\documentclass[12 pt]{article} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{latexsym} \usepackage{epsf} \title{Group Theory: Math30038, Sheet 9} \date{GCS} \author{} \begin{document} \maketitle \begin{enumerate} \item Suppose that $G$ is a simple group of order $60$. \begin{enumerate} \item[(a)] Show that $G$ has a subgroup $A$ of order 12. \item[(b)] Show that $A$ has exactly 5 different conjugates. \item[(c)] Show that there is an injective homomorphism from $G$ to $S_5$. Let the image of this map be $H$, a subgroup of index 2 in $S_5$. \item[(d)] Show that both $A_5$ and $H$ both contain every element of $S_5$ of the form $g^2$ and therefore every $5$-cycle and every $3$-cycle. \item[(e)] Show that $H = A_5$. \item[(f)] Deduce that any simple group of order 60 must be isomorphic to $A_5$. \end{enumerate} \item Show that the following presentations all describe the trivial group. \begin{enumerate} \item[(a)] $\langle x \mid x^2, x^3 \rangle,$ \item[(b)] $\langle x, y \mid xy=yx, xyx = yxy, x^5, y^6 \rangle$ and \item[(c)] $\langle x, y \mid x^2, y^4, xyx = y^2, xyxyxy \rangle.$ \end{enumerate} \item We discuss the group $G = \langle x, y \mid x^2 = y^2, (xy)^2 = x^2, x^4 \rangle$ in stages: \begin{enumerate} \item[(a)] Let $T = \langle x^2 \rangle \leq G$ so $|T| \leq 2$. Show that $T \unlhd G$. \item[(b)] Let $H = G/T$. Show that $xT$ and $yT$ commute so that $H$ is abelian. \item[(c)] Show that $|H| \leq 4$. \item[(d)] Deduce that $|G| \leq 8$. \item[(e)] Find a group of order $8$ containing elements $a, b$ such that $a^2 = b^2$, $(ab)^2 = a^2$ and $a^4 =1$. Apply von Dyck's theorem to deduce that $G$ has a homomorphic image of order $8$, and by part (d) deduce that this homomorphism is an isomorphism. \end{enumerate} \item Discuss the (language) group $L$ presented by the small roman alphabet with relations consisting of all homonyms. Thus we have relations such as $too = two$, $practice = practise$, $sea = see$ and so on. The group you get in my ideolect is $C_2$ (South London with a transparent veneer of civilization), whereas in South African English you get the trivial group. On the other hand, I understand that in German the spelling of a word is determined by its pronunciation, so $L$ is a free group. To get you started in $L$ for English, since $two = too$ in $L$, then $t^{-1}twoo^{-1} = t^{-1}tooo^{-1}$ and thus $w = o$ in $L$. Also $too = to$ so $o = 1$ and therefore $w = 1$. Here $1$ denotes the identity element of $L$ for English. \end{enumerate} \end{document}