identity element
[ ī-dĕn′tĭ-tē ]
The element of a set of numbers that when combined with another number under a particular binary operation leaves the second number unchanged. For example, 0 is the identity element under addition for the real numbers, since for any real number a, a + 0 = a, and 1 is the identity element under multiplication for the real numbers, since a X 1 = a.
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Words nearby identity element
Identi-Kit, identity, identity card, identity crisis, identity disorder, identity element, identity function, identity matrix, identity politics, identity sign, identity theft
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.