Derived functorIn mathematics, certain functors may be derived to obtain other functors closely related to the original ones. This operation, while fairly abstract, unifies a number of constructions throughout mathematics. It was noted in various quite different settings that a short exact sequence often gives rise to a "long exact sequence". The concept of derived functors explains and clarifies many of these observations. Suppose we are given a covariant left exact functor F : A → B between two A and B.
Free objectIn mathematics, the idea of a free object is one of the basic concepts of abstract algebra. Informally, a free object over a set A can be thought of as being a "generic" algebraic structure over A: the only equations that hold between elements of the free object are those that follow from the defining axioms of the algebraic structure. Examples include free groups, tensor algebras, or free lattices. The concept is a part of universal algebra, in the sense that it relates to all types of algebraic structure (with finitary operations).
Projective coverIn the branch of abstract mathematics called , a projective cover of an object X is in a sense the best approximation of X by a projective object P. Projective covers are the of injective envelopes. Let be a and X an object in . A projective cover is a pair (P,p), with P a projective object in and p a superfluous epimorphism in Hom(P, X). If R is a ring, then in the category of R-modules, a superfluous epimorphism is then an epimorphism such that the kernel of p is a superfluous submodule of P.
Localization (commutative algebra)In commutative algebra and algebraic geometry, localization is a formal way to introduce the "denominators" to a given ring or module. That is, it introduces a new ring/module out of an existing ring/module R, so that it consists of fractions such that the denominator s belongs to a given subset S of R. If S is the set of the non-zero elements of an integral domain, then the localization is the field of fractions: this case generalizes the construction of the field of rational numbers from the ring of integers.
Ext functorIn mathematics, the Ext functors are the derived functors of the Hom functor. Along with the Tor functor, Ext is one of the core concepts of homological algebra, in which ideas from algebraic topology are used to define invariants of algebraic structures. The cohomology of groups, Lie algebras, and associative algebras can all be defined in terms of Ext. The name comes from the fact that the first Ext group Ext1 classifies extensions of one module by another. In the special case of abelian groups, Ext was introduced by Reinhold Baer (1934).
Representable functorIn mathematics, particularly , a representable functor is a certain functor from an arbitrary into the . Such functors give representations of an abstract category in terms of known structures (i.e. sets and functions) allowing one to utilize, as much as possible, knowledge about the category of sets in other settings. From another point of view, representable functors for a category C are the functors given with C. Their theory is a vast generalisation of upper sets in posets, and of Cayley's theorem in group theory.
Torsion-free moduleIn algebra, a torsion-free module is a module over a ring such that zero is the only element annihilated by a regular element (non zero-divisor) of the ring. In other words, a module is torsion free if its torsion submodule is reduced to its zero element. In integral domains the regular elements of the ring are its nonzero elements, so in this case a torsion-free module is one such that zero is the only element annihilated by some non-zero element of the ring.
Tor functorIn mathematics, the Tor functors are the derived functors of the tensor product of modules over a ring. Along with the Ext functor, Tor is one of the central concepts of homological algebra, in which ideas from algebraic topology are used to construct invariants of algebraic structures. The homology of groups, Lie algebras, and associative algebras can all be defined in terms of Tor. The name comes from a relation between the first Tor group Tor1 and the torsion subgroup of an abelian group.
CardinalityIn mathematics, the cardinality of a set is a measure of the number of elements of the set. For example, the set contains 3 elements, and therefore has a cardinality of 3. Beginning in the late 19th century, this concept was generalized to infinite sets, which allows one to distinguish between different types of infinity, and to perform arithmetic on them. There are two approaches to cardinality: one which compares sets directly using bijections and injections, and another which uses cardinal numbers.
Noetherian schemeIn algebraic geometry, a noetherian scheme is a scheme that admits a finite covering by open affine subsets , noetherian rings. More generally, a scheme is locally noetherian if it is covered by spectra of noetherian rings. Thus, a scheme is noetherian if and only if it is locally noetherian and quasi-compact. As with noetherian rings, the concept is named after Emmy Noether. It can be shown that, in a locally noetherian scheme, if is an open affine subset, then A is a noetherian ring.
