Algebra Commons^™

Numerical And Harmonic Analysis Of Simplex Number Parity, Hunter Dm Hannula

All NMU Master's Theses

The primary object of this thesis is the study of periodicity in the parity of simplex numbers by number-theoretic and harmonic methods. The regular d-simplex numbers are introduced geometrically, arithmetically, and combinatorially. We demonstrate that all sequences indexing even d-simplex numbers are defined by finitely many congruences in a single modulus, and are thus quasiperiodic. We therefore show that these "even index-sequences" are  particular elements in an affine space of functions, providing a natural decomposition result. We then introduce the discrete Fourier transform to construct the periodic parts of each index sequence, enabling the development of explicit forms for the …

The Fundamental Group: A Geometric Perspective, Kayla M. Bittenbinder

All NMU Master's Theses

This thesis explores the deep mathematical connection between the flexible, continuous world of topology and the rigid, distance-preserving world of metric geometry. We begin by constructing the fundamental group of a topological space, using the concept of loops and loop homotopy to identify a global topological invariant such as a hole or puncture. We then transition to the geometric realm of metric spaces and isometries, demonstrating how the isometry group of a space algebraically encodes its rigid symmetries. To bridge these two distinct mathematical frameworks, we utilize the construction of the universal covering space. We pull back the metric from …

On The Algebraicity Of The Tic-Tac-Toe Matroid And Homogeneous Mixed Bowtie Systems, Benjamin R. Allen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is presented in two parts. First, we explore whether the class of algebraic matroids is closed under duality, a decades-old open question. We consider the Tic-Tac-Toe matroid as a potential candidate to answer the open question. The Tic-Tac-Toe matroid is known to satisfy many of the necessary conditions for a matroid to be algebraic and has a non-algebraic dual.  Second, we focus on decompositions of the complete mixed graph into mixed bowties. A complete mixed graph has between every pair of vertices an undirected edge and antiparallel arcs. A mixed bowtie is a graph consisting of two 3-cycles …

Galois Action And Arithmetic In Algebraic Number Fields, Jared Kettinger

All Dissertations

This dissertation explores the arithmetic of numerous algebraic objects living within an algebraic number field from submonoids of the integers up to localizations of the ring of integers. We begin with a study of factorization in proper orders using an element-theoretic approach. In Chapter 2, by defining a natural generalization of the Davenport constant, we are able to determine the elasticity of certain orders whose integral closure is a unique factorization domain. In Chapter 3, using ideal-theoretic analogues, we are able to significantly broaden the scope of our results and the literature on factorization in orders. In particular, we give …

Ideals And Lattices In Number Fields, Sarah Ali Saeed Alyammahi

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

This thesis investigates algebraic number fields and their rings of integers, which generalize the ring of integers Z in Q. The study focuses on ideals, units, and ideal class groups, which describe the arithmetic structure of number fields and the failure of unique factorization. Key invariants such as the norm, trace, and discriminant are developed and applied, with particular emphasis on quadratic number fields and classical examples such as the Gaussian and Eisenstein integers. Some explicit computations of ideal class groups are carried out. The thesis also explores connections with lattice theory by interpreting rings of integers as lattices and …

A 4-Dimensional Rubik’S Cube You Can Hold: How It’S Possible And The Math Behind It, Eric J. Moon

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

This poster examines the physical 2x2x2x2, a hand-held realization of a 4-dimensional Rubik’s Cube invented by Melinda Green. Unlike most higher-dimensional twisty puzzles, which exist only as software simulations, this puzzle provides a physical model for exploring 4-dimensional rotation, symmetry, and solving methods. The poster introduces the structure of the puzzle, its canonical move system, and several algebraic ideas that help explain how scrambling and solving work.

From a mathematical perspective, the puzzle can be studied using group actions, commutators, conjugation, and combinatorial counting. In particular, the number of reachable states depends on corner permutations, corner orientations, parity restrictions, twist …

Non-Redundant Rovibrational Hamiltonians By Molien Generating Functions And Gröbner-Basis Reduction, Leandro Ajo

University Libraries Undergraduate Research Award

High-resolution molecular spectroscopy requires an effective Hamiltonian whose operator content is both complete, containing every term allowed by molecular symmetry and nonredundant, free of any algebraically dependent operators that would cause ill-conditioned parameter fits. Traditional derivations based on Van Vleck contact transformations satisfy neither criterion automatically. This paper develops a rigorous, algorithmic pipeline that guarantees both properties simultaneously. Starting from the permutation– inversion (PI) group GPI of a molecule (Longuet-Higgins, 1963), we apply Molien’s theorem (Molien, 1897) to the symplectic normal-coordinate representation to obtain the vibrational generating function Φvib(t); integrate over the Haar measure of SO(3) (Weyl, 1946) to obtain …

Weakening Relations Over Duals Of Limit Ordinals, Nikolaos Galatos, Isis A. Gallardo

Mathematics: Faculty Scholarship

We prove that all varieties generated by weakening relation algebras over duals of limit ordinals have a decidable equational theory. We also show that there are only countably-many such varieties and they form a chain that embeds in. The time warp algebra is isomorphic to one of these weakening relation algebras (over the dual of the naturals), so we obtain the main result of a recent publication as a special case. The algebras we study connect to the theory of relation algebras, to time warps and graded modalities, and to the algebraic semantics of substructural logics. Our methods are inspired …

Algebraic Invariants Of Multi-Virtual Links, Louis H. Kauffman, Sujoy Mukherjee, Petr Vojtěchovský

Mathematics: Faculty Scholarship

Multi-virtual knot theory was introduced in 2024 by the first author. In this paper, we initiate the study of algebraic invariants of multi-virtual links. After determining a generating set of (oriented) multi-virtual Reidemeister moves, we discuss the equivalence of multi-virtual link diagrams, particularly those that have the same virtual projections. We introduce operator quandles (that is, quandles with a list of pairwise commuting automorphisms) and construct an infinite family of connected operator quandles in which at least one third of right translations are distinct and pairwise commute. Using our set of generating moves, we establish the operator quandle coloring invariant …

Path Odd-Covers Of Graphs, Steffen Borgwardt, Calum Buchanan, Eric Culver, Bryce Frederickson, Puck Rombach, Youngho Yoo

Mathematics: Faculty Scholarship

We introduce and study “path odd-covers,” a weakening of Gallai's path decomposition problem and a strengthening of the linear arboricity problem. The path odd-cover number  of a graph G is the minimum cardinality of a collection of paths whose vertex sets are contained in  and whose symmetric difference of edge sets is. We prove an upper bound on  in terms of the maximum degree Δ and the number of odd-degree vertices  of the form . This bound is only a factor of 2 from a rather immediate lower bound of the form . We also investigate some natural relaxations of …

Mckinsey-Tarski Algebras And Raney Extensions, G. Bezhanishvili, R. Raviprakash, A. L. Suarez, Joanne Walters-Wayland

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

We introduce the notion of Raney morphism between MT-algebras and show that the resulting category is equivalent to the category of Raney extensions. This is done by generalizing the construction of the Funayama envelope of a frame. The resulting notion of the T₀-hull of a Raney extension generalizes that of the T_D-hull of a frame.

Unitary Rational Functions: The Scaled Quaternion Case, Daniel Alpay, Ilwoo Choo, Mihaela Vajiac

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

We develop the theory of minimal realizations and factorizations of rational functions where the coefficient space is a ring of the type introduced in our previous work, the scaled quaternions, which includes as special cases the quaternions and the split quaternions. The methods involved are not a direct generalization of the complex or quaternionic settings, and in particular, the adjoint is not the classical adjoint and we use properties of real Hilbert spaces. This adjoint allows to define the counterpart of unitarity for matrix-rational functions, and we develop the corresponding theories of realizations and unitary factorizations. We also begin a …

Does Sequence Matter? Impact Of Redesigning Sequential Calculus Course On Students’ Learning Outcomes, Chantal Levesque-Bristol Dr., Wonki Lee Dr., Emily M. Bonem, Benjamin C. Wiles, Jennifer D. Moss, Wilella D. Burgess, Weiling Li

International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

As colleges and universities increasingly transform their STEM courses through the adoption of more active, student-centered pedagogies, there is a growing need to understand the impact of these educational innovations on student outcomes. This study is conducted in the context of a university-wide faculty development and course redesign project, IMPACT (Instruction Matters, Purdue Academic Course Transformation). IMPACT supports faculty in implementing student-centered pedagogical practices and creating equitable and inclusive learning environments. This study focuses on a sequence of two introductory calculus courses (Calculus 1 and Calculus 2, hereafter CALC 1 and CALC 2) that were transformed as part of the …

Toward Completeness Theorem For Guarded Kleene Algebra With Tests, Hung Pham

Honors Theses

Code refactoring is a fundamental practice in software engineering, in which a program is restructured without changing the actions it performs and the results it produces. To carry out refactoring with confidence, one requires a formal method for verifying that two programs are equivalent. Guarded Kleene Algebra with Tests (GKAT) provides such a framework, an algebraic system designed to reason about a natural class of programs, namely those in which every branch and loop is governed by a Boolean condition, such as if–else and while statements. Central to GKAT is a finite set of algebraic axioms for deriving program equivalences. …

Extensions Between Modules Defined By Lattice Paths In The Preprojective Algebra, Chloe Napier

Theses and Dissertations--Mathematics

In 2001, Fomin and Zelevinsky introduced cluster algebras which appear as coordinate rings of many varieties. We study cluster algebras coming from Richardson varieties. Leclerc gives a cluster structure on Richardson varieties using the representation theory of preprojective algebras. While this construction is very algebraic, we take a more combinatorial approach. The main goal is to find a combinatorial description for when certain cluster variables are compatible, or equivalently when modules defined by lattice paths in the preprojective algebra have trivial extensions. We extend the known results from Geiss, Leclerc, and Schröer that answer this question in the case of …

Catalan And Hyper-Catalan Numbers: Combinatorial Applications To Polynomial Equations, Leilani Natale

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

In this paper, we study Catalan numbers and their generalization, hyper-Catalan numbers, and explore how these sequences arise naturally in the context of solving polynomial equations using infinite power series. We begin by introducing the Catalan numbers through their combinatorial interpretation as triangulations of convex polygons. Using this geometric definition, we derive a relation whose recursive structure leads to a quadratic functional equation. Interpreting this relation as a formal power series equation allows us to express solutions to quadratic equations as infinite power series whose coefficients are given by the Catalan numbers. This framework is then extended by allowing polygon …

Representations Of Finite Groups And Diagrammatic Algebras, Hudson Yeend

CMC Senior Theses

Representation theory allows mathematicians to study abstract mathematical objects using the powerful and concrete tools of linear algebra. This thesis aims to present some foundational concepts in representation theory and apply these concepts to specific groups and algebras. We begin by examining representations of finite groups, culminating with a proof of Maschke's theorem. We then use the correspondence between a group and its group algebra to segue into a study of representations of diagrammatic algebras, where we introduce analogous notions of decomposition. We end with a study of quiver representations, noting that Gabriel's theorem and the kQ-modular structure transcend …

Mat 1500 Calculus I Syllabus, Tian Cai

Open Educational Resources

No abstract provided.

Mat 1600 Syllabus Ii Syllabus, Tian Cai

Open Educational Resources

No abstract provided.

Lie-Galois Theory, Giovanni Reed

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Differential equations are a much-studied topic in the field of mathematics, as well as other sciences, such as engineering, economics, and biology. While much is known concerning these, there is still a large gap in our knowledge about such equations. It is important therefore, both to mathematics and other sciences, that we gain a more complete knowledge of differential equations, in particular the nature of their solutions. In this research, we investigate the solution space of linear ordinary differential equations (ODEs) from the standpoint of differential algebra. Differential algebra allows an ODE to be treated similarly to a polynomial, allowing …