Non-associative Loops for Holger Bech Nielsen

Abstract

Finite groups are of the greatest importance in science. Loops are a simple generalization of finite groups: they share all the group axioms except for the requirement that the binary operation be associative. The least loops that are not themselves groups are those of order five. We offer a brief discussion of these loops and challenge the reader (especially Holger) to find useful applications for them in physics.