Algebra-I Group Theory Exercises
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Pratham JainAlgebra-I Group Theory Exercises
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Powered by AIA well-known example of a non-abelian group of order 6 is the symmetric group S3. It consists of all permutations of three elements. The operation of composition of permutations is not commutative, thus making it non-abelian. The order of S3 is 6 because there are 3! (3 factorial) possible permutations of three objects .
A group with three elements must be abelian because the possible permutations of combining any two elements are limited. Let G = {e, a, b} and e be the identity. The products a·a, a·b, b·a, and b·b must also be in G. By the group property and limited size, it forces commutativity; for example, both a·b and b·a must yield the remaining element, which is the same. Thus, multiplication within G is commutative .
The set of all integers with the operation a · b = a - b is not a group because it does not satisfy the group axioms. First, the identity element does not exist as there is no integer e such that a - e = a for all a. Second, the inverse for each element does not exist since there is no integer b such that a - b = e for all a, where e is an identity element, which itself is nonexistent. Therefore, both the existence of an identity and the existence of inverses axioms are violated .
In S3, consider the elements x = (1 2) and y = (2 3). The product (x · y) is (1 2 3). Computing squares, (x · y)^2 = ((1 2 3) · (1 2 3)) = (1)(2)(3) = e, the identity. x^2 = e, and y^2 = e, thus x^2 · y^2 = e. Therefore, (x · y)^2 = e but x^2 · y^2 = e, showing a mistake. A correct example would involve cycles causing asymmetry, though this pair is invalid .
If every element x in a group G is its own inverse (x = x^-1), then for all x, y in G, (x·y)·(x·y) = e, the identity. Thus, x·y = (y·x)^-1 = y^-1·x^-1 = y·x because x=x^-1 and y=y^-1. Therefore, for all x, y, x·y = y·x, confirming G is abelian .
If a group G satisfies (a · b)^i = a^i · b^i for three consecutive integers i, consider i = n-1, n, n+1. From these equations and the properties of groups, we conclude that (a·b)^(n-1)(a·b)=a^(n-1)b^(n-1)a·b implies a^(n-1)(a·b)b^(n-1)= a^nb^n. Similar comparisons for the other equations using the invertibility give that these should commute to maintain consistency across the conditions. Adjacently, for all a, b in G, these relations via powers require a · b = b · a, essential for G to be abelian .
The set of matrices [ [a, 0], [0, a^-1] ] forms a group because for matrix multiplication, it is closed, has the identity matrix [ [1, 0], [0, 1] ], and each matrix has an inverse, namely [ [a^-1, 0], [0, a] ]. Furthermore, matrix multiplication is commutative here: multiplying any two such matrices results in [ [ab, 0], [0, a^-1b^-1] ] = [ [ba, 0], [0, b^-1a^-1] ], ensuring commutativity for all elements, thus confirming it is abelian .
To verify that a finite group has such an integer N, observe that each element a in a finite group G has a finite order. The order of an element is the smallest positive integer m such that a^m = e, where e is the identity element. Since G is finite, the collection of orders of all its elements is finite. Thus, the least common multiple of all these orders will serve as N, ensuring that a^N = e for all a in G .
The group of all rational numbers with odd denominators under addition is not a group because it lacks closure. Adding two rational numbers with odd denominators could result in a rational number with an even denominator, violating the closure axiom. For example, 1/3 + 1/3 = 2/3, which has an even denominator .
To prove that G is abelian, assume (a · b)^2 = a^2 · b^2 holds for all a, b ∈ G. Expanding both sides: (a · b)(a · b) = a^2 · b^2. By associativity, we have a · b · a · b = a^2 · b^2. This implies ab = ba after cancelling a and b from both sides using inverse elements. Therefore, G must be abelian since for all a, b in G, a · b = b · a .