Neutral Element

šŸ…Ÿ Apr 16, 2026

  šŸ…¤ Apr 21, 2026

NEU#DEF. Neutral Element.

Let $M$ be a magma and $e\in M$.

  • $e$ is left-neutral if for all $a\in M$,

    \[ea = a.\]
  • $e$ is right-neutral if for all $a\in M$,

    \[ae = a.\]
  • $e$ is neutral if it is both left-neutral and right-neutral.

  • $M$ is (left-/right-)unital if it has a (left-/right-)neutral element.


NEU#PROP-U. Uniqueness.

A unital magma has exactly one neutral element.

Proof.Let $M$ be a unital magma. If both $e$ and $e’$ are neutral elements of $M$,

\[e = ee' = e'.\]