Questions tagged [abelian-groups]
For questions about groups whose elements commute.
253 questions
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Cohomology of "symplectically self-dual" chain complex
Let $G,H$ be abelian groups (denoted additively) with their Pontryagin duals denoted as $G^*$ and $H^*$. (The cases I'm interested in are products of $\mathbb Z_n$, $\mathbb Z$, $\mathbb R$, and $\...
4
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When does a short exact sequence of abelian groups with $B\cong A\oplus C$ split?
$\hspace{20pt}$Duplicate on stackexchange.
This question, in a way, extends this one. The question is what are some sufficient conditions on the abelian group $B$ so that if $B\cong A\oplus C$ and a ...
11
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Is $(\mathbb{R}, +)$ still injective as long as $(\mathbb{Q},+)$ is?
It is known that the existence of nontrivial injective abelian groups is independent of choice in ZF (or, rather, ZFA). In particular, $\mathbb{Q}$ is not provably injective, much less $\mathbb{R}$, ...
3
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1
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169
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Maximal zero-sum free sequences of $C_3^n$
I am working on the Davenport constant for groups, $D(G)$, which is the minimal number $d$ such that every sequence or multiset of $d$ elements of the group $G$ always contains some non-empty zero-sum ...
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Quotient of a ring by a left ideal
This is a simple algebra question I'm struggling with.
Let $A$ be a ring (with unity) and $I\subset A$ a left ideal and $B\subset A$ a two sided Ideal.
$A/I=B$ and $A/B=I$ (in the category of left $A$...
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209
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A question about automorphism group of abelian group
Does anyone know any references that describe automorphism group $\operatorname{Aut}(\mathbb R^n\times \mathbb T^m)$? I searched for a long time but couldn't find it.
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Are $H^3(A,U(1))$ and $\operatorname{Ext}^1(A,A^\vee)$ isomorphic for $A$ finite Abelian?
Motivated by three-dimensional Dijkgraaf-Witten TQFTs for finite Abelian groups $A$, that are classified by $H^3(A,\mathbb{R}/\mathbb{Z})$, it seems natural that this group is (naturally) isomorphic ...
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Is $\mathbb Z$ prime in the class of abelian groups?
Let $B$, $C$, and $D$ be abelian groups such that $\mathbb Z\times B$ is isomorphic to $C\times D$.
Is there a group $E$ such that $C$ or $D$ is isomorphic to $\mathbb Z\times E$?
Reference: page 263 ...
22
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1
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958
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Alternating forms on abelian groups
Let $G$ and $H$ be abelian groups. By an alternating form, I mean a bilinear function $A\colon G\times G\to H$ such that $A(x,x)=0$ for all $x\in G$.
Question. If $A\colon G\times G\to H$ is an ...
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Adjoint to "strict twocategory of strict twofunctors"
Let C be the category of strict twofunctors, featuring the addition of a Grothendieck universe. Strict twocategories are categories enriched over the category of categories.
C has an internal hom ...
8
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Bilinear forms on abelian $p$-groups: Images of weak metabolizers in the Frattini quotient
Suppose $G$ is a finite abelian $p$-group for $p$ an odd prime and $b : G \times G \to \mathbf{Q}/\mathbf{Z}$ is a non-degenerate symmetric bilinear form. A subgroup $H \leq G$ is a weak metabolizer ...
8
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Structure of a single automorphism of a finite abelian p-group
A finite abelian $p$-group $H$ is homogenous when it is the direct sum of cyclic groups of the same order $p^r$, i.e. $H \cong \big(\mathbb{Z}/p^{r}\mathbb{Z}\big)^{e}$. Every finite abelian $p$-group ...
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Can we test if an abelian group is finitely generated by taking tensor product?
If $A$ is a finitely generated abelian group, then we know that for all fields $k$, the tensor product $A\otimes_{\mathbb{Z}}k$ is finite dimensional as a $k$-vector space.
The converse is not true, ...
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"Universal" abelian p-groups
Let $p$ be a prime number. I am interested in the abelian groups $G$ with the following property:
(U) every finite abelian $p$-group $A$ admits a monomorphism $A\hookrightarrow G$.
In other words, ...
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Every abelian group can be embedded into a ring [closed]
Let $(G,0,+)$ be an abelian group. Does there always exist a ring with unity $(R,0,1,+,\cdot)$ and an injective homomorphism of groups $ \psi:(G,0,+)\rightarrow (R,0,+)$?
Is this hard to prove, or are ...
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Maximal subgroups of finite abelian $2$-groups
Suppose $G$ is a finite abelian $2$-group, and $S$ is a subset of $G$, $\langle S\rangle=G$,$S^{-1}=S$,$e\notin S$. How to determine whether there exists a maximal subgroup $M$ of $G$, such that $S$ ...
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129
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Small total variation distance between sums of random variables in finite Abelian group implies close to uniform?
Let $\mathbb{G} = \mathbb{Z}/p\mathbb{Z}$ (where $p$ is a prime). Let $X,Y,Z$ be independent random variables in $\mathbb G$.
For a small $\epsilon$ we have $\operatorname{dist}_{TV}(X+Y,Z+Y)<\...
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Computing the Abelian invariants of a subgroup of a f.g. Abelian group
We have a f.g. Abelian group $A$ given as a direct sum of $N$ cyclic subgroups $C_{k_j}=\langle x_j\rangle$, with $k_j\in \{2,\dots,\infty\}$, $1\leq j \leq N$, and the associated homomorphism $\phi:\...
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134
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Isomorphic quotients of a countably infinitely-generated free abelian group
Let $F$ denote the free abelian group on countably infinite generators. I am trying to understand the relationship between normal subgroups $A$ and $B$ of $F$ with isomorphic quotients. So is there a ...
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Groups with prescribed Ulm invariants
In Kaplansky's book infinite abelian groups he provides (through some exercises) a complete classification of $p^{\infty}$-torsion countable abelian groups in terms of Ulm invariants. In other words ...
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Descending chain in $\mathbb{Z}$ with certain confining property, but not strongly
Call a sequence $A_1 \supseteq A_2 \supseteq \cdots$ of subsets of $\mathbb{Z}$ confining if for all $i$ we have $A_i \supseteq A_{i+1}+A_{i+1}$. (Let us insist that the $A_i$ are symmetric and ...
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A question about freeness of a certain class of abelian groups
Lets call an abelian group $G$, to be semi-free (or SF) if every nonzero subgroup of $G$ is isomorphic to $\mathbb{Z}\times H$ for some abelian group $H$.
Is every semi-free group, a free group? If ...
3
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243
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Can a non-free Whitehead group embed as a discrete subgroup of a normed space?
Every countable discrete subgroup of a normed space is isomorphic to the direct sum of the group of integers. I wonder whether it is possible to push this beyond such direct-sum (free abelian) groups ...
3
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1
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182
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Almost free group without the Specker group as a subgroup
An Abelian group is almost free whenever every countable subgroup is free Abelian. Famously, the Specker group $\mathbf Z^{\mathbf N}$ is almost free. What are examples of almost free groups that are ...
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Admissibility of Ulm's invariants
Let $G$ be a reduced abelian $p$-group. We set $G_0=G$. Let $\alpha$ be an ordinal. Inductively, if $\alpha=\beta+1$ is a successor ordinal, we define
$$G_{\alpha}=pG_{\beta}.$$
If $\alpha$ is a limit ...
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A conceptual proof that bounded index subgroups of a bounded torsion abelian group contain bounded index complemented subgroups
Call an abelian group $G = (G,+)$ $m$-torsion for some natural number $m$ if one has $m \cdot x = 0$ for all $x \in G$. A subgroup $H$ of $G$ is said to be complemented if one can write $G = H \oplus ...
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Abelian characters and odd perfect numbers?
This question is about applications of abelian characters to odd perfect numbers:
Context and Definitions:
Let $n$ be a natural number and $D_n$ be the set of divisors.
We can make this set to a ring ...
4
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Nonempty intersection of cosets of finite-index subgroups
$\DeclareMathOperator\lcm{lcm}$This question is crossposted from MSE.
Let $H_1,\dots,H_{n+2}$ be cosets of finite-index subgroups of $\mathbb{Z}^n$ and suppose for all $i=1,\dots,n+2$, $\bigcap_{j\neq ...
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Invariants of primary groups
In Kaplansky's book "Infinite Abelian Groups", an abelian group $G$ is called primary if every element has order power of $p$ for some fixed prime number $p$. It is well-known that every ...
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A general theory of pairings
Bilinear forms and bilinear maps for vector spaces over a field are standard material for an introductory course in linear algebra.
There are also text books for bilinear forms and related quadratic ...
3
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107
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(Non)complete abelian groups in the “transfinite p-adic topology”
For an abelian group $A,$ a prime $p$ and an ordinal $\alpha,$ we recursively define $p^\alpha A$ as a subgroup of $A$ such that $p^0A=A,$
$$p^{\alpha+1}A=p(p^\alpha A) \hspace{5mm} \text{and} \...
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Possible questions about the Tate-Shafarevich subgroup of a Galois hypercohomology group?
$\newcommand{\wt}{\widetilde}$
Let $n=1,2$. There are infinite torsion abelian groups $H^1$, $H^2$ killed by some natural number $m$.
There are finite subgroups
$$ {\rm Sha}^1 \subset H^1,\quad ...
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Trivial group cohomology induces trivial cohomology of subgroups
From the answer to another question I asked (Projective representations of a finite abelian group) and from the structure theorem of finite abelian groups it follows that if $A$ is a finite abelian ...
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Projective representations of a finite abelian group
Projective representations of a group $G$ are classified by the second group cohomology $H^2(G,U(1))$. If $G$ is finite and abelian, it is isomorphic to the direct product of cyclic groups
$$
G\cong ...
4
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Quadratic refinements of a bilinear form on finite abelian groups
$\DeclareMathOperator\Hom{Hom}$Let $A$ be a finite abelian group and $\text{Sym}(A)$ the (abelian) group of symmetric bilinear forms over $A$ valued in $\mathbb{R}/\mathbb{Z}$.
A quadratic function on ...
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Is there a clear pattern for the degree $2n$ cohomology group of the $n$'th Eilenberg-MacLane space?
Let $G$ be a finite abelian group, and its higher classifying space is $B^nG=K(G,n)$. For $n=1$ it is well known that $H^2(B G, \mathbb{R}/\mathbb{Z}) \cong H^2(G,\mathbb{R}/\mathbb{Z})$ is isomorphic ...
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1
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Pontryagin dual of a group-cohomology class
Let $A, B, C$ be finite Abelian groups fitting in a short exact sequence
$$
1 \rightarrow A\overset{\iota}{\rightarrow} B\overset{\pi}{\rightarrow} C\rightarrow 1
$$
This determines a class $[\...
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normalizer quotient is $\operatorname{GL}_2(p)$
Let $p$ be a prime and let $w$ be a primitive $p$-th root of unity in $\mathbb{C}$. There is an element $e$ of order $p$ in $G=\operatorname{PGL}_n(\mathbb{C})$ where $n=pk$ and
$$e=\left[\left(\begin{...
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Retract of a product
Let $G$ be a retract of a product $\prod_I\mathbb{Z}$ of copies of $\mathbb Z$.
This means there are group homomorphisms $\pi:\prod_I\mathbb{Z}\to G$ and $\sigma:G\to\prod_I\mathbb Z$ such that $\pi\...
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A map in group cohomology from $H^n(G,G^{\vee})$ to $H^{n+1}(G,U(1))$
Let $G$ be a finite abelian group and denote by $G^{\vee}=\mathrm{Hom}(G,U(1))$ its Pontryagin dual. For any positive integer $n$ one can define a homomorphism of abelian groups
$$
f:H^{n}(G,G^{\vee})\...
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Decomposition of finite abelian groups of even order if there is an involution
Let $G$ be a finite abelian group and $\sigma :G\rightarrow G$ an automorphism of order two ($\sigma\circ \sigma =id_G$). Denote by $F$ and $A$ the subgroups of fixed and anti-fixed points of $\sigma$ ...
3
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Linking form for homology with general coefficients
For integral homology groups there is the notion of linking form (http://www.map.mpim-bonn.mpg.de/Linking_form)
$$
Tor(H_{l}(X,\mathbb{Z}))\times Tor(H_{n-l-1}(X,\mathbb{Z}))\rightarrow \mathbb{Q}/\...
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Finite abelian groups with fewer automorphisms than a subgroup
It is not too hard to find examples of finite groups which have fewer automorphisms than one of their subgroups. For example $\mathcal D_4 \times \mathbb Z/2\mathbb Z$ (where $\mathcal D_4$ is the ...
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408
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Conceptual proof of fundamental theorem of finite abelian groups
I'm looking for a conceptual proof of the following statement:
Lemma: Let $G$ be a finite abelian $p$-group. Let $a$ be an element of maximal order. Then $G=\langle a \rangle \times H$ for some ...
4
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Is there a good notion of kernels of quadratic forms on abelian groups?
Let $G$ be an abelian group and let $q:G \to \mathbb{Q/Z}$ be a quadratic form, i.e. $q(a)=q(-a)$ and $b(x,y)=q(x+y)-q(x)-q(y)$ is a bihomomorphism. On vector spaces, when people speak about the ...
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Is the commutator of the holomorph of generalized quaternion group abelian?
Let $Q_{2^{n}} = \langle x, y \mathrel\vert x^{2^{n-1}}=y^4 = 1, x^{2^{n-2}}=y^2, y^{-1}xy = x^{-1} \rangle$ be the generalized quaternion group of order $2^{n}$.
Let $\operatorname{Hol}(Q_{2^{n+1}})$ ...
4
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113
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Duality for finite quotient groups of finitely generated free abelian groups
$\newcommand{\Z}{{\Bbb Z}}
\newcommand{\Q}{{\Bbb Q}}
\newcommand{\Hom}{{\rm Hom}}
$ The following lemma is certainly known.
Lemma (well-known).
Let $B$ be a lattice (that is, a finitely generated ...
3
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0
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251
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Commuting real elements in finite groups
Let $p$, $q$, $r$ be three distinct odd primes, and $G$ a finite group with $|G|$ divisible by $p$, $q$, $r$ to the first power only. Let $x,y,z \in G$ be of order $p,q,r$ respectively. Assume
(a.) $[...
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0
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97
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A duality of finite groups coming from a surjective homomorphism with finite kernel of algebraic tori
$\newcommand{\Hom}{{\rm Hom}}
\newcommand{\Gm}{{{\mathbb G}_{m,{\Bbb C}}}}
\newcommand{\X}{{\sf X}}
$ I am looking for a reference for the following lemma (for which I know a proof):
Lemma.
Let $\...
71
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28
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8k
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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 ...