We write
N={1,2,3,…}.
The elements of N are called natural numbers. We regard addition and multiplication on N as binary operations
+:N×N→Nand⋅:N×N→N,
written in infix form as (m,n)↦m+n and (m,n)↦mn. We also regard the successor on N as a function
S:N→N
written in infix form as n↦S(n). These data are related by the following recursive identities for all m,n∈N.
- S(n)=n+1.
- m+S(n)=S(m+n).
- m⋅1=m.
- m⋅S(n)=m⋅n+m.
We also require that 1 is not a successor and that the successor map is injective; that is,
S(n)=1for every n∈N,
and
S(m)=S(n)⟹m=n
for all m,n∈N.