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Monoids
In abstract algebra, a monoid is a set equipped with an associative binary operation and an identity element. For example, the nonnegative integers with addition form a monoid, the identity element being . Monoids are semigroups with identity. Such algebraic structures occur in several branches of mathematics. The functions from a set into itself form a monoid with respect to function composition. More generally, in category theory, the morphisms of an object to itself form a monoid, and, conversely, a monoid may be viewed as a category with a single object. In computer science and computer programming, the set of strings built from a given set of characters is a free monoid. Transition monoids and syntactic monoids are used in describing finite-state machines. Trace monoids and history monoids provide a foundation for process calculi and concurrent computing. In theoretical computer science, the study of monoids is fundamental for automata theory (Krohn–Rhodes theory), ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Free Monoid
In abstract algebra, the free monoid on a set is the monoid whose elements are all the finite sequences (or strings) of zero or more elements from that set, with string concatenation as the monoid operation and with the unique sequence of zero elements, often called the empty string and denoted by ε or λ, as the identity element. The free monoid on a set ''A'' is usually denoted ''A''∗. The free semigroup on ''A'' is the sub semigroup of ''A''∗ containing all elements except the empty string. It is usually denoted ''A''+./ref> More generally, an abstract monoid (or semigroup) ''S'' is described as free if it is isomorphic to the free monoid (or semigroup) on some set. As the name implies, free monoids and semigroups are those objects which satisfy the usual universal property defining free objects, in the respective categories of monoids and semigroups. It follows that every monoid (or semigroup) arises as a homomorphic image of a free monoid (or semigroup). ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
History Monoid
In mathematics and computer science, a history monoid is a way of representing the histories of concurrently running computer processes as a collection of strings, each string representing the individual history of a process. The history monoid provides a set of synchronization primitives (such as locks, mutexes or thread joins) for providing rendezvous points between a set of independently executing processes or threads. History monoids occur in the theory of concurrent computation, and provide a low-level mathematical foundation for process calculi, such as CSP the language of communicating sequential processes, or CCS, the calculus of communicating systems. History monoids were first presented by M.W. Shields.M.W. Shields "Concurrent Machines", ''Computer Journal'', (1985) 28 pp. 449–465. History monoids are isomorphic to trace monoids (free partially commutative monoids) and to the monoid of dependency graphs. As such, they are free objects and are universal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Semigroup
In mathematics, a semigroup is an algebraic structure consisting of a set together with an associative internal binary operation on it. The binary operation of a semigroup is most often denoted multiplicatively (just notation, not necessarily the elementary arithmetic multiplication): , or simply ''xy'', denotes the result of applying the semigroup operation to the ordered pair . Associativity is formally expressed as that for all ''x'', ''y'' and ''z'' in the semigroup. Semigroups may be considered a special case of magmas, where the operation is associative, or as a generalization of groups, without requiring the existence of an identity element or inverses. As in the case of groups or magmas, the semigroup operation need not be commutative, so is not necessarily equal to ; a well-known example of an operation that is associative but non-commutative is matrix multiplication. If the semigroup operation is commutative, then the semigroup is called a ''commutative semigroup' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Krohn–Rhodes Theory
In mathematics and computer science, the Krohn–Rhodes theory (or algebraic automata theory) is an approach to the study of finite semigroups and automata that seeks to decompose them in terms of elementary components. These components correspond to finite aperiodic semigroups and finite simple groups that are combined in a feedback-free manner (called a " wreath product" or "cascade"). Krohn and Rhodes found a general decomposition for finite automata. The authors discovered and proved an unexpected major result in finite semigroup theory, revealing a deep connection between finite automata and semigroups. Definitions and description of the Krohn–Rhodes theorem Let ''T'' be a semigroup. A semigroup ''S'' that is a homomorphic image of a subsemigroup of ''T'' is said to be a divisor of ''T''. The Krohn–Rhodes theorem for finite semigroups states that every finite semigroup ''S'' is a divisor of a finite alternating wreath product of finite simple groups, each a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Trace Monoid
In computer science, a trace is an equivalence class of strings, wherein certain letters in the string are allowed to commute, but others are not. Traces generalize the concept of strings by relaxing the requirement for all the letters to have a definite order, instead allowing for indefinite orderings in which certain reshufflings could take place. In an opposite way, traces generalize the concept of sets with multiplicities by allowing for specifying some incomplete ordering of the letters rather than requiring complete equivalence under all reorderings. The trace monoid or free partially commutative monoid is a monoid of traces. Traces were introduced by Pierre Cartier and Dominique Foata in 1969 to give a combinatorial proof of MacMahon's master theorem. Traces are used in theories of concurrent computation, where commuting letters stand for portions of a job that can execute independently of one another, while non-commuting letters stand for locks, synchronization poin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Syntactic Monoid
In mathematics and computer science, the syntactic monoid M(L) of a formal language L is the minimal monoid that recognizes the language L. By the Myhill–Nerode theorem, the syntactic monoid is unique up to unique isomorphism. Syntactic quotient An alphabet is a finite set. The free monoid on a given alphabet is the monoid whose elements are all the strings of zero or more elements from that set, with string concatenation as the monoid operation and the empty string as the identity element. Given a subset S of a free monoid M, one may define sets that consist of formal left or right inverses of elements in S. These are called quotients, and one may define right or left quotients, depending on which side one is concatenating. Thus, the right quotient of S by an element m from M is the set :S \ / \ m=\. Similarly, the left quotient is :m \setminus S=\. Syntactic equivalence The syntactic quotient induces an equivalence relation on M, called the syntactic relation, o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Object (category Theory)
In mathematics, a category (sometimes called an abstract category to distinguish it from a concrete category) is a collection of "objects" that are linked by "arrows". A category has two basic properties: the ability to compose the arrows associatively and the existence of an identity arrow for each object. A simple example is the category of sets, whose objects are sets and whose arrows are functions. ''Category theory'' is a branch of mathematics that seeks to generalize all of mathematics in terms of categories, independent of what their objects and arrows represent. Virtually every branch of modern mathematics can be described in terms of categories, and doing so often reveals deep insights and similarities between seemingly different areas of mathematics. As such, category theory provides an alternative foundation for mathematics to set theory and other proposed axiomatic foundations. In general, the objects and arrows may be abstract entities of any kind, and the n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Abstract Algebra
In mathematics, more specifically algebra, abstract algebra or modern algebra is the study of algebraic structures, which are set (mathematics), sets with specific operation (mathematics), operations acting on their elements. Algebraic structures include group (mathematics), groups, ring (mathematics), rings, field (mathematics), fields, module (mathematics), modules, vector spaces, lattice (order), lattices, and algebra over a field, algebras over a field. The term ''abstract algebra'' was coined in the early 20th century to distinguish it from older parts of algebra, and more specifically from elementary algebra, the use of variable (mathematics), variables to represent numbers in computation and reasoning. The abstract perspective on algebra has become so fundamental to advanced mathematics that it is simply called "algebra", while the term "abstract algebra" is seldom used except in mathematical education, pedagogy. Algebraic structures, with their associated homomorphisms, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Automata Theory
Automata theory is the study of abstract machines and automata, as well as the computational problems that can be solved using them. It is a theory in theoretical computer science with close connections to cognitive science and mathematical logic. The word ''automata'' comes from the Greek word αὐτόματος, which means "self-acting, self-willed, self-moving". An automaton (automata in plural) is an abstract self-propelled computing device which follows a predetermined sequence of operations automatically. An automaton with a finite number of states is called a finite automaton (FA) or finite-state machine (FSM). The figure on the right illustrates a finite-state machine, which is a well-known type of automaton. This automaton consists of states (represented in the figure by circles) and transitions (represented by arrows). As the automaton sees a symbol of input, it makes a transition (or jump) to another state, according to its transition function, which takes the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Set (mathematics)
In mathematics, a set is a collection of different things; the things are '' elements'' or ''members'' of the set and are typically mathematical objects: numbers, symbols, points in space, lines, other geometric shapes, variables, or other sets. A set may be finite or infinite. There is a unique set with no elements, called the empty set; a set with a single element is a singleton. Sets are ubiquitous in modern mathematics. Indeed, set theory, more specifically Zermelo–Fraenkel set theory, has been the standard way to provide rigorous foundations for all branches of mathematics since the first half of the 20th century. Context Before the end of the 19th century, sets were not studied specifically, and were not clearly distinguished from sequences. Most mathematicians considered infinity as potentialmeaning that it is the result of an endless processand were reluctant to consider infinite sets, that is sets whose number of members is not a natural number. Specific ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Star Height Problem
The star height problem in formal language theory is the question whether all regular languages can be expressed using regular expressions of limited star height, i.e. with a limited nesting depth of Kleene stars. Specifically, is a nesting depth of one always sufficient? If not, is there an algorithm to determine how many are required? The problem was first introduced by Eggan in 1963. Families of regular languages with unbounded star height The first question was answered in the negative when in 1963, Eggan gave examples of regular languages of star height ''n'' for every ''n''. Here, the star height ''h''(''L'') of a regular language ''L'' is defined as the minimum star height among all regular expressions representing ''L''. The first few languages found by Eggan are described in the following, by means of giving a regular expression for each language: :\begin e_1 &= a_1^* \\ e_2 &= \left(a_1^*a_2^*a_3\right)^*\\ e_3 &= \left(\left(a_1^*a_2^*a_3\right)^*\left(a_4^*a_5^*a_6\r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Formal Language Theory
In logic, mathematics, computer science, and linguistics, a formal language is a set of string (computer science), strings whose symbols are taken from a set called "#Definition, alphabet". The alphabet of a formal language consists of symbols that concatenate into strings (also called "words"). Words that belong to a particular formal language are sometimes called Formal language#Definition, ''well-formed words''. A formal language is often defined by means of a formal grammar such as a regular grammar or context-free grammar. In computer science, formal languages are used, among others, as the basis for defining the grammar of programming languages and formalized versions of subsets of natural languages, in which the words of the language represent concepts that are associated with meanings or semantics. In computational complexity theory, decision problems are typically defined as formal languages, and complexity classes are defined as the sets of the formal languages that ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
