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Algebraic structure → Ring theory Ring theory
Basic concepts Rings • Subrings • Ideal • Quotient ring • Fractional ideal • Total ring of fractions • Product of rings • Free product of associative algebras • Tensor product of algebras Ring homomorphisms • Kernel • Inner automorphism • Frobenius endomorphism Algebraic structures • Module • Associative algebra • Graded ring • Involutive ring • Category of rings • Initial ring $\mathbb {Z}$ • Terminal ring $0=\mathbb {Z} /1\mathbb {Z}$ Related structures • Field • Finite field • Non-associative ring • Lie ring • Jordan ring • Semiring • Semifield
Commutative algebra Commutative rings • Integral domain • Integrally closed domain • GCD domain • Unique factorization domain • Principal ideal domain • Euclidean domain • Field • Finite field • Polynomial ring • Formal power series ring Algebraic number theory • Algebraic number field • Integers modulo $n$ • Ring of integers • p-adic integers $\mathbb {Z} _{p}$ • p-adic numbers $\mathbb {Q} _{p}$ • Prüfer p-ring $\mathbb {Z} (p^{\infty })$
Noncommutative algebra Noncommutative rings • Division ring • Semiprimitive ring • Simple ring • Commutator Noncommutative algebraic geometry Free algebra Clifford algebra • Geometric algebra Operator algebra
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Algebraic structures
Group-like Group Semigroup / Monoid Rack and quandle Quasigroup and loop Abelian group Magma Lie group Group theory
Ring-like Ring Rng Semiring Near-ring Commutative ring Domain Integral domain Field Division ring Lie ring Ring theory
Lattice-like Lattice Semilattice Complemented lattice Total order Heyting algebra Boolean algebra Map of lattices Lattice theory
Module-like Module Group with operators Vector space Linear algebra
Algebra-like Algebra Associative Non-associative Composition algebra Lie algebra Graded Bialgebra Hopf algebra
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In mathematics, a module is a generalization of the notion of vector space in which the field of scalars is replaced by a (not necessarily commutative) ring. The concept of a module also generalizes the notion of an abelian group, since the abelian groups are exactly the modules over the ring of integers.^[1]

Like a vector space, a module is an additive abelian group, and scalar multiplication is distributive over the operations of addition between elements of the ring or module and is compatible with the ring multiplication.

Modules are very closely related to the representation theory of groups. They are also one of the central notions of commutative algebra and homological algebra, and are used widely in algebraic geometry and algebraic topology.

^ Hungerford (1974) Algebra, Springer, p 169: "Modules over a ring are a generalization of abelian groups (which are modules over Z)."

Module (mathematics)