1. The document introduces algebraic structures that are important in cryptography such as groups, rings, and fields.
2. A group is a set of elements with an operation that is associative, has an identity element, and has inverses. Examples of groups include the integers modulo n under addition.
3. Fields require all the properties of groups and rings, plus every non-zero element must have a multiplicative inverse. Finite fields, called Galois fields, play a key role in cryptography.