MAT 444 H.

Barcelo Spring 2004

Homework 6 Solutions
Section 6.1 Question: 2. Let H be a subgroup of a group G. Then H operates on G by left multiplication. Describe the orbits for this operation. Answer: The orbits of G are the right cosets of H.

Question: 4. Prove the Fixed Point Theorem (1.12). Answer: We must show that if | G | = p e , p , a prime integer, and S is a finite G-set such that p | s | , then s S such that Gs = G . If we show that there is one orbit Os with | Os | = 1 then | Gs | = | G | by the counting formula.

Let k be the number of distinct orbits of S under the action of G. Then

S = O1 O2 Ok . By the counting formula | O j | / | S | i = 1, , k , thus
| O j | = p ri where O ri e . If all ri 1 , then p would divide | S | . Thus, at least one
i i i

ri = 0, which yields an orbit of size 1, say Os and s is a desired fixed point.

Question: 8. Determine the Class Equation for each of the following groups. a) the quaternion group Answer: a) Conjugacy classes: {1}, {1}, {i, 1}, { j , j}, {k , k} Class equation: 8 = 1 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 2 Question: b) the Klein four group

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Answer: b) Klein group G is abelian, thus every element of G belongs to a conjugacy class made of that element only.

Class equation: 4 = 1 + 1 + 1 + 1
Question: c) the dihedral group D5 Answer: c) see (e) Question: d) D6 Answer: d) see (e) Question: e) Dn Answer: e) G = Dn Case 1: n is odd
n 1 2 Conjugacy classes: {1}, {x, x }, , {x , x { y, xy, x 2 y, , x n 1 y} Class equation: 2n = 1 + 2 + 2 + + 2 + n n 1 factors 2 n 1 n +1 2

},

Case 2: n is even Conjugacy classes: {1}, {x, x }, , {x , x }, {x }, { y, x 2 y, , x n 2 y}, {xy x3 y, , x n 1 y} n n Class equation: 1 + 1 + 2 + 2 + + 2 + + 2 2 n 1
2 factors n 1 n 1 2 n +1 2 n 2

Question: f) the group of upper triangular matrices in GL2 (F3 )

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Answer: f) Conjugacy classes:

1 0 2 0 , , 0 1 0 2 1 1 1 2 , , 0 1 0 1 2 1 2 2 , 0 2 0 2

1 0 1 1 1 2 2 0 2 1 2 2 , , , , , 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 1

class equation: 1 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 3 + 3 .
Question: g) SL2 (F3 ) Answer: g) class equation: 1 + 1 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 6 . Section 6.2 Question: 6. Prove that no group of order p e , where p is prime and e > 1, is simple. Answer: Let G be a group of order p e , p prime and e > 1. By proposition (1.11) | Z (G ) | > 1 . But Z (G ) G G , so if Z(G) is not all of G then G is not simple. If Z (G ) = G , this means G, that G is abelian. But G has at least an element x of order p, hence x < G and x

since G is abelian.
Section 6.3 Question: 6. Consider the operation of left multiplication by G on the set of its subsets. Let U be a subset whose orbit {gU} partitions G. Let H be the unique subset in this orbit which contains 1. Prove that H is a subgroup of G and that the sets gU are its left cosets. Answer:

We have that

gU

partitions G, so 1 belongs to one subset, say H = g U . But then

gH

also partitions G. Let GH = {g G gH = H } be the stabilizer of H, we show that

GH = H , hence H is a subgroup of G.

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i) If h H then h = h 1 h H , which means that h 1 H hH 1H = hH h Gh ; thus, H GH . ii) Let s GH then sH = H , and since 1 H , s sH = H , hence GH H .

Question: 13. a.) Let H be a normal subgroup of G of order 2. Prove that H is in the center of G. Answer: a.) Let H = {1, x}

G axa 1 H , a G .

But axa 1 1 since if axa 1 = 1 x = 1 . Thus axa 1 = x ax = xa x Z (G ) . Since clearly 1 Z (G ) then H Z (G ) .

Question: b) Let H be a normal subgroup of prime order p in a finite group G. Suppose that p is the smallest prime dividing | G | . Prove that H is in the center Z(G). Answer: b.) Let H G with | H | = p. Let x 1 and x H such that H Z (G ) . We show that for all g G the set Cx = {gxg 1 g G} = 1 , thus since x Cx we have

gxg 1 = x g G gx = xg g G . We know that | Cx | divides the order of G. Moreover, since H G , gxg 1 H g G Cx H . Hence | Cx | | H | = p , since p is the smallest prime that divides | G | | Cx | = p or 1. If | Cx | = p we have that Cx = H which means g s.t. gxg 1 = 1 , i.e. x = 1, contradicting our assumption. Thus | Cx | = 1 and if x H and x 1 x Z (G ) . Clearly, 1 Z (G ) as well. H Z (G ) .
Section 6.4 Question:

4.

1 a Prove that the set of matrices where a, c F7 and c = 1, 2, 4 forms a group of the c type presented in (4.9b) (and that therefore such a group exists).

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Answer:
1 a Let G = a, c F7 , c = 1, 2, 4 . Noe that H = {1, 2, 4} is a cyclic subgroup of 0 c the multiplicative group F7 {0} .

1 0 Clearly G , thus there is an identify element in G. 0 1

1 ac 1 1 a 1 a Let G , then = 1 0 c 0 c 0 c
1

, but since H is a subgroup c 1 H thus

1 a 0 c G . 1 a 1 a 1 a + ab again since H Let A = and B = 0 b with c, b H . Then AB = 0 cb 0 c is a subgroup cb H AB G . Since multiplication of matrices is an associative law of composition, G is a group. 1 1 Easy computation reveals that if we let X = and 0 1 1 0 Y = then X , Y , G with | X | = 7, | Y | = 3 0 4
and YX = X 2Y .

Question: 5. Find Sylow 2-subgroups in the following cases: a) D10 Answer: a) The Sylow 2 subgroup of D10 are

{1, x 5 , y, x 5 y} , {1, x 5 , xy, x 6 y} , {1, x5 , x 2 y, x 7 y} {1, x 5 , x 3 y, x 2 y} and {1, x5 , x 4 y, x9 y} .

Question: b) T

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Answer: b) Since | T | = 12 = 22 3 , the Sylow 2-subgroups have order 22 = 4 . First note that for every edge of the tehahedron there is exactly one edge not incident to it, called such pair of edges opposite edges. Consider the rotation of 180 about the line passing through the center of opposite edges, each of these rotations has order 2, there are 3 of them and together with the identify they form a subgroup of T of order 4. You can show that this subgroup is normal, thus the only Sylow 2 subgroup. Question: d) I Answer: d) | I | = 60 = 22 3 5 . Note that besides the identity there are 15 elements whose order divides 4; they are the non-trivial stabilizer of the edges. They all have orde 2 and are conjugate to one another. Since they are the only non-trivial elements whose order divides 4, the Sylow 2-subgroups must contain some of those. So 3 of them together with the identity must form a group of order 4. One can show that there are in fact 5 distinct Sylow 2-subgroups. Question: 13. Prove that if G has order n = p e a where 1 a < p and e 1 , then G has a proper normal subgroup. Answer: Let | G | = p e a where 1 a < p and e 1 .

Note that the conjugate of a Sylow p-subgroup is a Sylow p-subgroup. So if there is a unique Sylow p-subgroup it must be normal. By the 3rd Sylow theorem n p a and n p 1(mod p) where n p is the number of Sylow p-subgroups. Since a < p and

n p a < p , we have that n p = 1. So we have one Sylow p-subgroup of order p e . If a = 1, we showed that G was not simple. If a > 1, then the Sylow p-subgroup is a proper subgroup of G and G is not simple.
Question: 14. Prove that the only simple groups of order < 60 are groups of prime order. Answer: If p is a prime integer we have already shown that any group G of order p is simple. So all groups of order: 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 53, or 59 are simple.

Combining exercises 6.4.13, 6.4.2, 6.4.3 and 6.2.2 we have shown that all groups whose order is not equal to 24, 30, 36, 40, 48 and 56 are not simple. Thus, we are left to show that these groups are not simple.

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First note that if | G | = pm where p is a prime that does not divide m, then if S and T are 2 distinct Sylow p-subgroups S T = {1} . Indeed, since | S | = | T | = p then neither S and T have non-trivial proper subgroup, thus S T S and T has to be trivial. Similarly, if S and T are Sylow p- and q-subgroups, then S T S and T so there would be elements of order q in S and of order p in T which is clearly impossible. Hence S T = {1} . Case 1: | G | = 24 has been dealt with in exercise 6.4.5 (c). Case 2: | G | = 30 = 2 3 5 . Let n p denote the number of Sylow p-subgroups. We have that n5 |6 and n p 1 mod 5 which means that n5 = 1 or 6 . If n5 = 1 , then the Sylow 5-subgroup is normal, thus G is not simple. If n5 = 6 , then each Sylow 5subgroup has 4 distinct elements 1 for a total of 24 elements, thus we are left with a total of 6 elements including the identity to make the Sylow 2-subgroup and the Sylow 3-subgroup. Thus, we must in fact have 3 Sylow 2-subgroups and 1 Sylow 3subgroup, or 2 Sylow 3-subgroups and 1 Sylow 2-subgroup. In both cases this yields that we have a proper non-trivial normal subgroup. Case 3: | G | = 40 = 23 5 . So n5 must divide 8 and be congruent to 1 modulo 5. This implies that n5 = 1 and this Sylow 5-subgroup is normal. Case 4: | G | = 56 = 23 7 . We have that n7 |8 and n7 1(mod 7) , so n7 = 1 or 8 . Again, if n7 = 1 , the Sylow 7-subgroup is normal and we are done. If not, we would have 8(7 1) = 48 elements leaving 8 elements for the Sylow 2-subgroups of order 8. thus, there is only one Sylow 2-subgroup yielding once more that G is not simple. Case 5: | G | = 36 and case | G | = 48 are treated in the same manner via the following lemma. Lemma: There is no non-abelian simple group G of order | G | = p e m where p is a prime that does not divide m nor (m 1)! Proof: Assume that such a group G. exists. By the first Sylow theorem, G contains a subgroup P of order p e , hence of index m. We may assume that m > 1, for non-abelian pgroups are never simple. One can show that there exists a homomorphism : G Sm with ker( ) P . Since we assume that G is simple it has no proper normal subgroups; hence ker( ) = {1} and is an injection; that is, G (G ) S m . So by Lagranges theorem p e m | m ! and so p e | (m 1)! contradicting the hypothesis.