A First Course in Abstract Algebra, 8th Edition retains its hallmark goal of covering all the topics needed for an in-depth introduction to abstract algebra — and is designed to be relevant to future graduate students, future high school teachers, and students who intend to work in industry. New co-author Neal Brand has revised this classic text carefully and thoughtfully, drawing on years of experience teaching the course with this text to produce a meaningful and worthwhile update. This in-depth introduction gives students a firm foundation for more specialized work in algebra by including extensive explanations of the what, the how, and the why behind each method the authors choose. \nFeatures: \n•A focus on groups, rings and fields gives students a firm foundation for more specialized work by emphasizing an understanding of the nature of algebraic structures. \n•Gives clear and concise explanations of the theory, with well-thought-out examples to highlight key points and clarify more difficult concepts. \n•UPDATED - Many exercises in the text have been updated, and many are new. Most exercise sets are broken down into parts consisting of computations, concepts, and theory. \n•NEW - Applied topics — such as RSA encryption and coding theory as well as examples of applying Gröbner bases — have been added to the 8th Edition. \n•Historical notes written by Victor Katz, an authority on the history of math, provide valuable perspective.