On the number of finite algebraic structures

Abstract

We prove that every clone of operations on a finite set $A$, if it contains a Malcev operation, is finitely related – i.e., identical with the clone of all operations respecting $R$ for some finitary relation $R$ over $A$. It follows that for a fixed finite set $A$, the set of all such Malcev clones is countable. This completes the solution of a problem that was first formulated in 1980, or earlier: how many Malcev clones can finite sets support? More generally, we prove that every finite algebra with few subpowers has a finitely related clone of term operations. Hence modulo term equivalence and a renaming of the elements, there are only countably many finite algebras with few subpowers, and thus only countably many finite algebras with a Malcev term.