A Course on Group Theory

This textbook for advanced courses in group theory focuses on finite groups, with emphasis on the idea of group actions. Early chapters summarize presupposed facts, identify important themes, and establish the notation used throughout the book. Subsequent chapters explore the normal and arithmetical structures of groups as well as applications.Topics include the normal structure of groups: subgroups; homomorphisms and quotients; series; direct products and the structure of finitely generated Abelian groups; and group action on groups. Additional subjects range from the arithmetical structure of groups to classical notions of transfer and splitting by means of group action arguments. More than 675 exercises, many accompanied by hints, illustrate and extend the material.