Contractions of group representations. - I

A new definition of contraction as a limit on the parameters defining the basis of the space of representations is given. From the representations of the original group, those of the contracted one are directly obtained. The contraction of inner automorphisms into outer automorphisms and the splitting of one representation into representations of the same or different group are discussed and illustrated by examples. The procedure is also a technique for the study of representations of non-semi-simple groups. (author)