As a physics major, I find this book to be incredibly helpful. The formalism of abstract algebra is all but necessary in the modern treatment of theoretical physics (whether we are dealing with the classical or quantum mechanical pictures). In order to truly appreciate the elegance of physical theory, one must first become comfortable with the underlying mathematical language.<br><br>Although this book is less rigorous in its approach than others I've read, the author's style helps to provide a context and motivation for the study of modern algebra that can be missing in higher level texts. After reading through this text and working through the problems sets contained within, I feel confident that I can now delve into more difficult texts.