Map (mathematics)

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For other uses, see Map (disambiguation).

In mathematics, the term mapping, usually shortened to map, refers to either

A function, often with some sort of special structure, or
A morphism in category theory, which generalizes the idea of a function.

There are also a few, less common uses in logic and graph theory.

Maps as functions

In many branches of mathematics, the term map is used to mean a function with a specific property of particular importance to that branch. For instance, a "map" is a continuous function in topology, a linear transformation in linear algebra, etc.

Some authors, such as Serge Lang, use "map" as a general term for an association of an element in the range with each element in the domain, and "function" only to refer to maps in which the range is a field.

Sets of maps of special kinds are the subjects of many important theories: see for instance Lie group, mapping class group, permutation group.

In the theory of dynamical systems, a map denotes an evolution function used to create discrete dynamical systems. See also Poincaré map.

A partial map is a partial function, and a total map is a total function. Related terms like domain, codomain, injective, continuous, etc. can be applied equally to maps and functions, with the same meaning. All these usages can be applied to "maps" as general functions or as functions with special properties.

In the communities surrounding programming languages that treat functions as first class citizens, a map often refers to the binary higher-order function that takes a function ƒ and a list [v0,v1,...,vn] as arguments and returns [ƒ(v0),ƒ(v1),...,ƒ(vn)], s.t. n ≥ 0.

Maps as morphisms

Main article: Morphism

In category theory, "map" is often used as a synonym for morphism or arrow, thus for something more general than a function.

Other uses

In logic

In formal logic, the term is sometimes used for a functional predicate, whereas a function is a model of such a predicate in set theory.

In graph theory

An example of a map in graph theory.

In graph theory, a map is a drawing of a graph on a surface without overlapping edges (a planar graph), similar to a political map.