Paolo Agliano

In this paper we investigate subtractive varieties of algebras that are Fregean in order to get structure theorems about them. For instance it turns out that a subtractive variety is Fregean and has equationally definable principal congruences if and only if it is termwise equivalent to a variety of Hilbert algebras with compatible operations. Several examples are provided to illustrate the theory.

In this paper we investigate subtractive varieties of algebras that are congruence quasi-orderable. Though this concept has its origin in abstract algebraic logic, it seems to be worth investigating in a purely algebraic fashion. Besides clarifying the algebraic meaning of this notion, we obtain several structure theorems about such varieties. Also several examples are provided to illustrate the theory.

It is shown that a variety ν has distributive congruence lattices if and only if the intersection of two principal congruence relations is definable by equations involving terms with parameters. The nature of the terms involved then provides a useful classification of congruence distributive varieties. In particular, the classification puts into proper perspective two stronger properties. A variety is said to have the Principal Intersection Property if the intersection of any two principal congruence relations is principal, or the Compact Intersection Property if the intersection of two compact congruence relations is compact. For non-congruence-distributive varieties, it is shown that some useful constuctions are nevertheless possible.