Diagonal Functor
In category theory, a branch of mathematics, the diagonal functor \mathcal \rightarrow \mathcal \times \mathcal is given by \Delta(a) = \langle a,a \rangle, which maps objects as well as morphisms. This functor can be employed to give a succinct alternate description of the product of objects ''within'' the category \mathcal: a product a \times b is a universal arrow from \Delta to \langle a,b \rangle. The arrow comprises the projection maps. More generally, given a small index category \mathcal, one may construct the functor category \mathcal^\mathcal, the objects of which are called diagrams. For each object a in \mathcal, there is a constant diagram \Delta_a : \mathcal \to \mathcal that maps every object in \mathcal to a and every morphism in \mathcal to 1_a. The diagonal functor \Delta : \mathcal \rightarrow \mathcal^\mathcal assigns to each object a of \mathcal the diagram \Delta_a, and to each morphism f: a \rightarrow b in \mathcal the natural transformation \eta in \mat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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Category Theory
Category theory is a general theory of mathematical structures and their relations. It was introduced by Samuel Eilenberg and Saunders Mac Lane in the middle of the 20th century in their foundational work on algebraic topology. Category theory is used in most areas of mathematics. In particular, many constructions of new mathematical objects from previous ones that appear similarly in several contexts are conveniently expressed and unified in terms of categories. Examples include quotient space (other), quotient spaces, direct products, completion, and duality (mathematics), duality. Many areas of computer science also rely on category theory, such as functional programming and Semantics (computer science), semantics. A category (mathematics), category is formed by two sorts of mathematical object, objects: the object (category theory), objects of the category, and the morphisms, which relate two objects called the ''source'' and the ''target'' of the morphism. Metapho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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Limit (category Theory)
In category theory, a branch of mathematics, the abstract notion of a limit captures the essential properties of universal constructions such as product (category theory), products, pullback (category theory), pullbacks and inverse limits. The duality (category theory), dual notion of a colimit generalizes constructions such as disjoint unions, direct sums, coproducts, pushout (category theory), pushouts and direct limits. Limits and colimits, like the strongly related notions of universal property, universal properties and adjoint functors, exist at a high level of abstraction. In order to understand them, it is helpful to first study the specific examples these concepts are meant to generalize. Definition Limits and colimits in a category (mathematics), category C are defined by means of diagrams in C. Formally, a diagram (category theory), diagram of shape J in C is a functor from J to C: :F:J\to C. The category J is thought of as an index category, and the diagram F is tho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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Cone (category Theory)
In category theory, a branch of mathematics, the cone of a functor is an abstract notion used to define the limit of that functor. Cones make other appearances in category theory as well. Definition Let ''F'' : ''J'' → ''C'' be a diagram in ''C''. Formally, a diagram is nothing more than a functor from ''J'' to ''C''. The change in terminology reflects the fact that we think of ''F'' as indexing a family of objects and morphisms in ''C''. The category ''J'' is thought of as an "index category". One should consider this in analogy with the concept of an indexed family of objects in set theory. The primary difference is that here we have morphisms as well. Thus, for example, when ''J'' is a discrete category, it corresponds most closely to the idea of an indexed family in set theory. Another common and more interesting example takes ''J'' to be a span. ''J'' can also be taken to be the empty category, leading to the simplest cones. Let ''N'' be an object of ''C''. A cone f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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Coproduct
In category theory, the coproduct, or categorical sum, is a construction which includes as examples the disjoint union of sets and of topological spaces, the free product of groups, and the direct sum of modules and vector spaces. The coproduct of a family of objects is essentially the "least specific" object to which each object in the family admits a morphism. It is the category-theoretic dual notion to the categorical product, which means the definition is the same as the product but with all arrows reversed. Despite this seemingly innocuous change in the name and notation, coproducts can be and typically are dramatically different from products within a given category. Definition Let C be a category and let X_1 and X_2 be objects of C. An object is called the coproduct of X_1 and X_2, written X_1 \sqcup X_2, or X_1 \oplus X_2, or sometimes simply X_1 + X_2, if there exist morphisms i_1 : X_1 \to X_1 \sqcup X_2 and i_2 : X_2 \to X_1 \sqcup X_2 that satisfies th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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Product (category Theory)
In category theory, the product of two (or more) object (category theory), objects in a category (mathematics), category is a notion designed to capture the essence behind constructions in other areas of mathematics such as the Cartesian product of set (mathematics), sets, the direct product of group (mathematics), groups or ring (mathematics), rings, and the product topology, product of topological spaces. Essentially, the product of a indexed family, family of objects is the "most general" object which admits a morphism to each of the given objects. Definition Product of two objects Fix a category C. Let X_1 and X_2 be objects of C. A product of X_1 and X_2 is an object X, typically denoted X_1 \times X_2, equipped with a pair of morphisms \pi_1 : X \to X_1, \pi_2 : X \to X_2 satisfying the following universal property: * For every object Y and every pair of morphisms f_1 : Y \to X_1, f_2 : Y \to X_2, there exists a unique morphism f : Y \to X_1 \times X_2 such that the follo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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Adjoint Functors
In mathematics, specifically category theory, adjunction is a relationship that two functors may exhibit, intuitively corresponding to a weak form of equivalence between two related categories. Two functors that stand in this relationship are known as adjoint functors, one being the left adjoint and the other the right adjoint. Pairs of adjoint functors are ubiquitous in mathematics and often arise from constructions of "optimal solutions" to certain problems (i.e., constructions of objects having a certain universal property), such as the construction of a free group on a set in algebra, or the construction of the Stone–Čech compactification of a topological space in topology. By definition, an adjunction between categories \mathcal and \mathcal is a pair of functors (assumed to be covariant) :F: \mathcal \rightarrow \mathcal and G: \mathcal \rightarrow \mathcal and, for all objects c in \mathcal and d in \mathcal, a bijection between the respective morphism sets :\ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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Complete Category
In mathematics, a complete category is a category in which all small limits exist. That is, a category ''C'' is complete if every diagram ''F'' : ''J'' → ''C'' (where ''J'' is small) has a limit in ''C''. Dually, a cocomplete category is one in which all small colimits exist. A bicomplete category is a category which is both complete and cocomplete. The existence of ''all'' limits (even when ''J'' is a proper class) is too strong to be practically relevant. Any category with this property is necessarily a thin category: for any two objects there can be at most one morphism from one object to the other. A weaker form of completeness is that of finite completeness. A category is finitely complete if all finite limits exists (i.e. limits of diagrams indexed by a finite category ''J''). Dually, a category is finitely cocomplete if all finite colimits exist. Theorems It follows from the existence theorem for limits that a category is complete if and only if it has equalizers (o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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Universal Arrow
In mathematics, more specifically in category theory, a universal property is a property that characterizes up to an isomorphism the result of some constructions. Thus, universal properties can be used for defining some objects independently from the method chosen for constructing them. For example, the definitions of the integers from the natural numbers, of the rational numbers from the integers, of the real numbers from the rational numbers, and of polynomial rings from the field of their coefficients can all be done in terms of universal properties. In particular, the concept of universal property allows a simple proof that all constructions of real numbers are equivalent: it suffices to prove that they satisfy the same universal property. Technically, a universal property is defined in terms of categories and functors by means of a universal morphism (see , below). Universal morphisms can also be thought more abstractly as initial or terminal objects of a comma category ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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Comma Category
In mathematics, a comma category (a special case being a slice category) is a construction in category theory. It provides another way of looking at morphisms: instead of simply relating objects of a Category (mathematics), category to one another, morphisms become objects in their own right. This notion was introduced in 1963 by William Lawvere, F. W. Lawvere (Lawvere, 1963 p. 36), although the technique did not become generally known until many years later. Several mathematical concepts can be treated as comma categories. Comma categories also guarantee the existence of some Limit (category theory), limits and colimits. The name comes from the notation originally used by Lawvere, which involved the comma punctuation mark. The name persists even though standard notation has changed, since the use of a comma as an operator is potentially confusing, and even Lawvere dislikes the uninformative term "comma category" (Lawvere, 1963 p. 13). Definition The most general comma ca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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Cone (category Theory)
In category theory, a branch of mathematics, the cone of a functor is an abstract notion used to define the limit of that functor. Cones make other appearances in category theory as well. Definition Let ''F'' : ''J'' → ''C'' be a diagram in ''C''. Formally, a diagram is nothing more than a functor from ''J'' to ''C''. The change in terminology reflects the fact that we think of ''F'' as indexing a family of objects and morphisms in ''C''. The category ''J'' is thought of as an "index category". One should consider this in analogy with the concept of an indexed family of objects in set theory. The primary difference is that here we have morphisms as well. Thus, for example, when ''J'' is a discrete category, it corresponds most closely to the idea of an indexed family in set theory. Another common and more interesting example takes ''J'' to be a span. ''J'' can also be taken to be the empty category, leading to the simplest cones. Let ''N'' be an object of ''C''. A cone f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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Colimit
In category theory, a branch of mathematics, the abstract notion of a limit captures the essential properties of universal constructions such as products, pullbacks and inverse limits. The dual notion of a colimit generalizes constructions such as disjoint unions, direct sums, coproducts, pushouts and direct limits. Limits and colimits, like the strongly related notions of universal properties and adjoint functors, exist at a high level of abstraction. In order to understand them, it is helpful to first study the specific examples these concepts are meant to generalize. Definition Limits and colimits in a category C are defined by means of diagrams in C. Formally, a diagram of shape J in C is a functor from J to C: :F:J\to C. The category J is thought of as an index category, and the diagram F is thought of as indexing a collection of objects and morphisms in C patterned on J. One is most often interested in the case where the category J is a small or even finite cat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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Discrete Category
In mathematics, in the field of category theory, a discrete category is a category whose only morphisms are the identity morphisms: :hom''C''(''X'', ''X'') = {id''X''} for all objects ''X'' :hom''C''(''X'', ''Y'') = ∅ for all objects ''X'' ≠ ''Y'' Since by axioms, there is always the identity morphism between the same object, we can express the above as condition on the cardinality of the hom-set :, hom''C''(''X'', ''Y'') , is 1 when ''X'' = ''Y'' and 0 when ''X'' is not equal to ''Y''. Some authors prefer a weaker notion, where a discrete category merely needs to be equivalent to such a category. Simple facts Any class of objects defines a discrete category when augmented with identity maps. Any subcategory of a discrete category is discrete. Also, a category is discrete if and only if all of its subcategories are full. The limit of any functor from a discrete category into another category is called a product, while the colimit is called a coproduct. Thus, for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |