Derivation (abstract algebra)

In mathematics, a derivation is a function on an algebra which generalizes certain features of the derivative operator. Specifically, given an algebra A over a ring or a field K, a K-derivation is a K-linear map  that satisfies Leibniz's law:

More generally, if M is an A-bimodule, a K-linear map that satisfies the Leibniz law is also called a derivation. The collection of all K-derivations of A to itself is denoted by Der_K(A). The collection of K-derivations of A into an A-module M is denoted by .