UPSC Civil Services Main 2006 - Mathematics

Algebra
Sunder Lal
Retired Professor of Mathematics
Panjab University
Chandigarh

December 16, 2007

Question 1(a) Let S be the set of all real numbers except −1. Define ∗ on S by

a ∗ b = a + b + ab

Is (S, ∗) a group? Find the solution of the equation

2∗x∗3=7

in S.

Solution. Clearly S 6= ∅.

1. S is closed for the operation (∗). If a+b+ab = −1, then a+b+ab+1 = (a+1)(b+1) =
0 ⇒ a = −1 or b = −1. Thus a, b ∈ S ⇒ a 6= −1, b 6= −1 ⇒ a+b+ab 6= −1 ⇒ a∗b ∈ S.

2. a ∗ 0 = 0 ∗ a = a + 0 + a.0 = a, showing that 0 is the identity for S.

a a a2
3. a 6= −1, then b = − 1+a 6= −1 and a ∗ b = b ∗ a = a − 1+a
− 1+a
= 0, thus S is closed
with respect to inverses for the operation (∗).

4. a ∗ b = b ∗ a for every a, b ∈ S.

5. (a ∗ b) ∗ c = (a + b + ab) ∗ c = a + b + ab + c + ac + bc + abc and a ∗ (b ∗ c) = a ∗ (b + c + bc) =

a + b + c + bc + ab + ac + abc. Thus (a ∗ b) ∗ c = a ∗ (b ∗ c) thus the operation (∗) is
associative.

Hence (S, ∗) is an abelian group.

2 ∗ x ∗ 3 = 2 + x + 3 + 2x + 3x + 6 + 6x. Therefore we want 12x + 11 = 7, so x = − 31 .

1
Question 1(b) If G is a group of real numbers under addition and N is the subgroup of
G consisting of the integers, prove that G/N is isomorphic to the group H of all complex
numbers of absolute value 1 under multiplication.

Solution. Let f : G −→ H be defined by f (α) = e2iπα . Then f is an onto homomorphism.

1. f (α + β) = e2iπ(α+β) = e2iπα e2iπβ = f (α)f (β).

2. Let z be any complex number with |z| = 1, then z 6= 0. Let θ = arg z, then

θ
f( ) = eiθ = z
2π

Moreover kernel f = N, because α ∈ kernel f if and only if e2iπα = 1 ⇔ α ∈ N. Thus by the

fundamental theorem of homomorphisms G/N is isomorphic to H.
Alternative solution. Let f be as defined above. Define φ : G/N −→ H by φ(α) =
φ(α + N) = f (α) for α ∈ G. Then

1. φ is well defined i.e.. if α = β then φ(α) = φ(β) i.e. φ does not depend on the choice
of representative in the coset. Clearly α = β ⇔ α − β ∈ N ⇒ e2iπα = e2iπβ ⇒ f (α) =
f (β).

2. φ is a homomorphism. φ(α + β) = φ(α + β) = f (α + β) = f (α)f (β) = φ(α)φ(β).

3. φ is 1-1. If α 6= β, then α − β 6∈ N and therefore e2iπ(α−β) 6= 1 ⇒ f (α) 6= f (β) ⇒

φ(α) 6= φ(β).

4. φ is onto. If z is any complex number with |z| = 1 and α ∈ G is so determined that

f (α) = z (as above) then φ(α) = f (α) = z.

Thus φ is an isomorphism from G/N onto H i.e. G/N is isomorphic to H.

Question 2(a) 1. Let O(G) = 108. Show that there exists a normal subgroup of order
27 or 9.

2. Let G be the set of all those ordered pairs (a, b) of real numbers for which a 6= 0 and
define in G an operation ⊗ as follows:

(a, b) ⊗ (c, d) = (ac, bc + d)

Examine whether G is a group with respect to the operation ⊗. If it is a group, is G

abelian?

Solution.

2
 1. According to one of the Sylow theorems, the number of subgroups of G of order 27 is
≡ 1 (modulo 3) and is a divisor of 108 and therefore of 4, thus the number of such
subgroups is 1 or 4. If G has a unique Sylow group H of order 27, then it has to be a
normal subgroup because O(a−1 Ha) = 27 and therefore a−1 Ha = H for every a ∈ G.
Let us therefore assume that G has more than one subgroup of order 27. Then G has
four subgroups of order 27, say H1 , H2 , H3 , H4 .
We first of all observer that Hi ∩ Hj must have at least 9 elements, because if not, then
|H ||H |
|Hi Hj |, the number of elements in Hi Hj , would be at least 243 as |Hi Hj | = |Hii∩Hjj | ,
and this is not possible. Let H = Hi ∩ Hj , i 6= j, then O(H) = 9, because Hi 6= Hj .
Now NHi (H), the normalizer of H in Hi , contains H properly (see 1995 question 1(b)),
showing that NHi (H) = Hi and similarly NHj (H) = Hj . Thus NG (H) ⊇ Hi as well as
Hj and therefore O(NG (H)) ≥ 81 and is divisor of 108. Hence NG (H) = G and H is
a normal subgroup of G. Thus G has a normal subgroup of order 27 or of order 9.

2. We observe that G 6= ∅ and

(a) G is closed with respect to the operation ⊗ i.e. (a, b), (c, d) ∈ G ⇒ (a, b) ⊗ (c, d) ∈
G.
(b) (1, 0) is identity of G w.r.t. ⊗ as (a, b)(1, 0) = (a, b) = (1, 0) ⊗ (a, b)
(c) If (a, b) ∈ G, then (a−1 , −ba−1 ) ∈ G as a 6= 0, and (a, b) ⊗ (a−1 , −ba−1 ) = (1, 0) =
(a−1 , −ba−1 )(a, b). Thus every element of G has an inverse w.r.t. the operation
⊗ and it belongs to G.
(d) (a, b) ⊗ ((c, d) ⊗ (e, f )) = (a, b) ⊗ (cd, de + f ) = (ace, bce + de + f ) = ((a, b) ⊗
(c, d)) ⊗ (e, f )

Thus G is a subgroup w.r.t. operation ⊗. G is not an abelian group, as (a, b) ⊗ (2, 0) =

(2a, 2b) whereas (2, 0) ⊗ (a, b) = (2a, b) showing that (2, 0) ⊗ (a, b) 6= (a, b) ⊗ (2, 0) when
b 6= 0.

√ √
Question 2(b) Show that Z[ 2] = {a + 2b | a, b ∈ Z} is a Euclidean domain.

Solution. Definition: An integral domain R 6= {0} is called a Euclidean domain if there

exists a function g : R − {0} −→ Z (ring of integers) such that
1. g(a) ≥ 0 for every a ∈ R∗ = R − {0}.

2. For every a, b ∈ R∗ , g(ab) ≥ g(a).

3. Euclid’s Algorithm: For every a ∈ R, b ∈ R∗ , there exist q, r ∈ R such that a = bq + r,

where r = 0 or g(r) < g(b).
√ √
For α ∈ Z[ 2], α = a + b 2, a, b ∈ Z, we define N (α) = a2 − 2b2 and g(α) = |N (α)|. Clearly

3
 √
1. g(α) ≥ 0 for every α ∈ Z[ 2], α 6= 0.
√
2. For α, β ∈ Z[ 2], α 6= 0, β 6= 0, g(αβ) = g(α)g(β) ≥ g(α) because g(β) ≥ 1.
√ √
Note that if α = a + b 2, β = c + d 2, then

N (α)N (β) = (a2 − 2b2 )(c2 − 2d2 )

= a2 c2 + 4b2 d2 − 2a2 d2 − 2b2 c2
= (ac + 2bd)2 − 2(ad + bc)2
√
= N (ac + 2bd + 2(ad + bc)
= N (αβ)
√ √ √ √
3. Let α = a + b 2 ∈ Z[ 2] and β = c + d 2 ∈ Z[ 2] and β 6= 0. Clearly
√ √
α (a + b 2)(c − d 2) √
= √ √ =p+q 2
β (c + d 2)(c − d 2)

where p = cac−2bd bc−ad

2 −2d2 , q = c2 −2d2 are rational numbers. Let m, n be the integers nearest to

p, q respectively i.e. |p − m| ≤ 21 , |q − n| ≤ 21 . Note that if p = [p] + θ, where 0 ≤ θ < 1

and [p] is the integral part of p, then m = [p] if θ ≤ 21 and m = [p] + 1 if θ > 12 .
Let p − m = r, q − n = s, then |r| ≤ 12 , |s| ≤ 12 . Now
√ √ √
α = a + b 2 = (c + d 2)(p + q 2)
√ √
= (c + d 2)((m + r) + (n + s) 2)
√ √ √ √
= (c + d 2)(m + n 2) + (c + d 2)(r + s 2)
√ √ √ √
Let γ = m + n √2, δ = (c + d 2)(r + s 2), then α = βγ + δ, where γ ∈ Z[ 2] and
δ = α − βγ ∈ Z[ 2].
Now either δ = 0 or g(δ) = |N (β)||r2 − 2s2 |. But |r2 − 2s2 | ≤ 41 + 24 < 1, therefore
√ √
g(δ) < g(β). Thus given α, β ∈ Z[ 2], β 6= 0, we have found γ, δ ∈ Z[ 2] such that
α = βγ + δ where δ = 0 or g(δ) < g(β).
√
This shows that Z[ 2] is a Euclidean domain.