Monday, 29 December 2008

abstract algebra - Canonical examples of algebraic structures

I often think of "universal examples". This is useful because then you can actually prove something in the general case - at least theoretically - just by looking at these examples.



Semigroup: mathbbN with + or



Group: Automorphism groups of sets (Sym(n)) or of polyhedra (e.g. D(n)).



Virtual cyclic group: Semidirect products mathbbZrtimesmathbbZ/n.



Abelian group: mathbbZn



Non-finitely generated group: mathbbQ



Divisible group: mathbbQ/mathbbZ



Ring: mathbbZ[x1,...,xn]



Graded ring: Singular cohomology of a space.



Ring without unit: 2mathbbZ, C0(mathbbN)



Non-commutative ring: Endomorphisms of abelian groups, such as Mn(mathbbZ).



Non-noetherian ring: mathbbZ[x1,x2,...].



Ring with zero divisors: mathbbZ[x]/x2



Principal ideal domain which is not euclidean: mathbbZ[(1+sqrt19)/2]



Finite ring: mathbbFn2.



Local ring: Fields, and the p-adics mathbbZp



Non-smooth k-algebra: k[x,y]/(x2y3)



Field: mathbbQ,mathbbFp



Field extension: mathbbQ(i)/mathbbQ,k(t)/k



Module: sections of a vector bundle. Free <=> trivial. Point <=> vector space.



Flat / non-flat module: mathbbQ and mathbbZ/2 over mathbbZ



Locally free, but not free module: (2,1+sqrt5) over mathbbZ[sqrt5]



... perhaps I should stop here, this is an infinite list.

No comments:

Post a Comment