TheInfoList

In
mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities and their changes (cal ...
, an algebraic structure consists of a nonempty set ''A'' (called the underlying set, carrier set or domain), a collection of operations on ''A'' of finite
arity Arity () is the number of arguments In logic Logic (from Ancient Greek, Greek: grc, wikt:λογική, λογική, label=none, lit=possessed of reason, intellectual, dialectical, argumentative, translit=logikḗ)Also related to (''logo ...
(typically
binary operation In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities and ...
s), and a finite set of identities, known as
axiom An axiom, postulate or assumption is a statement that is taken to be truth, true, to serve as a premise or starting point for further reasoning and arguments. The word comes from the Greek ''axíōma'' () 'that which is thought worthy or fit' o ...
s, that these operations must satisfy. An algebraic structure may be based on other algebraic structures with operations and axioms involving several structures. For instance, a
vector space In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities a ...
involves a second structure called a
field Field may refer to: Expanses of open ground * Field (agriculture), an area of land used for agricultural purposes * Airfield, an aerodrome that lacks the infrastructure of an airport * Battlefield * Lawn, an area of mowed grass * Meadow, a grassl ...
, and an operation called ''scalar multiplication'' between elements of the field (called ''scalars''), and elements of the vector space (called ''vectors''). In the context of
universal algebra Universal algebra (sometimes called general algebra) is the field of mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spa ...
, the set ''A'' with this
structure A structure is an arrangement and organization of interrelated elements in a material object or system A system is a group of Interaction, interacting or interrelated elements that act according to a set of rules to form a unified whole. ...
is called an ''algebra'', while, in other contexts, it is (somewhat ambiguously) called an ''algebraic structure'', the term ''algebra'' being reserved for specific algebraic structures that are
vector space In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities a ...
s over a
field Field may refer to: Expanses of open ground * Field (agriculture), an area of land used for agricultural purposes * Airfield, an aerodrome that lacks the infrastructure of an airport * Battlefield * Lawn, an area of mowed grass * Meadow, a grassl ...
or
modules Broadly speaking, modularity is the degree to which a system's components may be separated and recombined, often with the benefit of flexibility and variety in use. The concept of modularity is used primarily to reduce complexity by breaking a syst ...
over a
commutative ring In ring theory In algebra Algebra (from ar, الجبر, lit=reunion of broken parts, bonesetting, translit=al-jabr) is one of the areas of mathematics, broad areas of mathematics, together with number theory, geometry and mathematical ana ...
. The properties of specific algebraic structures are studied in
abstract algebra In algebra, which is a broad division of mathematics, abstract algebra (occasionally called modern algebra) is the study of algebraic structures. Algebraic structures include group (mathematics), groups, ring (mathematics), rings, field (mathema ...
. The general theory of algebraic structures has been formalized in universal algebra. The language of
category theory Category theory formalizes mathematical structure In mathematics Mathematics (from Ancient Greek, Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as quantity (number theory), mathematical structure, structure (algebra), space (geometry), and ...
is used to express and study relationships between different classes of algebraic and non-algebraic objects. This is because it is sometimes possible to find strong connections between some classes of objects, sometimes of different kinds. For example,
Galois theory In mathematics, Galois theory, originally introduced by Évariste Galois, provides a connection between field (mathematics), field theory and group theory. This connection, the fundamental theorem of Galois theory, allows reducing certain problems ...
establishes a connection between certain fields and groups: two algebraic structures of different kinds.

Introduction

Addition and multiplication of real numbers are the prototypical examples of operations that combine two elements of a set to produce a third element of the set. These operations obey several algebraic laws. For example, ''a'' + (''b'' + ''c'') = (''a'' + ''b'') + ''c'' and ''a''(''bc'') = (''ab'')''c'' as the ''associative laws''. Also ''a'' + ''b'' = ''b'' + ''a'' and ''ab'' = ''ba'' as the ''commutative laws.'' Many systems studied by mathematicians have operations that obey some, but not necessarily all, of the laws of ordinary arithmetic. For example, rotations of an object in three-dimensional space can be combined by, for example, performing the first rotation on the object and then applying the second rotation on it in its new orientation made by the previous rotation. Rotation as an operation obeys the associative law, but can fail to satisfy the commutative law. Mathematicians give names to sets with one or more operations that obey a particular collection of laws, and study them in the abstract as algebraic structures. When a new problem can be shown to follow the laws of one of these algebraic structures, all the work that has been done on that category in the past can be applied to the new problem. In full generality, algebraic structures may involve an arbitrary collection of operations, including operations that combine more than two elements (higher
arity Arity () is the number of arguments In logic Logic (from Ancient Greek, Greek: grc, wikt:λογική, λογική, label=none, lit=possessed of reason, intellectual, dialectical, argumentative, translit=logikḗ)Also related to (''logo ...
operations) and operations that take only one
argument In logic Logic is an interdisciplinary field which studies truth and reasoning Reason is the capacity of consciously making sense of things, applying logic Logic (from Ancient Greek, Greek: grc, wikt:λογική, λογική, la ...
(
unary operation In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities and ...
s). The examples used here are by no means a complete list, but they are meant to be a representative list and include the most common structures. Longer lists of algebraic structures may be found in the external links and within '' :Algebraic structures.'' Structures are listed in approximate order of increasing complexity.

Examples

One set with operations

Simple structures: no
binary operation In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities and ...
: * Set: a degenerate algebraic structure ''S'' having no operations. *
Pointed set In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities and th ...
: ''S'' has one or more distinguished elements, often 0, 1, or both. * Unary system: ''S'' and a single
unary operation In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities and ...
over ''S''. * : a unary system with ''S'' a pointed set. Group-like structures: one binary operation. The binary operation can be indicated by any symbol, or with no symbol (juxtaposition) as is done for ordinary multiplication of real numbers. * Magma or groupoid: ''S'' and a single binary operation over ''S''. *
Semigroup In mathematics, a semigroup is an algebraic structure In mathematics Mathematics (from Ancient Greek, Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as quantity (number theory), mathematical structure, structure (algebra), space (geometry), an ...
: an
associative In mathematics Mathematics (from Ancient Greek, Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as quantity (number theory), mathematical structure, structure (algebra), space (geometry), and calculus, change (mathematical analysis, analysis). ...
magma. *
Monoid In abstract algebra In algebra, which is a broad division of mathematics, abstract algebra (occasionally called modern algebra) is the study of algebraic structures. Algebraic structures include group (mathematics), groups, ring (mathemati ...
: a semigroup with
identity element In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities and th ...
. *
Group A group is a number A number is a mathematical object used to counting, count, measurement, measure, and nominal number, label. The original examples are the natural numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and so forth. Numbers can be represented in language with ...
: a monoid with a unary operation (inverse), giving rise to
inverse element In abstract algebra In algebra, which is a broad division of mathematics, abstract algebra (occasionally called modern algebra) is the study of algebraic structures. Algebraic structures include group (mathematics), groups, ring (mathematics), ...
s. *
Abelian group In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities an ...
: a group whose binary operation is
commutative In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities and ...
. *
Semilattice In mathematics, a join-semilattice (or upper semilattice) is a partially ordered set that has a join (mathematics), join (a least upper bound) for any nonempty set, nonempty finite set, finite subset. Duality (order theory), Dually, a meet-semilatti ...
: a semigroup whose operation is
idempotent Idempotence (, ) is the property of certain operations Operation or Operations may refer to: Science and technology * Surgical operation Surgery ''cheirourgikē'' (composed of χείρ, "hand", and ἔργον, "work"), via la, chirurgiae, ...
and commutative. The binary operation can be called either
meet Meet may refer to: People with the name * Janek Meet Janek Meet (born 2 May 1974 in Viljandi) is a retired Estonians, Estonian football (soccer), footballer, who played in the Meistriliiga, for FC Kuressaare, whom he joined from JK Viljandi Tu ...
or join. *
Quasigroup In mathematics, especially in abstract algebra, a quasigroup is an algebraic structure resembling a group (mathematics), group in the sense that "division (mathematics), division" is always possible. Quasigroups differ from groups mainly in that th ...
: a magma obeying the Latin square property. A quasigroup may also be represented using three binary operations. * Loop: a quasigroup with
identity Identity may refer to: Social sciences * Identity (social science) Identity is the qualities, beliefs, personality, looks and/or expressions that make a person (self-identity One's self-concept (also called self-construction, se ...
. Ring-like structures or Ringoids: two binary operations, often called
addition Addition (usually signified by the plus symbol The plus and minus signs, and , are mathematical symbol A mathematical symbol is a figure or a combination of figures that is used to represent a mathematical object A mathematical object is an ...

and
multiplication Multiplication (often denoted by the cross symbol , by the mid-line dot operator , by juxtaposition, or, on computers, by an asterisk ) is one of the four Elementary arithmetic, elementary Operation (mathematics), mathematical operations ...

, with multiplication distributing over addition. *
Semiring In abstract algebra, a semiring is an algebraic structure similar to a Ring (algebra), ring, but without the requirement that each element must have an additive inverse. The term rig is also used occasionally—this originated as a joke, suggesti ...
: a ringoid such that ''S'' is a monoid under each operation. Addition is typically assumed to be commutative and associative, and the monoid product is assumed to distribute over the addition on both sides, and the additive identity 0 is an
absorbing element In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities and the ...
in the sense that 0 ''x'' = 0 for all ''x''. *
Near-ring In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities and the ...
: a semiring whose additive monoid is a (not necessarily abelian) group. *
Ring Ring most commonly refers either to a hollow circular shape or to a high-pitched sound. It thus may refer to: *Ring (jewellery), a circular, decorative or symbolic ornament worn on fingers, toes, arm or neck Ring may also refer to: Sounds * Ri ...
: a semiring whose additive monoid is an abelian group. *
Lie ring In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities an ...
: a ringoid whose additive monoid is an abelian group, but whose multiplicative operation satisfies the
Jacobi identity In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities and th ...
rather than associativity. *
Commutative ring In ring theory In algebra Algebra (from ar, الجبر, lit=reunion of broken parts, bonesetting, translit=al-jabr) is one of the areas of mathematics, broad areas of mathematics, together with number theory, geometry and mathematical ana ...
: a ring in which the multiplication operation is commutative. *
Boolean ring In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities and the ...
: a commutative ring with idempotent multiplication operation. *
Field Field may refer to: Expanses of open ground * Field (agriculture), an area of land used for agricultural purposes * Airfield, an aerodrome that lacks the infrastructure of an airport * Battlefield * Lawn, an area of mowed grass * Meadow, a grassl ...
: a commutative ring which contains a multiplicative inverse for every nonzero element. *
Kleene algebra In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities and t ...
s: a semiring with idempotent addition and a unary operation, the
Kleene star In mathematical logic and computer science, the Kleene star (or Kleene operator or Kleene closure) is a unary operation, either on Set (mathematics), sets of string (computer science), strings or on sets of symbols or characters. In mathematics it ...
, satisfying additional properties. * *-algebra: a ring with an additional unary operation (*) satisfying additional properties. Lattice structures: two or more binary operations, including operations called
meet and join In mathematics, specifically order theory, the join of a subset ''S'' of a partially ordered set ''P'' is the supremum (least upper bound) of ''S'', denoted ⋁''S'', and similarly, the meet of ''S'' is the infimum (greatest lower bound), denoted ...
, connected by the
absorption law In algebra Algebra (from ar, الجبر, lit=reunion of broken parts, bonesetting, translit=al-jabr) is one of the areas of mathematics, broad areas of mathematics, together with number theory, geometry and mathematical analysis, analysis. In ...
.Ringoids and lattices can be clearly distinguished despite both having two defining binary operations. In the case of ringoids, the two operations are linked by the
distributive law In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers ( and ), formulas and related structures (), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (), and quantities and their changes ( and ). There is no gen ...
; in the case of lattices, they are linked by the
absorption law In algebra Algebra (from ar, الجبر, lit=reunion of broken parts, bonesetting, translit=al-jabr) is one of the areas of mathematics, broad areas of mathematics, together with number theory, geometry and mathematical analysis, analysis. In ...
. Ringoids also tend to have numerical
model A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plan A plan is typically any diagram or list of steps with details of timing and resources, used to achieve an Goal, objective to do somet ...
s, while lattices tend to have
set-theoretic Set theory is the branch of mathematical logic that studies Set (mathematics), sets, which can be informally described as collections of objects. Although objects of any kind can be collected into a set, set theory, as a branch of mathematics, i ...
models.
*
Complete lattice In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities and th ...
: a lattice in which arbitrary
meet and join In mathematics, specifically order theory, the join of a subset ''S'' of a partially ordered set ''P'' is the supremum (least upper bound) of ''S'', denoted ⋁''S'', and similarly, the meet of ''S'' is the infimum (greatest lower bound), denoted ...
s exist. *
Bounded lattice A lattice is an abstract structure studied in the mathematics, mathematical subdisciplines of order theory and abstract algebra. It consists of a partially ordered set in which every two elements have a unique supremum (also called a least up ...
: a lattice with a
greatest element In mathematics, especially in order theory, the greatest element of a subset S of a partially ordered set (poset) is an element of S that is greater than every other element of S. The term least element is defined duality (order theory), dually, ...
and least element. *
Complemented lattice In the mathematical Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities a ...
: a bounded lattice with a unary operation, complementation, denoted by postfix . The join of an element with its complement is the greatest element, and the meet of the two elements is the least element. *
Modular lattice In the branch of mathematics called order theory Order theory is a branch of mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), ...
: a lattice whose elements satisfy the additional ''modular identity''. *
Distributive lattice In mathematics, a distributive lattice is a lattice (order), lattice in which the operations of join and meet distributivity, distribute over each other. The prototypical examples of such structures are collections of sets for which the lattice ope ...
: a lattice in which each of meet and join distributes over the other. Distributive lattices are modular, but the converse does not hold. *
Boolean algebra In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities and t ...
: a complemented distributive lattice. Either of meet or join can be defined in terms of the other and complementation. This can be shown to be equivalent with the ring-like structure of the same name above. *
Heyting algebra __notoc__ Arend Heyting (; 9 May 1898 – 9 July 1980) was a Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () *Dutch language , spoken in Belgium (also referred as ''fl ...
: a bounded distributive lattice with an added binary operation, relative pseudo-complement, denoted by
infix An infix is an affix In linguistics Linguistics is the scientific study of language A language is a structured system of communication used by humans, including speech (spoken language), gestures (Signed language, sign language) a ...
→, and governed by the axioms ''x'' → ''x'' = 1, ''x'' (''x'' → ''y'') = ''x y'', ''y'' (''x'' → ''y'') = ''y'', ''x'' → (''y z'') = (''x'' → ''y'') (''x'' → ''z''). Arithmetics: two
binary operation In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities and ...
s, addition and multiplication. ''S'' is an
infinite set In set theory Set theory is the branch of mathematical logic that studies Set (mathematics), sets, which can be informally described as collections of objects. Although objects of any kind can be collected into a set, set theory, as a branch ...
. Arithmetics are pointed unary systems, whose
unary operation In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities and ...
is
injective In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities and ...
successor Successor may refer to: * An entity that comes after another (see Succession (disambiguation)) Film and TV * The Successor (film), ''The Successor'' (film), a 1996 film including Laura Girling * The Successor (TV program), ''The Successor'' (TV ...
, and with distinguished element 0. *
Robinson arithmetic In mathematics, Robinson arithmetic is a finitely axiomatized fragment of first-order Peano arithmetic (PA), first set out by R. M. Robinson in 1950. It is usually denoted Q. Q is almost PA without the axiom schema of mathematical induction. Q is ...
recursively Recursion (adjective: ''recursive'') occurs when a thing is defined in terms of itself or of its type. Recursion is used in a variety of disciplines ranging from linguistics Linguistics is the scientific study of language A lan ...

defined by means of successor. 0 is the identity element for addition, and annihilates multiplication. Robinson arithmetic is listed here even though it is a variety, because of its closeness to Peano arithmetic. *
Peano arithmetic In mathematical logic, the Peano axioms, also known as the Dedekind–Peano axioms or the Peano postulates, are axioms for the natural numbers presented by the 19th century Italian people, Italian mathematician Giuseppe Peano. These axioms have been ...
. Robinson arithmetic with an
axiom schema In mathematical logic Mathematical logic is the study of formal logic within mathematics. Major subareas include model theory, proof theory, set theory, and recursion theory. Research in mathematical logic commonly addresses the mathematical pr ...
of
induction Induction may refer to: Philosophy * Inductive reasoning, in logic, inferences from particular cases to the general case Biology and chemistry * Labor induction (birth/pregnancy) * Induction chemotherapy, in medicine * Induction period, the t ...
. Most ring and field axioms bearing on the properties of addition and multiplication are theorems of Peano arithmetic or of proper extensions thereof.

Two sets with operations

Module Module, modular and modularity may refer to the concept of modularity. They may also refer to: Computing and engineering * Modular design, the engineering discipline of designing complex devices using separately designed sub-components * Modul ...
-like structures: composite systems involving two sets and employing at least two binary operations. *
Group with operators In abstract algebra, a branch of mathematics, the algebraic structure group with operators or Ω-group can be viewed as a group (mathematics), group with a Set (mathematics), set Ω that operates on the elements of the group in a special way. Grou ...
: a group ''G'' with a set Ω and a binary operation Ω × ''G'' → ''G'' satisfying certain axioms. *
Module Module, modular and modularity may refer to the concept of modularity. They may also refer to: Computing and engineering * Modular design, the engineering discipline of designing complex devices using separately designed sub-components * Modul ...
: an abelian group ''M'' and a ring ''R'' acting as operators on ''M''. The members of ''R'' are sometimes called
scalar Scalar may refer to: *Scalar (mathematics), an element of a field, which is used to define a vector space, usually the field of real numbers *Scalar (physics), a physical quantity that can be described by a single element of a number field such as ...
s, and the binary operation of ''scalar multiplication'' is a function ''R'' × ''M'' → ''M'', which satisfies several axioms. Counting the ring operations these systems have at least three operations. *
Vector space In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities a ...
: a module where the ring ''R'' is a
division ring In algebra Algebra (from ar, الجبر, lit=reunion of broken parts, bonesetting, translit=al-jabr) is one of the areas of mathematics, broad areas of mathematics, together with number theory, geometry and mathematical analysis, analysis. In ...
or
field Field may refer to: Expanses of open ground * Field (agriculture), an area of land used for agricultural purposes * Airfield, an aerodrome that lacks the infrastructure of an airport * Battlefield * Lawn, an area of mowed grass * Meadow, a grassl ...
. *
Graded vector space In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities and t ...
: a vector space with a
direct sum The direct sum is an operation from abstract algebra In algebra, which is a broad division of mathematics, abstract algebra (occasionally called modern algebra) is the study of algebraic structures. Algebraic structures include group (mathema ...
decomposition breaking the space into "grades". *
Quadratic space In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities and t ...
: a vector space ''V'' over a field ''F'' with a
quadratic form In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers ( and ), formulas and related structures (), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (), and quantities and their changes ( and ). There is no gene ...
on ''V'' taking values in ''F''.
Algebra Algebra (from ar, الجبر, lit=reunion of broken parts, bonesetting, translit=al-jabr) is one of the areas of mathematics, broad areas of mathematics, together with number theory, geometry and mathematical analysis, analysis. In its most ge ...
-like structures: composite system defined over two sets, a ring ''R'' and an ''R''-module ''M'' equipped with an operation called multiplication. This can be viewed as a system with five binary operations: two operations on ''R'', two on ''M'' and one involving both ''R'' and ''M''. *
Algebra over a ring In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities and ...
(also ''R-algebra''): a module over a
commutative ring In ring theory In algebra Algebra (from ar, الجبر, lit=reunion of broken parts, bonesetting, translit=al-jabr) is one of the areas of mathematics, broad areas of mathematics, together with number theory, geometry and mathematical ana ...
''R'', which also carries a multiplication operation that is compatible with the module structure. This includes distributivity over addition and
linearity Linearity is the property of a mathematical relationship (''function (mathematics), function'') that can be graph of a function, graphically represented as a straight Line (geometry), line. Linearity is closely related to ''Proportionality (math ...
with respect to multiplication by elements of ''R''. The theory of an
algebra over a field In mathematics, an algebra over a field (often simply called an algebra) is a vector space equipped with a bilinear map, bilinear product (mathematics), product. Thus, an algebra is an algebraic structure consisting of a set (mathematics), set to ...
is especially well developed. *
Associative algebra In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities and ...
: an algebra over a ring such that the multiplication is
associative In mathematics Mathematics (from Ancient Greek, Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as quantity (number theory), mathematical structure, structure (algebra), space (geometry), and calculus, change (mathematical analysis, analysis). ...
. *
Nonassociative algebra A non-associative algebra (or distributive algebra) is an algebra over a field where the binary operation, binary multiplication operation is not assumed to be associative operation, associative. That is, an algebraic structure ''A'' is a non-ass ...
: a module over a commutative ring, equipped with a ring multiplication operation that is not necessarily associative. Often associativity is replaced with a different identity, such as alternation, the
Jacobi identity In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities and th ...
, or the
Jordan identity Jordan ( ar, الأردن; Romanization of Arabic, tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; Romanization of Arabic, tr. ') is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa and Europe, within the Levan ...
. *
Coalgebra In mathematics, coalgebras or cogebras are structures that are dual (category theory), dual (in the category theory, category-theoretic sense of reversing Category theory#Morphisms, arrows) to unital algebra, unital associative algebras. The axioms ...

: a vector space with a "comultiplication" defined dually to that of associative algebras. *
Lie algebra In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities an ...
: a special type of nonassociative algebra whose product satisfies the
Jacobi identity In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities and th ...
. *
Lie coalgebraIn mathematics a Lie coalgebra is the dual structure to a Lie algebra. In finite dimensions, these are dual objects: the dual vector space to a Lie algebra naturally has the structure of a Lie coalgebra, and conversely. Definition Let ''E'' be a ve ...
: a vector space with a "comultiplication" defined dually to that of Lie algebras. *
Graded algebra In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities and th ...
: a graded vector space with an algebra structure compatible with the grading. The idea is that if the grades of two elements ''a'' and ''b'' are known, then the grade of ''ab'' is known, and so the location of the product ''ab'' is determined in the decomposition. *
Inner product space In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities and ...
: an ''F'' vector space ''V'' with a
definite bilinear form In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities and the ...
. Four or more binary operations: *
Bialgebra In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities and t ...
: an associative algebra with a compatible coalgebra structure. *
Lie bialgebra In mathematics, a Lie bialgebra is the Lie-theoretic case of a bialgebra: it is a set with a Lie algebra and a Lie coalgebra structure which are compatible. It is a bialgebra where the multiplication is Self-complementary graph, skew-symmetric and ...
: a Lie algebra with a compatible bialgebra structure. *
Hopf algebra In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities and t ...

: a bialgebra with a connection axiom (antipode). *
Clifford algebra In mathematics, a Clifford algebra is an algebra over a field, algebra generated by a vector space with a quadratic form, and is a Unital algebra, unital associative algebra. As algebra over a field, ''K''-algebras, they generalize the real nu ...
: a graded associative algebra equipped with an
exterior product In topology In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), a ...
from which may be derived several possible inner products.
Exterior algebra In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities and t ...
s and
geometric algebra In mathematics, the geometric algebra (GA) of a vector space is an algebra over a field, noted for its multiplication operation called the geometric product on a space of elements called multivectors, which contains both the scalar (mathematics), ...
s are special cases of this construction.

Hybrid structures

Algebraic structures can also coexist with added structure of non-algebraic nature, such as
partial order In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities and ...
or a
topology In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities ...

. The added structure must be compatible, in some sense, with the algebraic structure. *
Topological group In mathematics, topological groups are logically the combination of Group (mathematics), groups and Topological space, topological spaces, i.e. they are groups and topological spaces at the same time, such that the Continuous function, continui ...
: a group with a topology compatible with the group operation. *
Lie group In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities a ...
: a topological group with a compatible smooth
manifold In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities a ...

structure. *
Ordered group In abstract algebra In algebra, which is a broad division of mathematics, abstract algebra (occasionally called modern algebra) is the study of algebraic structures. Algebraic structures include group (mathematics), groups, ring (mathematics), ...
s,
ordered ring In abstract algebra, an ordered ring is a (usually Commutative ring, commutative) ring (mathematics), ring ''R'' with a total order ≤ such that for all ''a'', ''b'', and ''c'' in ''R'': * if ''a'' ≤ ''b'' then ''a'' + ''c'' ≤ ''b'' + ''c''. ...
s and
ordered field In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities and the ...
s: each type of structure with a compatible
partial order In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities and ...
. *
Archimedean group In abstract algebra In algebra, which is a broad division of mathematics, abstract algebra (occasionally called modern algebra) is the study of algebraic structures. Algebraic structures include group (mathematics), groups, ring (mathematics), r ...
: a linearly ordered group for which the Archimedean property holds. * Topological vector space: a vector space whose ''M'' has a compatible topology. * Normed vector space: a vector space with a compatible norm (mathematics), norm. If such a space is complete metric space, complete (as a metric space) then it is called a Banach space. * Hilbert space: an inner product space over the real or complex numbers whose inner product gives rise to a Banach space structure. * Vertex operator algebra * Von Neumann algebra: a *-algebra of operators on a Hilbert space equipped with the weak operator topology.

Universal algebra

Algebraic structures are defined through different configurations of axioms. Universal algebra abstractly studies such objects. One major dichotomy is between structures that are axiomatized entirely by ''identities'' and structures that are not. If all axioms defining a class of algebras are identities, then this class is a variety (universal algebra), variety (not to be confused with algebraic varieties of algebraic geometry). Identities are equations formulated using only the operations the structure allows, and variables that are tacitly universal quantifier, universally quantified over the relevant universe (mathematics), universe. Identities contain no Logical connective, connectives, Quantification (science), existentially quantified variables, or finitary relation, relations of any kind other than the allowed operations. The study of varieties is an important part of
universal algebra Universal algebra (sometimes called general algebra) is the field of mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spa ...
. An algebraic structure in a variety may be understood as the quotient (universal algebra), quotient algebra of term algebra (also called "absolutely free object, free algebra") divided by the equivalence relations generated by a set of identities. So, a collection of functions with given signature (logic), signatures generate a free algebra, the term algebra ''T''. Given a set of equational identities (the axioms), one may consider their symmetric, transitive closure ''E''. The quotient algebra ''T''/''E'' is then the algebraic structure or variety. Thus, for example, groups have a signature containing two operators: the multiplication operator ''m'', taking two arguments, and the inverse operator ''i'', taking one argument, and the identity element ''e'', a constant, which may be considered an operator that takes zero arguments. Given a (countable) set of variables ''x'', ''y'', ''z'', etc. the term algebra is the collection of all possible term (logic), terms involving ''m'', ''i'', ''e'' and the variables; so for example, ''m''(''i''(''x''), ''m''(''x'', ''m''(''y'',''e''))) would be an element of the term algebra. One of the axioms defining a group is the identity ''m''(''x'', ''i''(''x'')) = ''e''; another is ''m''(''x'',''e'') = ''x''. The axioms can be represented a
trees
These equations induce equivalence classes on the free algebra; the quotient algebra then has the algebraic structure of a group. Some structures do not form varieties, because either: # It is necessary that 0 ≠ 1, 0 being the additive
identity element In mathematics Mathematics (from Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as numbers (arithmetic and number theory), formulas and related structures (algebra), shapes and spaces in which they are contained (geometry), and quantities and th ...
and 1 being a multiplicative identity element, but this is a nonidentity; # Structures such as fields have some axioms that hold only for nonzero members of ''S''. For an algebraic structure to be a variety, its operations must be defined for ''all'' members of ''S''; there can be no partial operations. Structures whose axioms unavoidably include nonidentities are among the most important ones in mathematics, e.g., Field (mathematics), fields and
division ring In algebra Algebra (from ar, الجبر, lit=reunion of broken parts, bonesetting, translit=al-jabr) is one of the areas of mathematics, broad areas of mathematics, together with number theory, geometry and mathematical analysis, analysis. In ...
s. Structures with nonidentities present challenges varieties do not. For example, the direct product of two
field Field may refer to: Expanses of open ground * Field (agriculture), an area of land used for agricultural purposes * Airfield, an aerodrome that lacks the infrastructure of an airport * Battlefield * Lawn, an area of mowed grass * Meadow, a grassl ...
s is not a field, because $\left(1,0\right)\cdot\left(0,1\right)=\left(0,0\right)$, but fields do not have zero divisors.

Category theory

Category theory is another tool for studying algebraic structures (see, for example, Mac Lane 1998). A category is a collection of ''objects'' with associated ''morphisms.'' Every algebraic structure has its own notion of homomorphism, namely any function (mathematics), function compatible with the operation(s) defining the structure. In this way, every algebraic structure gives rise to a category (mathematics), category. For example, the category of groups has all Group (mathematics), groups as objects and all group homomorphisms as morphisms. This concrete category may be seen as a category of sets with added category-theoretic structure. Likewise, the category of topological groups (whose morphisms are the continuous group homomorphisms) is a category of topological spaces with extra structure. A forgetful functor between categories of algebraic structures "forgets" a part of a structure. There are various concepts in category theory that try to capture the algebraic character of a context, for instance * algebraic category * essentially algebraic category * presentable category * locally presentable category * Monad (category theory), monadic functors and categories * universal property.

Different meanings of "structure"

In a slight abuse of notation, the word "structure" can also refer to just the operations on a structure, instead of the underlying set itself. For example, the sentence, "We have defined a ring ''structure'' on the set $A$," means that we have defined ring (mathematics), ring ''operations'' on the set $A$. For another example, the group $\left(\mathbb Z, +\right)$ can be seen as a set $\mathbb Z$ that is equipped with an ''algebraic structure,'' namely the ''operation'' $+$.

* Free object * List of algebraic structures * Mathematical structure * Outline of algebraic structures * Signature (logic) * Structure (mathematical logic)

References

* * * ; Category theory * *