Generators and relations for \(\Delta\) as a monoidal 2-category (Q1315112)

The category \(\Delta\) of finite ordinals and order-preserving functions is basic in algebraic topology. Contravariant functors from this category were used long before \(\Delta\) was defined, which was possible since the face and degeneracy maps together with the simplicial identities provide a presentation of \(\Delta\) as a category. Ordinal sum provides \(\Delta\) with a tensor product, and it becomes the free strict monoidal category containing a monoid. Pointwise order of order-preserving functions makes \(\Delta\) into a 2-category; the presentation of \(\Delta\) as a category can be extended, making use of the adjunctions between face and degeneracy maps, to a presentation of the 2-category. What the present paper provides is a complete proof of the reviewer's claim that \(\Delta\) is the free strict monoidal 2-category containing a special kind of monoid. These special monoids arise in the study of completion processes; see the author's paper [``Monads for which structures are adjoint to units'', J. Pure Appl. Algebra, to appear].