Groups HT23, Group axioms
Flashcards
@Define a binary operation $\ast$.
A binary operation $\ast$ on a set $S$ is a map $\ast : S \times S \to S$ with $a \ast b$ denoting the image of $(a, b)$ under $\ast$.
Why is $\div$ not a binary operation on $\mathbb R$?
Because it is not defined for $0 \in \mathbb R$.
@Define what it means for a binary operation $\ast$ to be associative.
For all $a, b, c \in S$,
\[(a \ast b) \ast c = a \ast (b \ast c)\]@Define what it means for a binary operation $\ast$ to be commutative.
For all $a, b \in S$,
\[a \ast b = b \ast a\]@Define what it means for an element $e \in S$ to be an identity for a binary operation $\ast$.
For any $a \in S$,
\[e \ast a = a = a \ast e\]@State what it means for $a \in S$ to have an inverse $b \in S$ with respect to a binary operation $\ast$.
@State the group axioms.
A group $(G, \ast)$ consists of a set $G$ and a binary operation $\ast : G \times G \to G$ such that
- $\ast$ is associative
- There exists an identity element
- For each $a \in G$ there exists an inverse
@Define what it means for a group $(G, \ast)$ to be Abelian.
For all $a, b \in G$,
\[a \ast b = b \ast a\]What is the notation for the group of $n \times n$ invertible real matrices?
$n$th general linear group,
\[\mathrm{GL}(n, \mathbb R)\]What is the direct product of two groups $(G, \ast _ G)$ and $(H, \ast _ H)$?
The set of all ordered pairs equipped with componentwise inversion and multiplication.
How could you describe the group $(\mathbb R^2, +)$ as the direct product of two groups?
@Define the order $o(g)$ of an element of a group $G$.
The smallest positive integer $n$ such that $g^n = e$.
Proofs
Let $\ast$ be a binary operation on $S$ and $a \in S$. @Prove that if an identity $e$ exists, then it is unique.
Todo.
Let $\ast$ be a binary operation on $S$ and $a \in S$. @Prove that if $a$ has an inverse $a^{-1}$, then it is unique.
Todo.