In mathematics, the symmetric algebra S(V) (also denoted Sym(V)) on a vector space V over a field K is a commutative algebra over K that contains V, and is, in some sense, minimal for this property. Here, "minimal" means that S(V) satisfies the following universal property: for every linear map f from V to a commutative algebra A, there is a unique algebra homomorphism g : S(V) → A such that f = g ∘ i, where i is the inclusion map of V in S(V).
If B is a basis of V, the symmetric algebra S(V) can be identified, through a canonical isomorphism, to the polynomial ring K[B], where the elements of B are considered as indeterminates. Therefore, the symmetric algebra over V can be viewed as a "coordinate free" polynomial ring over V.
The symmetric algebra S(V) can be built as the quotient of the tensor algebra T(V) by the two-sided ideal generated by the elements of the form x ⊗ y − y ⊗ x.
All these definitions and properties extend naturally to the case where V is a module (not necessarily a free one) over a commutative ring.
It is possible to use the tensor algebra T(V) to describe the symmetric algebra S(V). In fact, S(V) can be defined as the quotient algebra of T(V) by the two-sided ideal generated by the commutators
It is straightforward to verify that the resulting algebra satisfies the universal property stated in the introduction. Because of the universal property of the tensor algebra, a linear map f from V to a commutative algebra A extends to an algebra homomorphism , which factors through S(V) because A is commutative. The extension of f
to an algebra homomorphism is unique because V generates A as a K-algebra.
This results also directly from a general result of , which asserts that the composition of two left adjoint functors is also a left adjoint functor. Here, the forgetful functor from commutative algebras to vector spaces or modules (forgetting the multiplication) is the composition of the forgetful functors from commutative algebras to associative algebras (forgetting commutativity), and from associative algebras to vectors or modules (forgetting the multiplication).
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Algebra () is the study of variables and the rules for manipulating these variables in formulas; it is a unifying thread of almost all of mathematics. Elementary algebra deals with the manipulation of variables (commonly represented by Roman letters) as if they were numbers and is therefore essential in all applications of mathematics. Abstract algebra is the name given, mostly in education, to the study of algebraic structures such as groups, rings, and fields.
In mathematics, the tensor algebra of a vector space V, denoted T(V) or T^•(V), is the algebra of tensors on V (of any rank) with multiplication being the tensor product. It is the free algebra on V, in the sense of being left adjoint to the forgetful functor from algebras to vector spaces: it is the "most general" algebra containing V, in the sense of the corresponding universal property (see below). The tensor algebra is important because many other algebras arise as quotient algebras of T(V).
In abstract algebra, the Weyl algebra is the ring of differential operators with polynomial coefficients (in one variable), namely expressions of the form More precisely, let F be the underlying field, and let F[X] be the ring of polynomials in one variable, X, with coefficients in F. Then each fi lies in F[X]. ∂X is the derivative with respect to X. The algebra is generated by X and ∂X. The Weyl algebra is an example of a simple ring that is not a matrix ring over a division ring.