ABSTRACT
In the previous chapters we have examined several different algebraic objects: Z, Q[x], and Zm (for integers m > 1). You are also probably aquainted with the larger sets of real numbers, R, and complex numbers, C. In each of these cases we have a set of elements, which is equipped with two operations called addition and multiplication. Each of these is an example of an abstract concept called a ring. In this chapter we will give an abstract definition of this concept and look at some basic properties and examples.
