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In abstract algebra, the direct sum is a construction which combines several modules into a new, larger module. The direct sum of modules is the smallest module which contains the given modules as submodules with no "unnecessary" constraints, making it an example of a coproduct. Contrast with the direct product, which is the dual notion.
In particular, the concept of universal property allows a simple proof that all constructions of real numbers are equivalent: it suffices to prove that they satisfy the same universal property. Technically, a universal property is defined in terms of categories and functors by means of a universal morphism (see § Formal definition , below).
The motivation for the use of the Kronecker sum in this definition comes from the case in which and come from representations and of a Lie group. In that case, a simple computation shows that the Lie algebra representation associated to Π 1 ⊗ Π 2 {\displaystyle \Pi _{1}\otimes \Pi _{2}} is given by the preceding formula.
The pushout of these maps is the direct sum of A and B. Generalizing to the case where f and g are arbitrary homomorphisms from a common domain Z, one obtains for the pushout a quotient group of the direct sum; namely, we mod out by the subgroup consisting of pairs (f(z), −g(z)). Thus we have "glued" along the images of Z under f and g.
The direct sum is also commutative up to isomorphism, i.e. for any algebraic structures and of the same kind. The direct sum of finitely many abelian groups, vector spaces, or modules is canonically isomorphic to the corresponding direct product. This is false, however, for some algebraic objects, like nonabelian groups.
Characteristic property of disjoint unions. This shows that the disjoint union is the coproduct in the category of topological spaces. It follows from the above universal property that a map f : X → Y is continuous iff f i = f o φ i is continuous for all i in I. In addition to being continuous, the canonical injections φ i : X i → X are ...
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For the general definition, a universal property is used, which essentially expresses the fact that the pullback is the "most general" way to complete the two given morphisms to a commutative square. The dual concept of the pullback is the pushout.