_Algebra Chapter 0,_ first published in 2009, is an introductory text in algebra. What this encompasses is a wide range of topics from [abstract algebra,](Algebra%20(index).md) which includes subjects such as group theory as well as algebraic number theory, and [linear algebra,](Linear%20Algebra%20and%20Matrix%20Theory%20(index).md) among other topics. The text was originally derived from the lecture notes for a three semester undergraduate sequence in algebra at Florida State University with few additions expanding upon that curriculum. Thus, one may use this book as the basis for one of several possible courses in abstract algebra. The goal is also for this text to be self-contained, meaning that, unlike many other texts in this area, it assumes little prior knowledge on the part of the reader, hence the title, "chapter 0." Nevertheless, this text is aimed at _advanced undergraduates_ and _early graduate students_ studying mathematics, as it aims to introduce this wide range of topics using a modern perspective and with a considerable amount of depth. In addition, unlike other introductions to algebra, this book introduces elements of category theory throughout. While, in general, category theory is thought of as a topic that shouldn't be studied without first a mastery of abstract algebra, as it is more traditionally introduced. **Prerequisites:** * Proof-writing^[What this is referring to is a course focused on proof writing typically taken by 1st or 2nd year undergraduates in mathematics. Such a course may also choose to introduce topics in set theory, analysis, and/or discrete math. As an example, you may refer to this 2 semester sequence offered at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, which is typically taken by 2nd year students: https://people.math.umass.edu/~hacking/300S17/] %20Paolo%20Aluffi%20-%20Algebra_%20Chapter%200-American%20Mathematical%20Society%20(2009).pdf) # Table of contents  ## Content structure The following chart in the introduction lays out a series of possible paths through [this book's contents,](Aluffi,%20P.,%20Algebra%20Chapter%200,%20American%20Mathematical%20Society,%202009.md#Table%20of%20contents) where chapter numbers are given as Roman numerals.  (pg. xvii) Another guide that may help a reader decide in which order to traverse the text may be the following graph where line thickness indicates how many references a later chapter has to an earlier chapter:  (pg. xviii) #Literature/Textbooks #Literature/Mathematics