What are the pre-requisites required to understand Milnor's book on algebraic K- theory?

Question

I want to understand Steinitz’ theorem on the structure of finitely generated modules over Dedekind domains. I also want to have some general awareness regarding what Algebraic K-theory is about. Other source recommendations are also welcome.

Thanks a lot.

Answer 1

To see the proof of the theorem of Steinitz, you can see the book by Wladyslaw Narkiewicz , Elementary and Analytic Theory of Algebraic Numbers en the section 1.3 in the first chapter, you can consult this text in google books partially , generally is a self-contained text, if you a completed some course of commutative algebra, is more than enough to understand it.

About references to books on algebraic K-theory, I recommend this books

• Bruce A. Magurn , An Algebraic Introduction to K - Theory, Cambridge, 2002 .
• Jonathan Rosenberg, Algebraic K -theory and Its Applications, Springer, 2004 .

In addition, you can use the material that has developed Prof. Kathryn Hess Bellwald on this link

http://hessbellwald-lab.epfl.ch/page-77860-en.html

I hope this information is helpful.