In abstract algebra, an interior algebra is a certain type of algebraic structure that encodes the idea of the topological interior of a set. Interior algebras are to topology and the modal logic S4 what Boolean algebras are to set theory and ordinary propositional logic. Interior algebras form a variety of modal algebras.
Definition
An interior algebra is an algebraic structure with the signature
:⟨S, ·, +, ′, 0, 1, I⟩
where
:⟨S, ·, +, ′, 0, 1⟩
is a Boolean algebra and postfix I designates a unary operator, the interior operator, satisfying the identities:
xI ≤ x
xII = xI
(xy)I = xIyI
1I = 1
xI is called the interior of x.
The dual of the interior operator is the closure operator C defined by xC = ((x′)I)′. xC is called the closure of x. By the principle of duality, the closure operator satisfies the identities:
xC ≥ x
xCC = xC
(x + y)C = xC + yC
0C = 0
If the closure operator is taken as primitive, the interior operator can be defined as xI = ((x′)