nLab associativity

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Context

Category theory

Higher category theory

higher category theory

Basic concepts

Basic theorems

Applications

Models

Morphisms

Functors

Universal constructions

Extra properties and structure

1-categorical presentations

Contents

Definition

In a category associativity is the condition that the two ways to use binary composition of morphisms to compose a sequence of three morphisms are equal

h(gf)=(hg)fAAAA h \circ (g \circ f) = (h \circ g) \circ f \phantom{AAAA}
c 2 AAgAA c 3 f hg h c 1 (hg)f c 4=c 2 AAgAA c 3 f gf h c 1 h(gf) c 4 \array{ c_2 &\overset{ \phantom{AA}g\phantom{AA} }{\longrightarrow}& c_3 \\ {}^{\mathllap{f}}\Big\uparrow & \searrow^{\mathrlap{h \circ g}} & \Big\downarrow{}^{\mathrlap{h}} \\ c_1 &\underset{ (h \circ g) \circ f }{\longrightarrow}& c_4 } \;\;\;\;=\;\;\;\; \array{ c_2 &\overset{ \phantom{AA}g\phantom{AA} }{\longrightarrow}& c_3 \\ {}^{\mathllap{f}}\Big\uparrow & {}^{\mathllap{ g \circ f }}\nearrow & \Big\downarrow{}^{\mathrlap{h}} \\ c_1 &\underset{ h \circ (g \circ f) }{\longrightarrow}& c_4 }

If the category has a single object it is the delooping A\mathcal{B} A a monoid AA, and then this condition is the associativity condition on the binary operation of monoids such as groups, rings, algebras, etc.

More generally, in higher category theory, associativity of composition of morphisms in an n-category means that the different ways to use binary composition for composing collections of k-morphisms form a contractible infinity-groupoid. This is a coherence law.

For instance the associativity law in an A-infinity algebra is the special case of associativity in a 1-object A-infinity-category.

Examples

References

The coherence law of associativity is stated in

Last revised on December 1, 2019 at 08:08:04. See the history of this page for a list of all contributions to it.