A universal property characterizes an object by a prescribed family of morphisms and a unique factorization of every competing family. It determines that object up to a unique compatible isomorphism. Examples include the pushout in a category and the universal property of the tensor product of modules.
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The term "universal property" is used in various contexts within mathematics, particularly in category theory and algebra. A universal property describes a property of a mathematical object that is characterized by its relationships with other objects in a way that is especially "universal" or general. ### In Category Theory In category theory, a universal property typically describes a construction that is unique up to isomorphism. This often involves the definition of an object in terms of its relationships to other objects.