Table of Contents
Partial semigroups
Abbreviation: PSgrp
Definition
A \emph{partial semigroup} is a structure $\mathbf{A}=\langle A,\cdot\rangle$, where
$\cdot$ is a \emph{partial binary operation}, i.e., $\cdot: A\times A\to A+\{*\}$ and
$\cdot$ is \emph{associative}: $(x\cdot y)\cdot z\ne *$ or $x\cdot (y\cdot z)\ne *$ imply $(x\cdot y)\cdot z=x\cdot (y\cdot z)$.
Morphisms
Let $\mathbf{A}$ and $\mathbf{B}$ be partial groupoids. A morphism from $\mathbf{A}$ to $\mathbf{B}$ is a function $h:A\rightarrow B$ that is a homomorphism: if $x\cdot y\ne *$ then $h(x \cdot y)=h(x) \cdot h(y)$
Examples
Example 1: The morphisms is a small category under composition.
Basic results
Partial semigroups can be identified with semigroups with zero since for any partial semigroup $A$ we can define a semigroup $A_0=A\cup\{0\}$ (assuming $0\notin A$) and extend the operation on $A$ to $A_0$ by $0x=0=x0$ for all $x\in A$. Conversely, given a semigroup with zero, say $B$, define a partial semigroup $A=B\setminus\{0\}$ and for $x,y\in A$ let $xy=*$ if $xy=0$ in $B$. These two maps are inverses of each other.
However, the category of partial semigroups is not the same as the category of semigroups with zero since the morphisms differ.
Properties
Finite members
http://mathv.chapman.edu/~jipsen/uajs/PSgrp.html
$\begin{array}{lr}
f(1)= &2\\ f(2)= &12\\ f(3)= &90\\ f(4)= &960\\ f(5)= &\\
\end{array}$ $\begin{array}{lr}
f(6)= &\\ f(7)= &\\ f(8)= &\\ f(9)= &\\ f(10)= &\\
\end{array}$