On the history of the term semigroup (Q1183317): Difference between revisions

In this very readable exposition the author presents his views concerning the evolution of the concept of a semigroup. The discussion centers round the following three hypotheses: Claim 1. The roots of abstract semigroup theory can be located in the works of Sophus Lie rather than in the papers of 19th century algebraists. Claim 2. In numerous sources before 1900 the word ``group'' denotes a mathematical object which means in today's terminology nothing else than ``semigroup''. Claim 3. The terminological imprecision concerning the definition of groups is due to the fact that axiomatic thinking was still underdeveloped. Nevertheless Sophus Lie and his school made conscious efforts to conceptually distinguish between groups and semigroups. A closer look at the pertinent contributions of Klein, C. Jordan, Lie and others lends support to these claims. Turning to the historians of mathematics, the author expresses his wish that a book with the following title should be written: ``The genesis of the concept of abstract semigroups'' or ``Asymmetry, semigroups, and order'' or ``Sophus Lie, forerunner of the idea of asymmetry in the 19th century''. In particular, the author states that -- even after \textit{I. M. Yaglom's} book ``Felix Klein and Sophus Lie. Evolution of the idea of symmetry in the 19th century'' (1988; Zbl 0627.01010) -- a profound appreciation of Lie's achievements is still missing.