Abstract
The two main classes of finite dimensional composition algebras, Hurwitz and symmetric, are characterized in terms of the flexible identity, and even of the third power associative identity, over fields of arbitrary characteristic.
1991 Mathematics Classification (2000):
Acknowledgments
The first author has been supported by the Spanish DGI (BFM 2001-3239-C03-03), the second author by KIAS grant M01004.
Notes
#Communicated by E. Zelmanov.