ABSTRACT
Any course in basic Algebra has to deal with the dilemma presented by the aim to motivate the unexpecting student and the need to introduce a large number of new concepts and definitions of abstract structures. the mathematical expertise to be acquired shifts from manipulating numbers and symbols to what students tend to view as juggling with abstract structures. The most important structures encountered at this level are sets, groups, rings, rings, fields, but there exist several hybrids like semigroups, monoids, groupoids, near rings, algebras, division rings etc … We have preferred to stay close to the main lines of development, avoiding unnecessary generality.
