level undergraduate and graduate level math courses for 30+ years through UCLA Extension.

Whether you’re a professional mathematician, engineer, physicist, physician, or simply a hobbyist interested in mathematics you’ll be sure to get something interesting out of this course, not to mention the camaraderie of 20-30 other “regulars” with widely varying backgrounds (actors to surgeons and evolutionary theorists to engineers) who’ve been taking almost everything Mike has offered over the years. Once most new students have taken one class, they’re incredibly prone to want to take them all (and yes, he’s THAT good — we’re sure you’ll be addicted too.)

“Beginners” Welcome!

Even if it’s been years since you last took calculus or linear algebra, Mike (and usually the rest of the class) will help you get quickly back up to speed to delve into what is often a very deep subject. Though there are a handful who will want to learn the subject for specific applications, naturally, it’s simply a beautiful and elegant subject for those who just want to meander their way through higher mathematics for the fun of it (this will probably comprise the largest majority of the class by the way.)

Whether you’ve been away from serious math for decades or use it every day or even if you’ve never gone past calculus, this is bound to be the most entertaining thing you can do with your Tuesday nights in the fall. If you’re not sure what you’re getting into (or are scared a bit by the course description), I highly encourage to come and join us for at least the first class before you pass up on the opportunity – there’s no need to preregister or prepay if you’re unsure. I’ll mention that the greater majority of new students to Mike’s classes join the ever-growing group of regulars who take almost everything he teaches subsequently.

For the reticent, I’ll mention that one of the first courses I took from Mike was Algebraic Topology which generally requires a few semesters of Abstract Algebra and a semester of Topology as prerequisites. I’d taken neither of these prerequisites, but due to Mike’s excellent lecture style and desire to make everything comprehensible to the broadest number of students, I was able to do exceedingly well in the course. Also keep in mind that you can register to take the class for a grade, pass/fail, or even no grade at all to suit your needs/lifestyle.

My classes have the full spectrum of students from the most serious to the hobbyist to those who are in it for the entertainment and ‘just enjoy watching it all go by.’

Mike Miller, Ph.D.

Textbook: Introductory Algebraic Number Theory

Update (8/19/15) Per my email conversation with Dr. Miller, despite that neither the Extension website nor the bookstore have a book listed for the class yet, he’s going to be recommending Introductory Algebraic Number Theory by Saban Alaca and Kenneth S. Williams (Cambridge University Press, 2003, ISBN: 978-0521183048).

Tag: algebraic field extensions