Course 1 · Module 2
Algebra
This module covers the branch of mathematics that began with solving for an unknown and became the study of structure. You'll see how a 9th-century Baghdad scholar's methods gave algebra its name, why the search for a formula to solve every equation ended in a proof that none exists, and how that failure led to groups, the mathematics of symmetry. School algebra is the first step in this story; this module shows you where it leads.
Module objectives
- Explain how algebra moved from solving particular equations to studying structures such as groups.
- Describe how group theory models symmetry in science and technology, and state one open question in algebra.
Lessons
- Lesson 1 Algebra: From solving for an unknown to studying symmetry and structure You'll follow algebra from its first systematic textbook to the moment it stopped being about particular equations. You'll solve a 9th-century problem by completing the square and… 61111h 3m
- Lesson 2 Algebra: Symmetry in crystals, codes, and puzzles, and what algebra still can't classify You'll see where the mathematics of symmetry turns up in the world: in the structure of crystals, in codes that fix errors in transmitted data, and in a famous puzzle cube. You'll… 611111h 33m