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Magma


Throughout abstract algebra, the term "magma" is most often used as a synonym of the more antiquated term "groupoid," referring to a set equipped with a binary operator. The term is thought to have originated with Bourbaki.

Unlike the term "groupoid" which has a number of different uses across algebra, the term "magma" has the benefit of being essentially unused in other contexts. On the other hand, the use of the term "magma" appears to be somewhat less common in literature.


See also

Abstract Algebra, Binary Operation, Groupoid, Set

This entry contributed by Christopher Stover

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References

Bourbaki, N. Elements of Mathematics: Algebra I, Chapters 1-3. Berlin: Springer-Verlag, 1998.Bourbaki, N. Elements of Mathematics: Algebra II, Chapters 4-7. Berlin: Springer-Verlag, 2003.

Cite this as:

Stover, Christopher. "Magma." From MathWorld--A Wolfram Web Resource, created by Eric W. Weisstein. https://mathworld.wolfram.com/Magma.html

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