Number of Distinct Functions on n Variables obtained by Permutation/Historical Note
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Historical Note on Number of Distinct Functions on n Variables obtained by Permutation
The general problem of the number of different distinct functions obtained on permutation of the variables was one of the motivating questions that inspired group theory.
Results of this type were supplied by many early group theorists, including Joseph Louis Lagrange, Paolo Ruffini, Niels Henrik Abel, Augustin Louis Cauchy and Évariste Galois.
Sources
- 1971: Allan Clark: Elements of Abstract Algebra ... (previous) ... (next): Chapter $2$: The Symmetric Groups: $\S 85 \alpha$