Kernel (set theory)In set theory, the kernel of a function (or equivalence kernel) may be taken to be either the equivalence relation on the function's domain that roughly expresses the idea of "equivalent as far as the function can tell", or the corresponding partition of the domain. An unrelated notion is that of the kernel of a non-empty family of sets which by definition is the intersection of all its elements: This definition is used in the theory of filters to classify them as being free or principal.
Quotient space (linear algebra)In linear algebra, the quotient of a vector space by a subspace is a vector space obtained by "collapsing" to zero. The space obtained is called a quotient space and is denoted (read " mod " or " by "). Formally, the construction is as follows. Let be a vector space over a field , and let be a subspace of . We define an equivalence relation on by stating that if . That is, is related to if one can be obtained from the other by adding an element of .
Congruence relationIn abstract algebra, a congruence relation (or simply congruence) is an equivalence relation on an algebraic structure (such as a group, ring, or vector space) that is compatible with the structure in the sense that algebraic operations done with equivalent elements will yield equivalent elements. Every congruence relation has a corresponding quotient structure, whose elements are the equivalence classes (or congruence classes) for the relation. The prototypical example of a congruence relation is congruence modulo on the set of integers.
Isomorphism theoremsIn mathematics, specifically abstract algebra, the isomorphism theorems (also known as Noether's isomorphism theorems) are theorems that describe the relationship between quotients, homomorphisms, and subobjects. Versions of the theorems exist for groups, rings, vector spaces, modules, Lie algebras, and various other algebraic structures. In universal algebra, the isomorphism theorems can be generalized to the context of algebras and congruences.
