Questions tagged [gr.group-theory]
Questions about the branch of algebra that deals with groups.
8,181 questions
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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 ...
user6976
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Analogies supporting heuristic: Weyl groups = algebraic groups over field with one element?
There is well-known heuristic that Weyl groups are reductive algebraic groups over "field with one element".
Probably the best known analogy supporting that heuristic is the limit $q\to1$ ...
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Two groups that are the automorphism groups of each other
Let $H,K$ be two non-isomorphic groups such that $H\cong Aut(K)$ and $K\cong Aut(H)$.
Is there any example of such groups ?
Note: I had asked the question there.
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Richness of the subgroup structure of p-groups
Given a prime $p$ and $n \in \mathbb{N}$, let $f_p(n)$ be the smallest
number such that there is a group of order $p^{f_p(n)}$ which all groups of
order $p^n$ embed into. What is the asymptotic growth ...
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Next steps on formal proof of classification of finite simple groups
While people are steaming ahead on finessing the proof of the classification of finite simple groups (CFSG), we have a formal proof in Coq of one of the first major components: the Feit-Thompson odd-...
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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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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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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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Is the Hurewicz theorem ever used to compute abelianizations?
The Hurewicz theorem tells us that if $X$ is a path-connected space then $H_1(X, \, \mathbb{Z})$ is isomorphic to the abelianisation of $\pi_1(X)$. This gives a potential method for computing the ...
user81684
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Proper subgroup of GL(n,Z) isomorphic to GL(n,Z)?
This is just a question originated from some random thoughts. I hope it's nevertheless fit for mo.
It's possible to find a proper subgroup of $GL(n,\mathbb{C})$ isomorphic to $GL(n,\mathbb{C})$ ...
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Is there a nice explanation for this curious fact about cyclic subgroups?
Here's something that I noticed that quite surprised me.
Let $G$ be a finite abelian group. Consider the following expression.
$$
\nu(G) = \sum_{\substack{H \leq G \\ H \text{ is cyclic}}} |H|
$$
It ...
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Is there a reset sequence?
There is a question someone (I'm hazy as to who) told me years ago. I found it fascinating for a time, but then I forgot about it, and I'm out of touch with any subsequent developments. Can anyone ...
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A group allowing exactly 7 group topologies
Is there a group $G$ allowing exactly 7 group topologies on $G$: $\mathcal T_{\text{trivial}}, \mathcal T_{\text{discrete}}, \mathcal T_1, \mathcal T_2,\mathcal T_3,\mathcal T_4, \mathcal T_5$ with
$$...
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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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Order of products of elements in symmetric groups
Let $n \in \mathbb{N}$. Is it true that for any $a, b, c \in \mathbb{N}$ satisfying
$1 < a, b, c \leq n-2$ the symmetric group ${\rm S}_n$ has elements of order $a$ and $b$
whose product has order $...
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Is there a Mathieu groupoid M_31?
I have read something which said that the large amount of common structure between the simple groups $SL(3,3)$ and $M_{11}$ indicated to Conway the possibility that the Mathieu groupoid $M_{13}$ might ...
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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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Proving that a group is free
I've got a group $G$ that I'm trying to prove is free. I already know that $G$ is torsion-free. Moreover, I can "almost" prove what I want : I can find a finite index subgroup $G'$ of $G$ that is ...
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Does the symmetric group $S_{10}$ factor as a knit product of symmetric subgroups $S_6$ and $S_7$?
By knit product (alias: Zappa-Szép product), I mean a product $AB$ of subgroups for which $A\cap B=1$. In particular, note that neither subgroup is required to be normal, thus making this a ...
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Can one explain Tannaka-Krein duality for a finite-group to ... a computer ? (How to make input for reconstruction to be finite datum?)
Consider a finite group. Tannaka-Krein duality allows to reconstruct the group from the
category of its representations and additional structures on it (tensor structure + fiber functor). Somehow ...
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Is the Rado graph a Cayley graph? If so, what is the group like? (And other questions...)
The countable random graph, also known as the Rado graph, is characterized as the unique countable graph in which every two disjoint finite sets $A$ and $B$ of vertices admit a vertex $p$ connected to ...
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Fixed points of $x\mapsto 2^{2^{2^{2^x}}} \mod p$
Let $p$ be a prime. For how many elements $x$ of $\{0,1,\dotsc,p-1\}$ can it be the case that
$$2^{2^{2^{2^x}}} = x \mod p?$$
In particular, can you find a simple proof (or, even better, several ...
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Do the Baumslag-Solitar groups occur in nature?
The
Baumslag-Solitar groups
$BS(m,n) = \langle b,s\mid s^{-1}b^ms = b^n\rangle$, with $mn\neq 0$,
are important examples (more often, counter-examples) in group theory.
They are residually finite if, ...
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Group theory with grep?
While reading Bill Thurston's obituary in the Notices of the AMS I came across the following fascinating anecdote (pg. 32):
Bill’s enthusiasm during the early stages of mathematical discovery was ...
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What's the supersymmetric analogue of the Monster group?
Bosonic string theory lives in 26 dimensions, and it gives a conformal field theory where the field is a map from a Riemann surface to $\mathbb{R}^{24}$. The Leech lattice $L$ is an even unimodular ...
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Diameter of symmetric group
Let $\Sigma_n\subset G$ be a set of generators of the symmetric group $S_n$. It is a well-known conjecture that the diameter of the Cayley graph $\Gamma(S_n,\Sigma_n)$ is at most $n^C$ for some ...
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Navigating $\mathbb{Z}/p\mathbb{Z}$
$\newcommand{\Z}{\mathbb{Z}}$Let's consider a silly-looking question first. Consider $\Z/p\Z$. Say I am allowed the two operations $x\mapsto x+1$ and $x\mapsto 2x$. Then, starting from $0$, I can ...
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Intuitive explanation of Burnside's Lemma
Burnside's Lemma states that, given a set $X$ acted on by a group $G$,
$$|X/G|=\frac{1}{|G|}\sum_{g\in G}|X^g|$$
where $|X/G|$ is the number of orbits of the action, and $|X^g|$ is the number of ...
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Residual finiteness: why do we care?
Residually finite groups have been studied for a long time. However, I am struggling to work out why we care, or perhaps, why they continue to be of interest. Let me explain.
Magnus, in his 1968 ...
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Why are Fuchsian groups interesting?
I keep hearing that fuchsian groups are interesting for other reasons than the Fuchsian model for hyperbolic Riemann surfaces.
What are those reasons?
Are the Fuchsian groups with fixed points ...
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Is it decidable whether or not a collection of integer matrices generates a free group?
Suppose we have integer matrices $A_1,\ldots,A_n\in\operatorname{GL}(n,\mathbb Z)$. Define $\varphi:F_n\to\operatorname{GL}(n,\mathbb Z)$ by $x_i\mapsto A_i$. Is there an algorithm to decide whether ...
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How strong is this conjecture? $(Z/nZ)^*$ is generated by "small" elements
Conjecture: There are constants $c,k$ such that every $(Z/nZ)^*$ is generated by its elements smaller than $k (\log n)^c$.
Where $(Z/nZ)^*$ is the multiplicative group of integers mod $n$. My main ...
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In any Lie group with finitely many connected components, does there exist a finite subgroup which meets every component?
This question concerns a statement in a short paper by S. P. Wang titled “A note on free subgroups in linear groups" from 1981. The main result of this paper is the following theorem.
Theorem (Wang, ...
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No simple groups of order 720?
I think most students who first learn about (finite) groups, eventually learn about the possibility of classifying certain finite groups, and even showing certain finite groups of a given order can't ...
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Fractal-like structures arising from the action of a group on $\mathbb{Z}^2$
Let $G := \langle a, b, c \rangle < {\rm Sym}(\mathbb{Z}^2)$ be the group
generated by the permutation
$$
a: \ (m,n) \ \mapsto \ (m-n,m)
$$
of order $6$ and the involutions
$$
b: \ (m,n) \ \...
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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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Do two integral matrices generate a free group?
Is it decidable whether two given elements of ${\rm GL}(n,{\mathbb Z})$ generate a free group of rank 2?
This is a simple question that I have been asking people for the past couple of years, but ...
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Cohomology of symmetric groups and the integers mod 12
When $n \ge 4$, the third homology group $H_3(S_n,\mathbb{Z})$ of the symmetric group $S_n$ contains $\mathbb{Z}_{12}$ as a summand. Using the universal coefficient theorem we get $\mathbb{Z}_{12}$ ...
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Follow-up to Steinberg's problem (12) in his 1966 ICM talk?
Steinberg's lecture at the 1966 ICM in Moscow here surveyed his work on regular elements of semisimple algebraic groups, while also formulating a number of then-open questions as "problems" (...
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Topology of SU(3)
$U(1)$ is diffeomorphic to $S^1$ and $SU(2)$ is to $S^3$, but apparently it is not true that $SU(3)$ is diffeomorphic to $S^8$ (more bellow). Since $SU(3)$ appears in the standard model I would like ...
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Roots of permutations
Consider the equation $x^2=x_0$ in the symmetric group $S_n$, where $x_0\in S_n$ is fixed. Is it true that for each integer $n\geq 0$, the maximal number of solutions (the number of square roots of $...
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Does the symmetric group on an infinite set have a minimal generating set?
To clarify the terms in the question above:
The symmetric group Sym($\Omega$) on a set $\Omega$ consists of all bijections from $\Omega$ to $\Omega$ under composition of functions. A generating set $...
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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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Does $\mathrm{SO}(3)$ act faithfully on a countable set?
Let $\mathrm{SO}(3)$ be the group of rotations of $\mathbb{R}^3$ and let $S_\infty$ be the group of all permutations of $\mathbb{N}$. Is $\mathrm{SO}(3)$ isomorphic to a subgroup of $S_\infty$?
This ...
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Existence of simultaneously normal finite index subgroups
It is well known that if $K$ is a finite index subgroup of a group $H$, then there is a finite index subgroup $N$ of $K$ which is normal in $H$. Indeed, one can observe that there are only finitely ...
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Does $S_4$ inject into $SL(2,R)$ for some commutative ring $R$?
$\newcommand{\Z}{\mathbf{Z}}$
Given a nice infinite collection of groups, for example the symmetric groups, one can ask whether any finite group is a subgroup of one of them. Of course any finite ...
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What determines the maximal dimension of the irreps of a (finite) group?
I am chemist and ask for apologies for all my mathematical inabilities when asking this question in advance, but after quite a bit of searching I found that this problem could be "open" or ...
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Geometric interpretation of the lower central series for the fundamental group?
For any group $G$ we can form the lower central series of normal subgroups by taking $G_0 = G$, $G_1 = [G,G]$, $G_{i+1} = [G,G_i]$. We can check this gives a normal chain
$$G_0 \ge G_1 \ge ... \ge G_i ...
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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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Quillen + construction for finite groups
Is there an example of two non isomorphic finite groups $G$ and $H$ such that $BG^{+}$ is homotopy equivalent to $BH^{+}$ ?
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