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Viewing Version 10 of 'cube of a number'
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Title of object: cube of a number
Canonical Name: CubeOfANumber
Type: Definition

Created on: 2005-03-08 19:08:41
Modified on: 2008-03-11 16:49:40

Creator: pahio
Modifier: pahio
Author: pahio

Classification: msc:20-00
Defines: cube function
Synonyms: cube of a number=cube
cube of a number=third power

Revision comment (for changes between this and next version):

Changes for correction #13631 ('Missing word').

Preamble:

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Content:

The {\em cube of a number} $x$ is the third \PMlinkname{power}{GeneralAssociativity} $x^3$ of $x$.\, Similarly one may speak of the cube of an element $x$ in any semigroup with the operation denoted multiplicatively (cf. general associativity).

The volume of a cube (i.e. \PMlinkname{regular}{RegularPolyhedron} hexahedron) with \PMlinkescapetext{edge length} $a$ is $a^3$; hence the name.

The {\em cube function}\, $x\mapsto x^3$\, from $\mathbb{R}$ to $\mathbb{R}$ injective, but not as a mapping from $\mathbb{C}$ to $\mathbb{C}$; one has\, $x^3 = y^3$\, always when\, $\frac{x}{y} = \frac{-1\pm i\sqrt{3}}{2}$,\, the \PMlinkescapetext{primitive} third root of unity.