In
mathematics, the term simple is used to describe an
algebraic structure which in some sense cannot be divided by a smaller structure of the same type. Put another way, an algebraic structure is simple if the
kernel
Kernel may refer to:
Computing
* Kernel (operating system), the central component of most operating systems
* Kernel (image processing), a matrix used for image convolution
* Compute kernel, in GPGPU programming
* Kernel method, in machine learn ...
of every homomorphism is either the whole structure or a single element. Some examples are:
* A
group
A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together.
Groups of people
* Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity
* Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic ide ...
is called a
simple group
SIMPLE Group Limited is a conglomeration of separately run companies that each has its core area in International Consulting. The core business areas are Legal Services, Fiduciary Activities, Banking Intermediation and Corporate Service.
The d ...
if it does not contain a nontrivial proper
normal subgroup.
* A
ring
Ring may refer to:
* Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry
* To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell
:(hence) to initiate a telephone connection
Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...
is called a
simple ring In abstract algebra, a branch of mathematics, a simple ring is a non-zero ring that has no two-sided ideal besides the zero ideal and itself. In particular, a commutative ring is a simple ring if and only if it is a field.
The center of a sim ...
if it does not contain a nontrivial
two sided ideal.
* A
module
Module, modular and modularity may refer to the concept of modularity. They may also refer to:
Computing and engineering
* Modular design, the engineering discipline of designing complex devices using separately designed sub-components
* Mo ...
is called a
simple module In mathematics, specifically in ring theory, the simple modules over a ring ''R'' are the (left or right) modules over ''R'' that are non-zero and have no non-zero proper submodules. Equivalently, a module ''M'' is simple if and only if every cy ...
if it does not contain a nontrivial
submodule
In mathematics, a module is a generalization of the notion of vector space in which the field of scalars is replaced by a ring. The concept of ''module'' generalizes also the notion of abelian group, since the abelian groups are exactly the mo ...
.
* An
algebra
Algebra () is one of the broad areas of mathematics. Roughly speaking, algebra is the study of mathematical symbols and the rules for manipulating these symbols in formulas; it is a unifying thread of almost all of mathematics.
Elementary ...
is called a
simple algebra if it does not contain a nontrivial
two sided ideal.
The general pattern is that the structure admits no non-trivial
congruence relations.
The term is used differently in
semigroup
In mathematics, a semigroup is an algebraic structure consisting of a set together with an associative internal binary operation on it.
The binary operation of a semigroup is most often denoted multiplicatively: ''x''ยท''y'', or simply ''xy'', ...
theory. A semigroup is said to be ''simple'' if it has no nontrivial
ideals, or equivalently, if
Green's relation ''J'' is
the universal relation. Not every congruence on a semigroup is associated with an ideal, so a simple semigroup may
have nontrivial congruences. A semigroup with no nontrivial congruences is called ''congruence simple''.
See also
*
semisimple
In mathematics, semi-simplicity is a widespread concept in disciplines such as linear algebra, abstract algebra, representation theory, category theory, and algebraic geometry. A semi-simple object is one that can be decomposed into a sum of ''sim ...
*
simple universal algebra
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simple (Abstract Algebra)
Abstract algebra