Complete answers
Elisha Ayanda Sibanda
September 2024
1 Introduction
article amsmath,amssymb
Question 1
(a) Define a right coset of H in G, where H ≤ G and a ∈ G.
The right coset of H in G with respect to a is defined as:
Ha = {ha | h ∈ H}.
(b) Define a cyclic group ⟨g⟩.
A cyclic group is a group that can be generated by a single element g, such that:
⟨g⟩ = {g n | n ∈ Z}.
(c) Define a normal subgroup N in G.
A subgroup N ≤ G is said to be normal if for every g ∈ G and n ∈ N , we have
gng −1 ∈ N . This is denoted as:
gN g −1 = N f orall g ∈ G.
(d) Define a group homomorphism θ : (G, ◦) → (K, ⋆).
A group homomorphism is a function θ : G → K such that for all g1 , g2 ∈ G,
θ(g1 ◦ g2 ) = θ(g1 ) ⋆ θθ(g2 ).
(e) Define the kernel of θ where θ : G → K is a group
homomorphism.
The kernel of a group homomorphism θ is the set of all elements in G that are
mapped to the identity element in K:
ker(θ) = {g ∈ G | θ(g) = eK }.
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Question 2
(a) State Lagrange’s Theorem.
Lagrange’s Theorem states that if G is a finite group and H is a subgroup of
G, then the order of H divides the order of G:
|G| = |H| · [G : H],
where [G : H] is the index of H in G.
(b) In (Z15 , ×):
• Z15 = {0, 1, 2, . . . , 14}, with multiplication modulo 15.
(i) Determine ⟨5⟩ and deduce the order of 5.
The cyclic subgroup generated by 5 is:
⟨5⟩ = {5, 10, 0}.
The order of 5 is the number of distinct elements in this set, which is 3.
(ii) Confirm Lagrange’s Theorem for ⟨5⟩.
Lagrange’s Theorem states that the order of a subgroup divides the order of the
group. The order of (Z15 , ×) is 15, and the order of ⟨5⟩ is 3. Clearly, 3 divides
15, so Lagrange’s Theorem holds.
(iii) Find the right coset of ⟨5⟩ in (Z15 , ×).
The right coset of ⟨5⟩ with respect to any a ∈ Z15 is of the form:
⟨5⟩a = {5a, 10a, 0a}15.
For example, the right coset of ⟨5⟩ with respect to a = 1 is:
⟨5⟩1 = {5, 10, 0}.
Question 3
Let (G, ◦) and (K, ⋆) be groups.
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(a) Prove that the inverse of any g ∈ G is unique.
The inverse of g ∈ G is the element g −1 such that:
g ◦ g −1 = g −1 ◦ g = e,
where e is the identity element. Suppose g has two inverses, x and y, such that:
g◦x=e and g ◦ y = e.
Then:
x = x ◦ e = x ◦ (g ◦ y) = (x ◦ g) ◦ y = e ◦ y = y.
Thus, x = y, so the inverse is unique.
(b) Prove that θ(g −1 ) = (θ(g))−1 , where θ is a group homo-
morphism.
Let θ : G → K be a group homomorphism. We need to show that θ(g −1 ) =
(θ(g))−1 . Since θ is a homomorphism, we have:
θ(g ◦ g −1 ) = θ(eG ) = eK .
Thus,
θ(g) ⋆ θ(g −1 ) = eK ,
which means that θ(g −1 ) = (θ(g))−1 .
(c) Prove that if θ : (G, ◦) → (K, ⋆) is a group homomor-
phism, then θ(G) = {θ(g) | g ∈ G} is a subgroup of K.
We need to show that θ(G) is a subgroup of K.
1. Identity: Since θ is a homomorphism, θ(eG ) = eK , so the identity element
of K is in θ(G).
2. Closure: Let θ(g1 ), θ(g2 ) ∈ θ(G). Then:
θ(g1 ) ⋆ θ(g2 ) = θ(g1 ◦ g2 ) ∈ θ(G).
Thus, θ(G) is closed under the group operation of K.
3. Inverses: For any θ(g) ∈ θ(G), we have:
(θ(g))−1 = θ(g −1 ) ∈ θ(G).
Thus, θ(G) contains inverses.
Therefore, θ(G) is a subgroup of K.
