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Incidence Algebra
In order theory, a field of mathematics, an incidence algebra is an associative algebra, defined for every locally finite partially ordered set and commutative ring with unity. Subalgebras called reduced incidence algebras give a natural construction of various types of generating functions used in combinatorics and number theory. Definition A locally finite poset is one in which every closed interval : 'a, b''= is finite. The members of the incidence algebra are the functions ''f'' assigning to each nonempty interval 'a, b''a scalar ''f''(''a'', ''b''), which is taken from the ''ring of scalars'', a commutative ring with unity. On this underlying set one defines addition and scalar multiplication pointwise, and "multiplication" in the incidence algebra is a convolution defined by :(f*g)(a, b)=\sum_f(a, x)g(x, b). An incidence algebra is finite-dimensional if and only if the underlying poset is finite. Related concepts An incidence algebra is analogous to a group algebr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Order Theory
Order theory is a branch of mathematics that investigates the intuitive notion of order using binary relations. It provides a formal framework for describing statements such as "this is less than that" or "this precedes that". This article introduces the field and provides basic definitions. A list of order-theoretic terms can be found in the order theory glossary. Background and motivation Orders are everywhere in mathematics and related fields like computer science. The first order often discussed in primary school is the standard order on the natural numbers e.g. "2 is less than 3", "10 is greater than 5", or "Does Tom have fewer cookies than Sally?". This intuitive concept can be extended to orders on other sets of numbers, such as the integers and the reals. The idea of being greater than or less than another number is one of the basic intuitions of number systems (compare with numeral systems) in general (although one usually is also interested in the actual difference ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
