Definition:Multiplication/Natural Numbers
Definition
Let $\N$ be the natural numbers.
Multiplication on $\N$ is the basic operation $\times$ everyone is familiar with.
For example:
- $3 \times 4 = 12$
- $13 \times 7 = 91$
Every attempt to describe the natural numbers via suitable axioms should reproduce the intuitive behaviour of $\times$.
The same holds for any construction of $\N$ in an ambient theory.
Multiplication in terms of Addition
Let $+$ denote addition.
The binary operation $\times$ is recursively defined on $\N$ as follows:
- $\forall m, n \in \N: \begin {cases} m \times 0 & = 0 \\ m \times \paren {n + 1} & = m \times n + m \end {cases}$
This operation is called multiplication.
Equivalently, multiplication can be defined as:
- $\forall m, n \in \N: m \times n := \mathop {+^n} m$
where $\mathop {+^n} m$ denotes the $n$th power of $m$ under $+$.
$1$-Based Natural Numbers
Let $\N_{>0}$ be the $1$-based natural numbers, axiomatized by:
\((\text A)\) | $:$ | \(\ds \exists_1 1 \in \N_{> 0}:\) | \(\ds a \times 1 = a = 1 \times a \) | ||||||
\((\text B)\) | $:$ | \(\ds \forall a, b \in \N_{> 0}:\) | \(\ds a \times \paren {b + 1} = \paren {a \times b} + a \) | ||||||
\((\text C)\) | $:$ | \(\ds \forall a, b \in \N_{> 0}:\) | \(\ds a + \paren {b + 1} = \paren {a + b} + 1 \) | ||||||
\((\text D)\) | $:$ | \(\ds \forall a \in \N_{> 0}, a \ne 1:\) | \(\ds \exists_1 b \in \N_{> 0}: a = b + 1 \) | ||||||
\((\text E)\) | $:$ | \(\ds \forall a, b \in \N_{> 0}:\) | \(\ds \)Exactly one of these three holds:\( \) | ||||||
\(\ds a = b \lor \paren {\exists x \in \N_{> 0}: a + x = b} \lor \paren {\exists y \in \N_{> 0}: a = b + y} \) | |||||||||
\((\text F)\) | $:$ | \(\ds \forall A \subseteq \N_{> 0}:\) | \(\ds \paren {1 \in A \land \paren {z \in A \implies z + 1 \in A} } \implies A = \N_{> 0} \) |
The operation $\times$ in this axiomatization is called multiplication.
Also defined as
Some treatments of Peano's axioms define the non-successor element (or primal element) to be $1$ and not $0$.
The treatments are similar, but the $1$-based system results in an algebraic structure which has no identity element for addition, and so no zero for multiplication.
Under this $1$-based system, multiplication is consequently defined as follows:
- $\forall m, n \in P: \begin {cases} m \times 1 & = m \\ m \times \map s n & = m \times n + n \end {cases}$
or:
- $\forall m, n \in P: \begin {cases} 1 \times n & = n \\ \map s m + n & = m \times n + n \end {cases}$
Also see
- Results about natural number multiplication can be found here.
Sources
- 1951: Nathan Jacobson: Lectures in Abstract Algebra: Volume $\text { I }$: Basic Concepts ... (previous) ... (next): Introduction $\S 4$: The natural numbers
- 1960: Paul R. Halmos: Naive Set Theory ... (previous) ... (next): $\S 13$: Arithmetic
- 1974: Murray R. Spiegel: Theory and Problems of Advanced Calculus (SI ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): Chapter $1$: Numbers: Real Numbers: $1$
- 1981: Murray R. Spiegel: Theory and Problems of Complex Variables (SI ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): Chapter $1$: Complex Numbers: The Real Number System: $1$