Substructure (mathematics)

Given two structures A and B of the same signature σ, A is said to be a weak substructure of B, or a weak subalgebra of B, if

• the domain of A is a subset of the domain of B,
• f ^A = f ^B|_Aⁿ for every n-ary function symbol f in σ, and
• R ^A ${\displaystyle \subseteq }$ R ^B ${\displaystyle \cap }$ Aⁿ for every n-ary relation symbol R in σ.

A is said to be a substructure of B, or a subalgebra of B, if A is a weak subalgebra of B and, moreover,

• R ^A = R ^B ${\displaystyle \cap }$ Aⁿ for every n-ary relation symbol R in σ.

If A is a substructure of B, then B is called a superstructure of A or, especially if A is an induced substructure, an extension of A.

In the language consisting of the binary functions + and ×, binary relation <, and constants 0 and 1, the structure (Q, +, ×, <, 0, 1) is a substructure of (R, +, ×, <, 0, 1). More generally, the substructures of an ordered field (or just a field) are precisely its subfields. Similarly, in the language (×, ⁻¹, 1) of groups, the substructures of a group are its subgroups. In the language (×, 1) of monoids, however, the substructures of a group are its submonoids. They need not be groups; and even if they are groups, they need not be subgroups.

In the case of graphs (in the signature consisting of one binary relation), subgraphs, and its weak substructures are precisely its subgraphs.

For every signature σ, induced substructures of σ-structures are the subobjects in the concrete category of σ-structures and strong homomorphisms (and also in the concrete category of σ-structures and σ-embeddings). Weak substructures of σ-structures are the subobjects in the concrete category of σ-structures and homomorphisms in the ordinary sense.

In model theory, given a structure M which is a model of a theory T, a submodel of M in a narrower sense is a substructure of M which is also a model of T. For example, if T is the theory of abelian groups in the signature (+, 0), then the submodels of the group of integers (Z, +, 0) are the substructures which are also abelian groups. Thus the natural numbers (N, +, 0) form a substructure of (Z, +, 0) which is not a submodel, while the even numbers (2Z, +, 0) form a submodel.

Other examples:

1. The algebraic numbers form a submodel of the complex numbers in the theory of algebraically closed fields.
2. The rational numbers form a submodel of the real numbers in the theory of fields.
3. Every elementary substructure of a model of a theory T also satisfies T; hence it is a submodel.

In the category of models of a theory and embeddings between them, the submodels of a model are its subobjects.

• Elementary substructure
• End extension
• Löwenheim–Skolem theorem
• Prime model

• Burris, Stanley N.; Sankappanavar, H. P. (1981), A Course in Universal Algebra, Berlin, New York: Springer-Verlag
• Diestel, Reinhard (2005) [1997], Graph Theory, Graduate Texts in Mathematics, vol. 173 (3rd ed.), Berlin, New York: Springer-Verlag, ISBN 978-3-540-26183-4
• Hodges, Wilfrid (1997), A shorter model theory, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0-521-58713-6