Definition:Power of Element/Semigroup
Definition
Let $\struct {S, \circ}$ be a semigroup which has no identity element.
Let $a \in S$.
For $n \in \N_{>0}$, the $n$th power of $a$ (under $\circ$) is defined as:
- $\circ^n a = \begin{cases} a & : n = 1 \\ \paren {\circ^m a} \circ a & : n = m + 1 \end{cases}$
That is:
- $a^n = \underbrace {a \circ a \circ \cdots \circ a}_{n \text{ copies of } a}$
which from the General Associativity Theorem is unambiguous.
Notation
Let $\paren {S, \circ}$ be a semigroup.
Let $a \in S$.
Let $\circ^n a$ be the $n$th power of $a$ under $\circ$.
The usual notation for $\circ^n a$ in a general algebraic structure is $a^n$, where the operation is implicit and its symbol omitted.
In an algebraic structure in which $\circ$ is addition, or derived from addition, this can be written $n a$ or $n \cdot a$, that is, $n$ times $a$.
Thus:
- $a^1 = \circ^1 a = a$
and in general:
- $\forall n \in \N_{>0}: a^{n + 1} = \circ^{n + 1} a = \paren {\circ^n a} \circ a = \paren {a^n} \circ a$
When the operation is addition of numbers or another commutative operation derived from addition, the following symbology is often used:
- $n a = \begin{cases} a & : n = 1 \\ \paren {n - 1} a + a & : n > 1 \end{cases}$
Sometimes, for clarity, $n \cdot a$ is preferred to $n a$.
Also see
Sources
- 1965: J.A. Green: Sets and Groups ... (previous) ... (next): $\S 4.2$. Commutative and associative operations
- 1974: Thomas W. Hungerford: Algebra ... (previous) ... (next): $\text{I}$: Groups: $\S 1$: Semigroups, Monoids and Groups
- 1978: Thomas A. Whitelaw: An Introduction to Abstract Algebra ... (previous) ... (next): $\S 30$. Powers of an element in a semigroup