noun
- a mathematical structure consisting of a set with an associative binary operation
Usage: mathematics; algebra
Examples
- The set of positive integers under multiplication forms a semigroup.
- In abstract algebra, every group is also a semigroup.
- The concatenation of strings creates a semigroup structure.
- Matrix multiplication can form a semigroup under certain conditions.
- The professor explained how semigroups differ from groups by lacking inverse elements.
- Computer scientists use semigroups in formal language theory.