  A discriminant algebra operation sends a commutative ring $R$ and an
$R$-algebra $A$ of rank $n$ to an $R$-algebra $\Delta_{A/R}$ of rank $2$ with
the same discriminant bilinear form. Constructions of discriminant algebra
operations have been put forward by Rost, Deligne, and Loos. We present a
simpler and more explicit construction that does not break down into cases
based on the parity of $n$. We then prove properties of this construction, and
compute some examples explicitly.
