The term center or centre is used in various contexts in

abstract algebra In mathematics, more specifically algebra, abstract algebra or modern algebra is the study of algebraic structures. Algebraic structures include groups, rings, fields, modules, vector spaces, lattices, and algebras over a field. The term ' ...

to denote the set of all those elements that

commute Commute, commutation or commutative may refer to: * Commuting, the process of travelling between a place of residence and a place of work Mathematics * Commutative property, a property of a mathematical operation whose result is insensitive to th ...

with all other elements. * The

center of a group In abstract algebra, the center of a group, , is the set of elements that commute with every element of . It is denoted , from German '' Zentrum,'' meaning ''center''. In set-builder notation, :. The center is a normal subgroup, . As a sub ...

''G'' consists of all those elements ''x'' in ''G'' such that ''xg'' = ''gx'' for all ''g'' in ''G''. This is a normal subgroup of ''G''. * The similarly named notion for a

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: ''x''·''y'', or simply ''xy'' ...

is defined likewise and it is a subsemigroup. * The

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

of a

ring Ring may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell :(hence) to initiate a telephone connection Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...

(or an

associative algebra In mathematics, an associative algebra ''A'' is an algebraic structure with compatible operations of addition, multiplication (assumed to be associative), and a scalar multiplication by elements in some field ''K''. The addition and multiplica ...

) ''R'' is the subset of ''R'' consisting of all those elements ''x'' of ''R'' such that ''xr'' = ''rx'' for all ''r'' in ''R''., Exercise 22.22 The center is a commutative subring of ''R''. * The center of a Lie algebra ''L'' consists of all those elements ''x'' in ''L'' such that 'x'',''a''= 0 for all ''a'' in ''L''. This is an

ideal Ideal may refer to: Philosophy * Ideal (ethics), values that one actively pursues as goals * Platonic ideal, a philosophical idea of trueness of form, associated with Plato Mathematics * Ideal (ring theory), special subsets of a ring considered ...

of the Lie algebra ''L''.

References

Abstract algebra {{sia

See also

References