Questions tagged [gr.group-theory]
Questions about the branch of algebra that deals with groups.
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partially commutative monoid [closed]
Let $G$ be a simple graph with vertex $I$ and edge set $E$. I am defining $M(G)$ to be the quotient of the free monoid $I^*$ on $I$ by the relations $ab=ba$ and $c^2 = 1$ whenever $\{a,b\} \notin E(G)$...
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Does $[H_i , G_i]$ distributive imply $[H_1 \times H_2, G_1 \times G_2]$ modular?
Let $L(G)$ be the subgroup lattice of $G$ and $[H, G]$ an interval in $L(G)$.
A lattice $(L, \wedge, \vee)$ is distributive if $a∨(b∧c) = (a∨b) ∧ (a∨c)$, $\forall a,b,c \in L $, and is modular if ...
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A basic question about rings
Perhaps this is a trivial question, but I have no idea how to justify it.
Call a pair of groups $(G_1, G_2)$ ring-compatible if $G_1$ is abelian and there exists a ring $R$ with addition and ...
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About isomorphism of $PGL(2)$ and $SO(3)$ [closed]
I need to prove that $PGL_2(\mathbb{R})\cong SO_3(\mathbb{R})$. Abstract considerations show that both can be identified with the group of projective motions of a conic curve. But maybe there is more ...
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Projective characters with corresponding factor set
The following is just a follow up to my previous question. I have a finite group $H$ with 14 ordinary characters. The Schur multiplier $M(H)\cong 2^2$. Hence the group $H$ will have 3 sets of ...
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Applications for p-Sylow subgroups theorem
I have searched for such a question and didn't find it. I recently had a presentation in which I introduced $p$-Sylow subgroups and proved Sylow's theorems. I will have another one soon, concerning ...
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The number $\pi$ and summation by $SL(2,\mathbb Z)$
Let $f(a,b,c,d)=\sqrt{a^2+b^2}+\sqrt{c^2+d^2}-\sqrt{(a+c)^2+(b+d)^2}$. (it is the defect in the triangle inequality)
Then, we discovered by heuristic arguments and then verified by computer that
$$\...
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How do I verify the Coq proof of Feit-Thompson?
I probably don't have the appropriate background to even ask this question. I know next to nothing about formal or computer-aided proof, and very little even about group theory. And this question is ...
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Groups that do not exist
In the long process that resulted in the classification of finite simple groups, some of the exceptional groups were only shown to exist after people had computed (most of) their character tables and ...
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Is there a slick proof of the classification of finitely generated abelian groups?
One the proofs that I've never felt very happy with is the classification of finitely generated abelian groups (which says an abelian group is basically uniquely the sum of cyclic groups of orders $...
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Results from abstract algebra which look wrong (but are true)
There are many statements in abstract algebra, often asked by beginners, which are just too good to be true. For example, if $N$ is a normal subgroup of a group $G$, is $G/N$ isomorphic to a subgroup ...
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Feit-Thompson conjecture
The Feit-Thompson conjecture states:
If $p<q$ are primes, then $\frac{q^p-1}{q-1}$ does not divide $\frac{p^q-1}{p-1}$.
On page xiii of these proceedings of a conference at the University of ...
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Are there $n$ groups of order $n$ for some $n>1$?
Given a positive integer $n$, let $N(n)$ denote the number of groups of order $n$, up to isomorphism.
Question: Does $N(n)=n$ hold for some $n>1$?
I checked the OEIS-sequence https://oeis.org/...
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Can the symmetric groups on sets of different cardinalities be isomorphic?
For any set X, let SX be the symmetric group on
X, the group of permutations of X.
My question is: Can there be two nonempty sets X and Y with
different cardinalities, but for which SX is
isomorphic ...
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How do you *state* the Classification of finite simple groups?
From the point of view of formal math, what would constitute an appropriate statement of the classification of finite simple groups? As I understand it, the classification enumerates 18 infinite ...
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Why are the sporadic simple groups HUGE?
I'm merely a grad student right now, but I don't think an exploration of the sporadic groups is standard fare for graduate algebra, so I'd like to ask the experts on MO. I did a little reading on them ...
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How much of the ATLAS of finite groups is independently checked and/or computer verified?
In a recent talk Finite groups, yesterday and today Serre made some comments about proofs that rely on the classification of finite simple groups (CFSG) and on the ATLAS of Finite Groups. Namely, he ...
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Introductory text on geometric group theory?
Can someone indicate me a good introductory text on geometric group theory?
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What is Atiyah's topological formulation of the odd order theorem?
Here is a quote from an article by Daniel Gorenstein on the history of the classification of finite simple groups (available here).
During that year in Harvard, Thompson began his monumental ...
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Is each squared finite group trivial?
A semigroup $S$ is defined to be squared if there exists a subset $A\subseteq S$ such that the function $A\times A\to S$, $(x,y)\mapsto xy$, is bijective.
Problem: Is each squared finite group ...
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Do all exact $1 \to A \to A \times B \to B \to 1$ split for finite groups?
Let $A$, $B$ be finite groups. Is it true that all short exact sequences $1 \rightarrow A \rightarrow A \times B \rightarrow B \rightarrow 1$ split on the right?
In other words, do there exist ...
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Infinitely many solutions of a diophantine equation
If $P(x,y,...,z)$ is a polynomial with integer coefficients then every integer solution of $P=0$ corresponds to a homomorphism from $\mathbb{Z}[x,y,...,z]/(P)$ to $\mathbb{Z}$. So there are infinitely ...
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Is there a universal countable group? (a countable group containing every countable group as a subgroup)
This recent MO
question,
answered now several times over, inquired whether an
infinite group can contain every finite group as a
subgroup. The answer is yes by a variety of means.
So let us raise the ...
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Is there a smallest group containing all finite groups?
Does there exist a group $G$ such that
for any finite $K$ there is a monomorphism $K \to G$
for any $H$ with property 1 there is a monomorphism $G \to H$
If yes, is it the only one?
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What is the probability two random maps on n symbols commute?
It is well known that two randomly chosen permutations of $n$ symbols commute with probability $p_n/n!$ where $p_n$ is the number of partitions of $n$. This is a special case of the fact that in a ...
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Known and fixed gaps in the proof of the CFSG
As the "second-generation" proof of the Classification of Finite Simple Groups is being written up in the volumes by Gorenstein, Lyons, Aschbacher, Smith, Solomon, and others (see e.g. this ...
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Why are Schur multipliers of finite simple groups so small?
Given a finite simple group $G$, we can consider the quasisimple extensions $\tilde G$ of $G$, that is to say central extensions which remain perfect. Some basic group cohomology (based on the ...
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On sentences true in all finite groups
Let $w$ be a group word with two variables $x$ and $y$.
Is the sentence $(\forall x)(\exists y)w=1$
true in every group if it is true
in every finite group?
The same question about the sentence $(\...
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Why does the monster group exist?
Recently, I was watching an interview that John Conway did with Numberphile. By the end of the video, Brady Haran asked John:
If you were to come back a hundred years after your death, what problem ...
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A group-theoretic perspective on Frankl's union closed problem
Here is a group theoretic phrasing of a special case of the union closed conjecture:
Question: Given a finite group $G$, is there an element of prime power order which is contained in at most half ...
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Groups whose complex irreducible representations are finite dimensional
By a complex irreducible representation of a group $G$, I mean a simple $\mathbb CG$-module. So my representations need not be unitary and we are working in the purely algebraic setting.
It is easy ...
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An explicit example of a finitely presented group containing a subgroup isomorphic to $(\mathbb Q,+)$.
A theorem (I do unfortunately not remember to whom it is due) states that there exists a finitely presented group containing a subgroup isomorphic to the additive group of rational numbers. Can ...
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For which $n$ is there only one group of order $n$?
Let $f(n)$ denote the number of (isomorphism classes of) groups of order $n$. A couple easy facts:
If $n$ is not squarefree, then there are multiple abelian groups of order $n$.
If $n \geq 4$ is even,...
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The roots of unity in a tensor product of commutative rings
For $i\in\{1,2\}$ let $A_i$ be a commutative ring with unity whose additive group is free and finitely-generated. Assume that $A_i$ is connected in the sense that $0$ and $1$ are unique solutions of ...
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Canonical examples of algebraic structures
Please list some examples of common examples of algebraic structures. I was thinking answers of the following form.
"When I read about a [insert structure here], I immediately think of [example]."
...
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Second Betti number of lattices in $\mathrm{SL}_3(\mathbf{R})$
We fix $G=\mathrm{SL}_3(\mathbf{R})$.
Let $\Gamma$ be a torsion-free cocompact lattice in $G$. Is $b_2(\Gamma)=0$?
Here the second Betti number $b_2(\Gamma)$ is both the dimension of the ...
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Applications of Frobenius theorem and conjecture
A theorem of Frobenius states that if $n$ divides the order of a finite group $G$, then the number of solutions to $x^n = 1$ in $G$ is a multiple of $n$. Frobenius conjectured that if the number of ...
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Is there any need to study Coxeter systems (W,S) with S infinite?
In their treatise Groupes et algebres de Lie, Bourbaki (no doubt heavily influenced by Tits) devoted Chapter IV (1968) to the general theory of what they dubbed "Coxeter systems" $(W,S)$ along with "...
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What's a non-abelian totally ordered group?
Because I have heard the phrase "totally ordered abelian group", I imagine there should be non-abelian ones. By this I mean a group with a total ordering (not to be confused with a well-ordering) ...
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Is this conjecture strictly weaker than P=NP?
My three computability questions are related to the following group theory question (first asked by Bridson in 1996):
For which real $\alpha\ge 2$ the function $n^\alpha$ is equivalent to the Dehn ...
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When does a subgroup H of a group G have a complement in G?
Let H be a subgroup of G. (We can assume G finite if it helps.) A complement of H in G is a subgroup K of G such that HK = G and |H∩K|=1. Equivalently, a complement is a transversal of H (a set ...
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morphism from a compact group to Z ?
I wonder if it there exists a topological compact group $G$ (by compact, I mean Hausdorff and quasi-compact) and a non-zero group morphism
$\phi : G \to \mathbb{Z}$ (without assuming any topological ...
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Do invariant measures maximize the integral?
Update: The negative answer to the following question has been provided by Matthew Daws, who won, but also rejected, the bounty of 100 euro that I set over the question.
Let $\mathcal M(\mathbb Z)$ ...
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Navigating $\mathbb{Z}/p\mathbb{Z}$
$\newcommand{\Z}{\mathbb{Z}}$Let's consider a silly-looking question first. Consider $\Z/p\Z$. Say I am allowed the two operations $x\mapsto x+1$ and $x\mapsto 2x$. Then, starting from $0$, I can ...
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Generating a finite group from elements in each conjugacy class
Is there a finite group such that, if you pick one element from each conjugacy class, these don't necessarily generate the entire group?
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Guess that group via product queries
Suppose someone (person B) knows a finite group $G$ of order $n$.
You (person A) know only the order $n$,
and that $1$ is the name of the identity element.
The group elements are named $1,2,\ldots,n$ ...
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Trees in groups of exponential growth
Question: Let $G$ be a finitely generated group with exponential growth.
Is there a finite generating set $S \subset G$, such that the associated Cayley graph $Cay(G,S)$ contains a binary tree?
...
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The non-simplicity of $SO(4)$ and $A_4$
It is well known that the alternating group $A_n$ is simple unless $n=4$. It is likewise well known that the special orthogonal group $SO(n)$ is essentially simple unless $n=4$ (specifically, the ...
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Mathieu group $M_{23}$ as an algebraic group via additive polynomials
An elegant description of the Mathieu group $M_{23}$ is the following: Let $C$ be the multiplicative subgroup of order $23$ in the field $F=\mathbb F_{2^{11}}$ with $2^{11}$ elements. Then $M_{23}$ is ...
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Is there a compact group of countably infinite cardinality?
Apologies for the very simple question, but I can't seem to find a reference one way or the other, and it's been bugging me for a while now.
Is there a compact (Hausdorff, or even T1) (topological) ...