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A Lie group is a topological group where the operations of multiplication and inversion are smooth functions. Essentially, it's a group that also behaves like a smooth manifold, meaning it has a continuous, differentiable structure.12

Lie groups are closely related to Lie algebras, which are algebraic structures named after mathematician Sophus Lie. A Lie algebra can be thought of as the abstract setting for matrix algebra and describes the "infinitesimal" structure of a Lie group. Lie groups themselves can represent geometric concepts like rotations in space, where the set of all rotations forms a Lie group. This theory has broad applications in geometry and physics.32

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