1.

Groups, Subgroups
( ! )
a a
(1) Let G = |a 6= 0, a R . Is it a group under multiplication?
a a
( ! )
a b
(2) Let G = ||a| + |b| =
6 0, a, b R . Is it a group under multiplication?
b a

(3) Put G = {a + b 2 : a, b Q}. Show that the nonzero elements in G form a group
denoted bu G under multiplication.
(4) Show that the set of all transformations of the type z 7 az+b cz+d , ad bc 6= 0 of the
complex numbers in itself, is a group for the operation of composite transformations.
(This group is called Mobius transformation group.)
(5) Find the order of the group GLn (Fp ) where Fp = Z/pZ the field of integers modulo
a prime number p.
(6) Show that every Sn can be expressed as a product of disjoint cycles.
(7) Every Sn can be expressed as a product of transpositions.
(8) The set An of all even permutations forms a subgroup of Sn of order n!/2.
(9) List all the elements of order 2 in S4 . How many elements of Sn have order 2?
(10) Write elements as permutation in S6 of the dihedral group symmetries of a regular
hexagon inscribed in a unit circle with one vertex on the x-axis.
(11) Let |x| denote order of an element x in a group G. Show that |x| = |x1 | = |gxg 1 |
for any g G. Deduce that |ab| = |ba| for any a, b G.
(12) Prove that if x2 = 1 for all x G, then G is abelian.
(13) Show that G is abelian group if and only if (ab)2 = a2 b2 .
(14) Prove that any finite group of even order contains an element of order 2.
(15) Let F be a field. The Heisenburg group H(F ) is defined to be the multiplicative
group:


1 a b

H(F ) = 0 1 c : a, b, c F


0 0 1

(a) Find formulas for products and inverses of elements in H(F ).

(b) Show that H(F ) is a nonabelian group.
(c) Prove that every nonidentity element of H(R) has infinite order.
(d) Let F be a finite field with q elements. Show that |H(F )| = q 3 .
(e) Find orders of elements of H(F2 ).
(16) Let G be an abelian group. Prove that the set t(G) = {g G : |g| < } is a
subgroup of G, (called the torsion subgroup of G). Give an example to show that
t(G) is not a subgroup when G is not abelian.
(17) Let H and K be subgroups of a group G. Then HK is a subgroup of G if and only
if HK = KH.
(18) Show that a group can not be the union of two proper subgroups.
(19) Find all subgroups of S3 and D4 .
(20) Let H be a subgroup of G and a G. Show that a H if and only if aH = H.
1
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(21) Show that every subgroup of a cyclic group is cyclic.

(22) Let G =< a > and |a| = n. Find |ar | where r [n]. Find all r [n] such that
G =< ar >.
(23) Let G be a group and x, y G have finite orders m and n respectively. Prove that
|xy| divides [m, n] if xy = yx. Give an example of x and y so that |xy| < [m, n].
What can you say if xy 6= yx.
(24) If G is a group of prime order then G is cyclic.
(25) Give an example of a group which is not cyclic group but every proper subgroup of
which is cyclic.
(26) Show that a cyclic group with just one generator has at most two elements.
(27) Prove that an infinite cyclic group has exactly two generators.
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2. Homomorphism,Isomorphism

(1) Let (a1 , . . . , ak ), Sn . Then show that (a1 , . . . , ak ) 1 = ((a1 ), . . . , (ak )).
(2) Let : G H be an isomorphism. Prove that 1 : H G is an isomorphism.
(3) Let a G and ia : G G be the map ia (g) = aga1 for all g G. Show
that ia is an automorphism of G. Let B(G) denote the group of bijections of G.
Define : G B(G) by (a) = ia . Show that is a group homomorphism and
ker = Z(G). Show that the image I(G) of G under is a normal subgroup of
Aut(G).
(4) Show that the map : GLn (R) GLn (R) defined by (A) = (At )1 is an
automorphism.
(5) Show that the map : G G defined by (x) = x1 is an automorphism if and
only if G is abelian.
(6) Show that upto isomorphism the only cyclic groups are Z/nZ for n = 0, 1, 2, . . .
(7) Determine the group of automorphism of Z, S3 and Z/nZ.
(8) Show that Z(Sn ) = (1) for n > 2.
(9) Find Z(GLn (R)).
(10) Give an example of a subgroup of index 3 which is not normal.
(11) Show that the functions f (x) = 1/x and g(x) = (x 1)/x generate, under compo-
sition of functions, a group isomorphic to S3 .
(12) Let : G G0 be a surjective group homomorphism. Show that for any normal
subgroup N of G, (N ) is a normal subgroup of G0 .
(13) Prove that the subgroup of upper triangular matrices in GL3 (F2 ) is isomorphic to
the dihedral group of order 8.
(14) Let G be an abelian group of odd order. Prove that the map : G G defined
by (g) = g 2 for all g G is an automorphism.
(15) Show that GL2 (R) is not a normal subgroup of GL2 (C).
(16) Give examples of three groups G / H / K so that G is not normal in K.
(17) Suppose H and K are subgroups of finite index in the group G with [G : H] = m
and [G : K] = n. Prove that l.c.m(m, n) [G : H K] mn. Deduce that if m
and n are relatively prime then [G : H K] = [G : H][G : K].
(18) Let K < H < G be subgroups of a finite group G. Show that [G : K] = [G : H][H :
K].
(19) Prove that if H and K are finite subgroups of G whose order are relatively prime
then H K = 1
(20) Let H < G. Prove that the map x 7 x1 sends each left coset of H in G onto a
right coset of H and gives a bijection between the set of left cosets and the set of
right cosets of H in G.
(21) For n N, (n) := {j N|1 j n and (j, n) = 1} is called the Eulers phi
function. Use Lagranges theorem in the multiplicative group (Z/pZ) to prove
Fermats Little Theorem: if p is a prime then ap a(mod p) for all a Z.
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(22) Let p be a prime and n be a positive integer. Find the order of p in (Z/(pn 1)Z)
and deduce that n|(pn 1) (here is Eulers function).
(23) Use Lagranges Theorem in the multiplicative group (Z/nZ) to prove Eulers The-
orem: a(n) 1(mod n) for every integer a relatively prime to n, where is Eulers
phi function.