群是一个集合G,连同一个运算"·",它结合任何两个元素a和b而形成另一个元素,记为a·b。符号"·"是对具体给出的运算,比如整数加法的一般占位符。要具备成为群的资格,这个集合和运算(G,·)必须满足叫做群公理的四个要求:
公理1. 封闭性: 对于所有G中的元素a, b,运算a·b的结果也在G中。
公理2. 结合性: 对于所有G中的a, b和c,等式 (a·b)·c = a· (b·c)成立。
公理3. 恒等元: 存在G中的一个元素e,使得对于所有G中的元素a,等式e·a = a·e = a成立。
实际上,在群G中,这四条公理必须成立。
进行群运算的次序是极重要的。换句话说,把元素a与元素b结合,所得到的结果不一定与把元素b与元素a结合相同;亦即,下列等式不一定恒成立:
a ? b = b ? a
这个等式在整数对于加法下的群中总是成立的,因为对于任何两个整数都有a + b = b + a(加法的交换律)。但是在对称群的例子中不总是成立。使等式a·b = b·a总是成立的群叫做阿贝尔群(以尼尔斯·阿贝尔命名)。因此,整数加法群是阿贝尔群,而对称群不是。
袁萌 2月22日
The axioms for agroup are short and natural... Yet somehow hidden behind these axioms is themonster simple group, a huge and extraordinary mathematical object, whichappears to rely on numerous bizarre coincidences to exist. The axioms forgroups give no obvious hint that anything like this exists.
Richard Borcherds in Mathematicians: An Outer View of the Inner World[4]
A group is a set,G, together with an operation ? (called the group law of G) that combines anytwo elements a and b to form another element, denoted a ? b or ab. To qualifyas a group, the set and operation, (G, ?), must satisfy four requirements knownas the group axioms:[5]
群的4条公理如下:
Closure封闭性公理
For all a, b in G, theresult of the operation, a ? b, is also in G
Associativity结合公理
For all a, b and c in G, (a ?b) ? c = a ? (b ? c).
Identity element恒等元公理
There exists an element e inG such that, for every element a in G, the equation e ? a = a ? e = a holds.Such an element is unique (see below), and thus one speaks of the identityelement.
Inverse element逆元公理
For each a in G, there existsan element b in G, commonly denoted a?1 (or ?a, if the operation is denoted "+"),such that a ? b = b ? a = e, where e is the identity element.
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