Questions tagged [universal-algebra]
The study of algebraic structures and properties applying to large classes of such structures. For example, ideas from group theory and ring theory are extended and considered for structures with other signatures (systems of basic or fundamental operations).
36 questions from the last 365 days
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A syntactic characterisation of morphisms of algebraic theories whose induced algebraic functors admit right adjoints
Let $f : S \to T$ be a morphism of algebraic theories. Such a morphism induces a monadic functor $f^* : \mathrm{Mod}(T) \to \mathrm{Mod}(S)$ (hence $f^*$ has a left adjoint). We may view $f$ ...
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6
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1
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Is it possible that the number of $\mathcal{T}$-algebras is an arithmetic progression?
For a single-sorted algebraic theory $\mathcal{T}$ denote by $t_n$ the number of $\mathcal{T}$-algebras with $n$ elements (up to isomorphism). Is there an example for $\mathcal{T}$ such that ...
- 63.1k
4
votes
2
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Notion of prime congruences
We have the idea of a prime ideal in a commutative ring $R$ but in universal algebra, we generalize the notion of ideal to that of a congruence. I’ve thought over the question of what a prime ...
- 293
1
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0
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Lawvere theory and presentations of groups
In his dissertation on "Functorial semantics of algebraic theories", Lawvere says in his introduction that
"from the category (or more precisely from an underlying-set functor)
we can ...
7
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1
answer
330
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Is the partial order of all equations in the signature of magmas a lattice?
$\newcommand\Eq{\mathrm{Eq}}$I asked this question on math stack exchange, here, but there were no comments or answers. So, I am asking it here on mathoverflow. Consider the signature of a single ...
- 2,013
9
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1
answer
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Is the number of varieties of groups still unknown?
A variety of groups is a class of groups satisfying a specified set of equations. Equivalently, it is a class of groups that is closed under homomorphic images, subgroups, and direct products. A ...
- 63.1k
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0
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What happens if we add an initial object to a Lawvere theory?
Motivation
There is a theory of smooth spaces (for example, diffeological spaces) as certain sheaves on the site $\mathrm{Cart}$, which is the "category of cartesian spaces" whose objects ...
- 355
8
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2
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If a semigroup embeds into a group, then is it a subdirect product of groups?
The title has it all:
Q. If a semigroup $S$ embeds into a group, then is $S$ (isomorphic to) a subdirect product of groups?
If yes, then $S$ is a subdirect product of subdirectly irreducible groups,...
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3
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0
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152
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What is known about the word problem on free algebraic models?
Consider the fragment of first-order logic with equality and universal quantification as the only logical symbols; we call this logic the logic of universal algebra. I am interested in languages $\...
7
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2
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Is every cancellative semigroup a subdirect product of subdirectly irreducible cancellative semigroups?
By a classical result of Birkhoff (that is, Theorem 2 in [G. Birkhoff, Subdirect unions in universal algebra, Bull. AMS, 1944]) and the trivial fact that the class of semigroups is closed under the ...
- 10.5k
2
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0
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Are there two equations with no equation strictly between them, but at least one quasi-equation between them?
I asked this question on Math Stack Exchange a while ago, but no one has responded yet. So, I am asking it here. Consider the signature of a single binary operation $+$, and consider the set $Eq$ of ...
- 2,013
11
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1
answer
415
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Examples of natural algebraic irreflexive relations
To motivate the question, consider the theory of rings.
Define $x \parallel y$ to mean $\exists w \exists z .((x - y) z = w (x - y) = 1)$, or in words, "$x - y$ is a unit".
Then $\parallel$ ...
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1
vote
0
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73
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Why can we not convert GATs / EATs / limit sketches to sites?
I think I'm in the process of understanding something very subtle here, and I could use an expert's double check. So basically, my question is whether what I write is correct.
(Non-finitary) GATs, ...
- 511
16
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0
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218
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If a map between unital rings preserves multiplication and successor, does it preserve addition?
Welcome to my first MathOverflow posting!
This is a question about rings, all of them assumed to be both unital and associative.
Let $f\colon R\to S$ be a map between rings such that $f(xy)=f(x)f(y)$ ...
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2
votes
1
answer
118
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Reference request for a proof of the fact that every congruence-permutable variety is semidegenerate
Given an algebra $\mathbf{A}$, a pair of congruences
$ \alpha ,\beta \in Con(\mathbf {A})$ are said to permute when
$ \alpha \circ \beta =\beta \circ \alpha$, and an algebra
$\mathbf{A}$ is called ...
- 21
14
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2
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725
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Are there any non-conjugation "extendible automorphisms" in the category of finite groups?
Let $\mathbf{Grp}$ be the category of groups. Given a subcategory $\mathscr{G}$ of $\mathbf{Grp}$ and $G\in\mathit{Ob}(\mathscr{G})$, a $\mathscr{G}$-extendible map on $G$ will here mean an assignment ...
- 21.2k
5
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0
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81
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Which pseudovarieties have (Eilenberg/Schutzenberger) minimal descriptions?
Suppose $\mathscr{V}$ is a pseudovariety in a countable language $\Sigma$. Say that a minimal description of $\mathscr{V}$ (in the sense of Eilenberg/Schutzenberger rather than Reiterman) is a pair $(...
- 21.2k
3
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0
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Counting Eilenberg/Schutzenberger-type definitions of pseudovarieties
See Eilenberg/Schutzenberger, On pseudovarieties for background on pseudovarieties. I've phrased things in terms of pairs-of-sets to avoid some annoying language about multisets. Also, I'm aware that ...
- 21.2k
4
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1
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Is $\mathbb Z$ prime in the class of abelian groups?
Let $B$, $C$, and $D$ be abelian groups such that $\mathbb Z\times B$ is isomorphic to $C\times D$.
Is there a group $E$ such that $C$ or $D$ is isomorphic to $\mathbb Z\times E$?
Reference: page 263 ...
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4
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1
answer
150
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Comparing semiring of formulas and Lindenbaum algebra
This is motivationally related to an earlier question of mine.
Given a first-order theory $T$, let $\widehat{D}(T)$ be the semiring defined as follows:
Elements of $\widehat{D}(T)$ are equivalence ...
- 21.2k
1
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1
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215
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Reference about cancellation property for semigroups
Have the semigroups with the following cancellation property been studied?
Property: Let $S$ be a semigroup and $x,y\in S$ such that $xz=yz,$ for all $z\in S,$ then $x=y$.
- 313
2
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0
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196
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On "necessary connectives" in a structure
Given a clone $\mathcal{C}$ over $\{\top,\perp\}$, let $\mathsf{FOL}^\mathcal{C}$ be the version of first-order logic with connectives from $\mathcal{C}$ in place of the usual Booleans. Given a clone $...
- 21.2k
3
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0
answers
115
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Are "equi-expressivity" relations always congruences on Post's lattice?
Given a clone $\mathcal{C}$ over the set $\{\top,\perp\}$, let $\mathsf{FOL}^\mathcal{C}$ be the version of first-order logic with (symbols corresponding to) elements of $\mathcal{C}$ replacing the ...
- 21.2k
13
votes
4
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843
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What is a "general" relation algebra?
I'm trying to understand why (or if) the axioms of relation algebras are "the right ones." For example, we can back up the idea that the group axioms exactly capture the notion of "...
- 21.2k
2
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0
answers
128
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What is the name of the largest subobject where a map is equivariant?
Suppose we have two objects $X,Y$ with a $G$-operation and a non-equivariant map between them. In this situation, we can look at the largest subobject $X'$ of $X$ on which $f$ is $G$-equivariant.
Is ...
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9
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2
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377
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Reference for an old result of P. M. Cohn
As it was shown by Malcev, unlike the commutative case, in which every domain can be embedded in a field, there are noncommutative domains that can't be embedded in a division ring.
For noncommutative ...
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8
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1
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282
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About the characterization of categories of model of algebraic theories
So, in his Handbook of categorical algebra Vol 2, Borceux states a theorem (the 3.9.1, page 158) that says that:
Given a category $C$ with a functor $U:C \to Set$, $C$ is the category of models of a (...
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2
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0
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81
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The involutive structure on a division ring
This question is motivated by foundations of geometry, namely, by studying scalars in affine spaces.
Let $F$ be a field (or better a division ring). It has the operations of addition and ...
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2
votes
1
answer
480
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homotopic to a constant map
Let $X$ and $Y$ be topological spaces and more precisely connected finite CW complexes.
Let $f\colon X \to Y$ be a continuous map such that there exist a second continuous map $F\colon X^3 \to Y$ and
$...
- 185
8
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0
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148
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What is this quotient of the free product?
Previously asked at MSE. The construction here can generalize to arbitrary algebras (in the sense of universal algebra) in the same signature with the only needed tweak being the replacement of "...
- 21.2k
4
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1
answer
254
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Are there atoms in the lattice of intermediate logics?
A few days ago I stumbled upon this question on MS. The question is: Does the lattice of intermediate logics have an atom, i.e. an element that is strictly stronger than IPC but not strictly stronger ...
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3
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1
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142
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Is there any (specially Algebraic Geometrical) exposition of Koike Terada's Young-diagrammatic methods for the representation theory paper?
I am talking about the paper by Koike, Kazuhiko and Terada, Itaru, Young-diagrammatic methods for the representation theory of the classical groups of type ($B_n$), ($C_n$), ($D_n$), J. Algebra 107, ...
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Reciprocity for algebra objects in two algebraic categories
I think this question Compact Hausdorff and C^*-algebra "objects" in a category. shows that there is no reciprocity between categories of algebra-objects of two algebraic categories.
So, ...
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5
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1
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376
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Kuratowski's 14 theorem and universal algebra
For a tuple of functions $\overline{p}$ on a set $Y$, let $cl_{\overline{p}}$ be the associated closure operation: $cl_{\overline{p}}(Z)$ is the smallest subset of $Y$ containing $Z$ and closed under ...
- 21.2k
7
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1
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How much choice is needed to prove the completeness of equational logic?
All the proofs of the completeness of (Birkhoff's) equational logic I have read seem to pick representatives for equivalence classes of terms and hence require the axiom of choice. Is AC (or a weak ...
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5
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0
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Classifying the algebraic structure on endomorphism sets
This is motivated by defining modules in a general sense, which is an appropriate homomorphism from $R$ to $\textrm{End}(X)$. If $X$ comes from different categories, the endomorphism set will have ...
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