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Algebra Practice Problems Hints and Solutions

1. The document provides hints and solutions to practice problems involving algebra concepts like subgroups, normal subgroups, and group actions. 2. Exercise examples include showing that the intersection of two normal subgroups is normal, determining if certain subsets are subgroups, and finding permutations that satisfy certain properties. 3. The problems cover a range of algebra topics such as centralizers, commutator subgroups, direct products, and properties of the symmetric and orthogonal groups.

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otnaira idul
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© © All Rights Reserved
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123 views

Algebra Practice Problems Hints and Solutions

1. The document provides hints and solutions to practice problems involving algebra concepts like subgroups, normal subgroups, and group actions. 2. Exercise examples include showing that the intersection of two normal subgroups is normal, determining if certain subsets are subgroups, and finding permutations that satisfy certain properties. 3. The problems cover a range of algebra topics such as centralizers, commutator subgroups, direct products, and properties of the symmetric and orthogonal groups.

Uploaded by

otnaira idul
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Margaret Bilu Fall 2017

Office 604 bilu@cims.nyu.edu

Algebra practice problems


Hints and solutions
Note: we do not give solutions to the questions where one needs to prove that something is a
(normal) subgroup. The procedure is always the same, one should check the three axioms SG1,
SG2, SG3 (closure, identity, inverses). To check that it is normal, use the definition.

Exercise 1. Let G be a group and let H1 , H2 be normal subgroups of G. Show that H1 ∩ H2 is a


normal subgroup of G.

Exercise 2. Let H be a subgroup of a group G. The centralizer of H in G is defined to be the set

CH (G) = {x ∈ G, xh = hx for all h ∈ H}.

1. Show that CH (G) is a subgroup of G.

2. Show that if H is normal, then CH (G) is normal.


Solution. Assume that H is normal. We need to prove that for every x ∈ C)H(G) and for
every g ∈ G, gxg −1 ∈ CH (G). For this, by definition of CH (G), we need to prove that for
every h ∈ H,
gxg −1 h = hgxg −1 . (1)
Now, since h is normal, we have g −1 hg ∈ H, and therefore, since x ∈ CH (G), by definition
of CH (G), we have that
x(g −1 hg) = (g −1 hg)x.
Multiplying by g on the left and by g −1 on the right, we get equality (1).

Exercise 3. 1. Find a permutation σ ∈ S9 such that σ(1, 2)(3, 4)σ −1 = (5, 6)(3, 1).
Solution. We have
σ(1, 2)(3, 4)σ −1 = σ(1, 2)σ −1 σ(3, 4)σ −1 ,
so it suffices to find σ such that simultaneously,

σ(1, 2)σ −1 = (5, 6)

and
σ(3, 4)σ −1 = (3, 1).
By a formula seen in class, it suffices to find σ such that σ(1) = 2, σ(2) = 6, σ(3) = 3 and
σ(4) = 1. Take  
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
σ = (4, 1, 5)(2, 6) = .
5 6 3 1 4 2 7 8 9

2. Does there exist σ ∈ S9 such that σ(1, 2, 3)σ −1 = (2, 3)(1, 6, 7) ?


Solution. Look at signs: the left-hand side is even, the right-hand side is odd, so this is
impossible.
3. Does there exist σ ∈ S9 such that σ(1, 2, 4)σ −1 = (2, 5)(1, 3)?
Solution. Here both sides are even, so the sign argument does not work. However, by a
formula seen in class, we must have
σ(1, 2, 4)σ −1 = (σ(1), σ(2), σ(3)),
that is, the left-hand side is a cycle of length 3, whereas the right-hand side is not, so this is
impossible.
Exercise 4. The orthogonal group On (R) is the subset of Mn (R) given by
On (R) = {M ∈ Mn (R), M t M = M M t = In }
where M t denotes the transpose of a matrix M . We recall that for any matrix M , M and M t have
the same determinant.
1. Show that On (R) is a subgroup of (GLn (R), ·).
2. We define the special orthogonal group SOn (R) to be the subset of On (R) of matrices with
determinant 1:
SOn (R) = {M ∈ On (R), det(M ) = 1.}
Show that SOn (R) is a normal subgroup of On (R).
3. Show that SOn (R) has index 2 in On (R) and that On (R)/SOn (R) is isomorphic to (Z/2Z, +).
Hint: Show that the determinant of an element of On (R) is either 1 or −1.
4. Check that for any real number θ, the matrix
 
cos θ − sin θ
Mθ =
sin θ cos θ
is an element of SO2 (R).
 
1 0
5. Check that the matrix is an element of O2 (R). Is it an element of SO2 (R) ?
0 −1
Exercise 5. Let G be a group and let H be the commutator subgroup of G, that is, the set of all
finite products of elements of the form aba−1 b−1 for a, b ∈ G.
1. Show that H is a normal subgroup of G.
Solution. To check that it is a subgroup, check all the subgroup axioms. To show that it is
normal, write for all g ∈ G
gaba−1 b−1 g −1 = gag −1 gbg −1 ga−1 g −1 gb−1 g −1 = (gag −1 )(gbg −1 )(gag −1 )−1 (gbg −1 )−1 .

2. Show that the quotient G/H is abelian.


Solution. Let aH and bH be two cosets. We want to show that
(aH)(bH) = (bH)(aH).
By definition, (aH)(bH) = abH and (bH)(aH) = baH. Since H is normal, these left cosets are
equal to On the other hand, since ab(ba)−1 = aba−1 b−1 ∈ H, we have that ab ∈ Hba = baH
(right cosets and left cosets are the same), so the cosets abH and baH are the same, whence
the result.
3. More generally, for any normal subgroup N of G, show that G/N is abelian if and only if N
contains H.
Solution. By the same method as above, if N contains H, then G/N is abelian. Conversely,
if G/N is abelian, then this means that for all a, b ∈ G, (aN )(bN ) = (bN )(aN ), that is,
abN = baN . Since N is normal, this implies N ab = N ba (right cosets are same as left
cosets), so ab(ba)−1 ∈ N , i.e. aba−1 b−1 ∈ N . Thus, N contains all of the elements of the
form aba−1 b−1 for a, b ∈ G. By closure, it contains all the finite products of such elements,
and therefore it contains H.
Exercise 6. Let σ be the element of S9 given by
 
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
σ= .
8 4 7 9 6 1 3 5 2

1. Give a decomposition of σ into disjoint cycles.


Solution. We have σ = (1, 8, 5, 6)(2, 4, 9)(3, 7).

2. Determine the sign of σ.


Solution. Using multiplicativity of the sign and the fact that a cycle of length k has sign
(−1)k−1 , we see that is even.

3. What is the order of σ in S9 ?


Solution. Observe that σ 12 = id (to compute more quickly, use that disjoint cycles commute,
and that a cycle of length k is of order k), so that the order of σ divides 12. It is therefore
equal to 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 or 12. It cannot be 1 because σ 6= id. We compute

σ 2 = (1, 8, 5, 6)2 (2, 4, 9)2 (3, 7)2 = (1, 5)(8, 6)(2, 9, 4) 6= id

σ 3 = (1, 8, 5, 6)3 (2, 4, 9)3 (3, 7)3 = (1, 6, 5, 8)(3, 7) 6= id.


σ 4 = (1, 8, 5, 6)4 (2, 4, 9)4 (3, 7)4 = (2, 4, 9) 6= id.
σ 6 = (1, 8, 5, 6)6 (2, 4, 9)6 (3, 7)6 = (1, 8, 5, 6)2 = (1, 5)(8, 6) 6= id.
Therefore, the order of σ is 12.
Exercise 7. In S4 , consider the subset
      
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
H = id, , , .
2 3 1 4 3 1 2 4 1 4 3 2

1. Compute the inverses of the elements of H in S4 .


Solution. You should find that id−1 = id, the first two non-trivial elements are inverse to
each other, and the last element is its own inverse.

2. Is H a subgroup of S4 ?
Solution. No, it does not satisfy closure, looking e.g. at the product of the two last elements.
Exercise 8. Let n ≥ 1 be an integer and let H = {σ ∈ Sn , σ(1) = 1.}.
1. Show that H is a subgroup of Sn .
2. Write down all the elements of H when n = 1, n = 2 and n = 3.
3. When n ≥ 3, show that H is not a normal subgroup of Sn .
Solution. If n ≥ 3, then H is not the trivial subgroup {id}, and therefore it contains some
σ 6= id. Then there exists i > 1 such that σ(i) 6= i. By injectivity of σ, σ(i) 6= σ(1) = 1. Look
at the permutation α = (1, i)σ(1, i)−1 : we have
α(1) = (1, i)σ(i) = σ(i) 6= 1,
since σ(i) 6∈ {1, i}. Therefore, α 6∈ H, and so H is not normal.
Exercise 9. Let G be a group. Recall that the center of G is the subgroup of G given by
Z(G) = {x ∈ G, xg = gx for all g ∈ G}.
1. Show that Z(G) is a normal subgroup of G.
2. We assume that the quotient group G/Z(G) is cyclic.
(a) Show that this implies the existence of some element t ∈ G such that for all a ∈ G, the
coset aZ(G) is equal to tn Z(G) for some n ∈ Z.
Solution. Since G/Z(G) is cyclic, it is generated by some coset tZ(G) for some t ∈ G.
This means that for all aZ(G), there is n ∈ Z such that aZ(G) = (tZ(G))n = tn Z(G),
where the last equality comes from the definition of the group law in G/Z(G).
(b) Show that if aZ(G) = tn Z(G), then there exists x ∈ Z(G) such that a = tn x. Solution.
Two elements a and b define the same coset if and only if b−1 a ∈ Z(G), so if and only
if a = bx for some x ∈ Z(G). Apply this to b = tn .
(c) Deduce from this that G is abelian.
Solution. Let a, b ∈ G. We want to prove that ab = ba. Using the previous question,
we may write a = tn x and b = tm y for m, n ∈ Z and x, y ∈ Z(G). Then we have
ab = tn xtm y
= tn tm xy because x ∈ Z(G)
= tn+m xy
= tm tn xy
= tm tn yx because x ∈ Z(G)
= tm ytn x because y ∈ Z(G)
= ba
Exercise 10. Let G be a group and let H be a subgroup of G. Recall that for all g ∈ G, gHg −1
is a subgroup of G. We define N to be the intersection of all these subgroups.
1. Show that it is a normal subgroup of G.
2. Show that if H is normal, then H = N .
Solution. If H is normal, then for all g ∈ G, gHg −1 = H, so the intersection of all of these
subgroups is H.
3. Compute N when G = S3 and H = {id, (12)}.
Solution. Compute e.g. (12)H(12)−1 = H and (13)H(13)−1 = {id, (23)}. Already the
intersection of these two subgroups is trivial, so the total intersection will be trivial as well.

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