The subdirect decomposition theorem for classes of structures closed under direct limits
Xavier Caicedo · Journal of the Australian Mathematical Society Series A Pure Mathematics and Statistics · 1980
Abstract By a theorem of G. Birkhoff, every algebra in an equationally defined class of algebras K is a subdirect product of subdirectly irreducible algebras of K. In this paper we show that this result is true for any class of structures. not necessarily algebraic, closed under isomorphisms and direct limits. Quasivarieties in the sense of Malcev are examples of such classes of structures. This includes Birkhoffs result as a particular case.