Classification of grouplike categories

In this paper we study grouplike monoids, these are monoids that contain a group to which we add an ordered set of idempotents. We classify finite categories with two objects having grouplike endomorphism monoids, and we give a count of certain categories with grouplike monoids.Comment: Minor changes in Lemma 3.18. Added Definition 4.3, Lemma 4.4 and Remark 4.5. And the proof of Proposition 4.6 is improve

Bianchi spaces and their 3-dimensional isometries as S-expansions of 2-dimensional isometries

In this paper we show that some 3-dimensional isometry algebras, specifically those of type I, II, III and V (according Bianchi's classification), can be obtained as expansions of the isometries in 2 dimensions. It is shown that in general more than one semigroup will lead to the same result. It is impossible to obtain the algebras of type IV, VI-IX as an expansion from the isometry algebras in 2 dimensions. This means that the first set of algebras has properties that can be obtained from isometries in 2 dimensions while the second set has properties that are in some sense intrinsic in 3 dimensions. All the results are checked with computer programs. This procedure can be generalized to higher dimensions, which could be useful for diverse physical applications.Comment: 23 pages, one of the authors is new, title corrected, finite semigroup programming is added, the semigroup construction procedure is checked by computer programs, references to semigroup programming are added, last section is extended, appendix added, discussion of all the types of Bianchi spaces is include

Monoids of modules and arithmetic of direct-sum decompositions

Let $R$ be a (possibly noncommutative) ring and let $\mathcal C$ be a class of finitely generated (right) $R$-modules which is closed under finite direct sums, direct summands, and isomorphisms. Then the set $\mathcal V (\mathcal C)$ of isomorphism classes of modules is a commutative semigroup with operation induced by the direct sum. This semigroup encodes all possible information about direct sum decompositions of modules in $\mathcal C$. If the endomorphism ring of each module in $\mathcal C$ is semilocal, then $\mathcal V (\mathcal C)$ is a Krull monoid. Although this fact was observed nearly a decade ago, the focus of study thus far has been on ring- and module-theoretic conditions enforcing that $\mathcal V(\mathcal C)$ is Krull. If $\mathcal V(\mathcal C)$ is Krull, its arithmetic depends only on the class group of $\mathcal V(\mathcal C)$ and the set of classes containing prime divisors. In this paper we provide the first systematic treatment to study the direct-sum decompositions of modules using methods from Factorization Theory of Krull monoids. We do this when $\mathcal C$ is the class of finitely generated torsion-free modules over certain one- and two-dimensional commutative Noetherian local rings.Comment: Pacific Journal of Mathematics, to appea

The number of nilpotent semigroups of degree 3

A semigroup is \emph{nilpotent} of degree 3 if it has a zero, every product of 3 elements equals the zero, and some product of 2 elements is non-zero. It is part of the folklore of semigroup theory that almost all finite semigroups are nilpotent of degree 3. We give formulae for the number of nilpotent semigroups of degree 3 with $n\in\N$ elements up to equality, isomorphism, and isomorphism or anti-isomorphism. Likewise, we give formulae for the number of nilpotent commutative semigroups with $n$ elements up to equality and up to isomorphism

Teaching Time Savers: The Exam Practically Wrote Itself!

When I first started teaching, creating an exam for my upper division courses was a genuinely exciting process. The material felt fresh and relatively unexplored (at least by me), and I remember often feeling pleasantly overwhelmed with what seemed like a vast supply of intriguing and engrossing exam-ready problems. Crafting the perfect exam, one that was noticeably inviting, exceedingly fair, and unavoidably illuminating, was a real joy

Fighting bit Rot with Types (Experience Report: Scala Collections)

We report on our experiences in redesigning Scala\u27s collection libraries, focussing on the role that type systems play in keeping software architectures coherent over time. Type systems can make software architecture more explicit but, if they are too weak, can also cause code duplication. We show that code duplication can be avoided using two of Scala\u27s type constructions: higher-kinded types and implicit parameters and conversions