Group Actions Notes - Important Theorems

Group Actions -Important Theorems

Group Actions Notes - Important Theorems trace back to the foundational concepts of group theory within Mathematics. They provide a deeper understanding of the interaction between groups and sets through actions. These concepts have been widely used in various disciplines, including geometry, physics, and computer science.

What You Will Learn?

  In this post, you will explore:

  • Theorem-1: Let (G,)(G,\circ ) be a group and SS be a non-empty set and SS be a G-Set. Then prove that [G:Ga]=[a]\big[G:G_{a} \big]=|[a]| for aSa\in S.
  • Theorem-2: Let (G,)(G,\circ ) be a group and SS be a non-empty set and SS be a G-Set. If SS is finite then S=aA[G:Ga]|S|=\displaystyle\sum_{a\in A}^{}\big[G:G_{a} \big] where AA is a subset of S containing exactly one element from each orbit [a][a].
  • Theorem-3: Let (G,)(G,\circ ) be a group and SS be a non-empty set and SS be a G-Set. Then the action of GG on SS induces a homomorphism from GG on A(S)A(S), where A(S)A(S) is the group of all permutations of SS.
  • Extended Cayley’s Theorem: Let (G,)(G,\circ ) be a group and HH be a subgroup of GG. Let S={aH:aG}S=\set{aH: a\in G} . Then there exists a homomorphism ψ:GA(S)\psi: G \to A(S) such that Ker ψHKer~\psi\subseteq H.

Things to Remember

Before diving into this post, make sure you are familiar with: Basic Definitions and Concepts of
  1. Set Theory
  2. Relations
  3. Mappings
  4. Group Theory

Introduction

  Group Actions – Important Theorems serve as a cornerstone in the study of Group Theory. Group actions define how groups interact with mathematical objects and help understand symmetry, combinatorics, and algebraic structures. This study is crucial for solving problems in Mathematics.

Theorem-1

  Statement:

  Let (G,)(G,\circ ) be a group and SS be a non-empty set and SS be a G-Set. Then prove that [G:Ga]=[a]\big[G:G_{a} \big]=\big|[a]\big| for aSa\in S.


  Proof:
  Given that (G,)(G,\circ ) is a group and SS is a non-empty set and SS is a G-Set.
  Let :G×SS\cdot :G\times S \to S be an action of GG on SS.
  Let ρ\rho be the equivalence relation on SS defined by  α,βS\forall~\alpha,\beta \in S , αρβ    gα=β\alpha\rho \beta\iff g\cdot \alpha=\beta for some gGg\in G.
  Let aSa\in S. Then we have Ga={gG: ga=a}G_{a}=\set{g\in G:~ g\cdot a=a} and [a]={xS: ga=x, gG}[a]=\set{x\in S:~ g\cdot a=x,~ g\in G}.
  Let PP be the set of all left cosets of GaG_{a} in G.
  To prove that [G:Ga]=[a]\big[G:G_{a} \big]=|[a]|
  Let us construct a mapping f:P[a]f:P\to [a] such that f(gGa)=ga where gG\begin{align*} f(gG_{a})=g\cdot a \text{ where }g\in G \end{align*}   Then we have to prove that ff is bijective.

  • To prove ff is well defined
    Let p,qGp,q\in G then pGa,qGaPpG_{a},qG_{a}\in P such that pGa=qGa    q1pGa    (q1p)a=a    q1(pa)=a    q(q1(pa))=qa    (qq1)(pa)=qa    e(pa)=qa    pa=qa    f(pGa)=f(qGa)\begin{align*} & pG_{a}=qG_{a} \\ \implies & q^{-1}\circ p\in G_{a}\\ \implies & \big(q^{-1}\circ p\big) \cdot a=a\\ \implies & q^{-1}\cdot\big( p \cdot a\big)=a\\ \implies & q\cdot\big(q^{-1}\cdot\big( p \cdot a\big)\big)=q\cdot a\\ \implies & \big(q\circ q^{-1}\big)\cdot\big( p \cdot a\big)=q\cdot a\\ \implies & e\cdot\big( p \cdot a\big)=q\cdot a\\ \implies & p\cdot a=q\cdot a\\ \implies & f\big(pG_{a}\big)=f\big(qG_{a}\big) \end{align*} \therefore ff is well defined.
  • To prove ff is injective
    Let p,qGp,q\in G then pGa,qGaPpG_{a},qG_{a}\in P such that f(pGa)=f(qGa)    pa=qa    q1(pa)=q1(qa)    (q1p)a=(q1q)a    (q1p)a=ea    (q1p)a=a    q1pGa    pGa=qGa\begin{align*} & f\big(pG_{a}\big)=f\big(qG_{a}\big) \\ \implies & p\cdot a=q\cdot a\\ \implies & q^{-1}\cdot\big(p\cdot a\big)=q^{-1}\cdot\big(q\cdot a\big)\\ \implies & \big(q^{-1}\circ p\big) \cdot a=\big(q^{-1}\circ q \big)\cdot a\\ \implies & \big(q^{-1}\circ p\big) \cdot a=e\cdot a\\ \implies & \big(q^{-1}\circ p\big) \cdot a= a\\ \implies & q^{-1}\circ p\in G_{a}\\ \implies & pG_{a}=qG_{a} \\ \end{align*} \therefore ff is injective.
  • To prove ff is surjective
    Let x[a]x\in [a] . Then there exists an element gGg\in G such that
    ga=x    f(gGa)=x\begin{align*} & g\cdot a =x \\ \implies & f\big(gG_{a} \big)=x \end{align*} gGa\therefore gG_{a} is the pre-image of xx in PP. Since xx is an arbitrary element of [a][a], therefore each member of [a][a] has a pre-image in PP.
    \therefore ff is surjective.

  Hence [G:Ga]=[a]\big[G:G_{a} \big]=\big|[a]\big| .

Theorem-2

  Statement:

  Let (G,)(G,\circ ) be a group and SS be a non-empty set and SS be a G-Set. If SS is finite then S=aA[G:Ga]|S|=\displaystyle\sum_{a\in A}^{}\big[G:G_{a} \big] where AA is a subset of S containing exactly one element from each orbit [a][a].


  Proof:
  Given that (G,)(G,\circ ) is a group and SS is a non-empty set and SS is a G-Set.
  Let :G×SS\cdot :G\times S \to S be an action of GG on SS.
  Let ρ\rho be the equivalence relation on SS defined by  α,βS\forall~\alpha,\beta \in S , αρβ    gα=β\alpha\rho \beta\iff g\cdot \alpha=\beta for some gGg\in G.
  Then SS can be partitioned as the union of orbits of GG.
  AA is a subset of S containing exactly one element from each orbit [a][a]. Therefore S=aA[a]    S=aA[a]    S=aA[G:Ga][ [G:Ga]=[a]]\begin{align*} & S=\cup_{a\in A}[a]\\ \implies & |S|=\displaystyle\sum_{a\in A}^{}\big|[a]\big|\\ \implies & |S|= \displaystyle\sum_{a\in A}^{}\big[G:G_{a} \big]\\ &\big[\because~\big[G:G_{a} \big]=\big|[a]\big|\big] \end{align*}

Theorem-3

  Statement:

  Let (G,)(G,\circ ) be a group and SS be a non-empty set and SS be a G-Set. Then the action of GG on SS induces a homomorphism from GG onto A(S)A(S), where A(S)A(S) is the group of all permutations of SS.


  Proof:
  Given that (G,)(G,\circ ) is a group and SS is a non-empty set and SS is a G-Set and A(S)A(S) is the group of all permutations of SS.
  Let :G×SS\cdot :G\times S \to S be an action of GG on SS.
  Let gGg\in G and let us define a mapping τg:SS\tau_{g}:S\to S such that τg(a)=ga, aS\tau_{g}(a)=g\cdot a,~a\in S.

  • To prove τg\tau_{g} is well-defined
    Let a,bSa,b\in S such that a=b    ga=gb [ is well-defined]    τg(a)=τg(b)\begin{align*} & a=b \\ \implies & g\cdot a = g\cdot b~ \big[\because \cdot\text{ is well-defined} \big]\\ \implies & \tau_{g}(a)=\tau_{g}(b) \end{align*} \therefore τg\tau_{g} is well-defined.
  • To prove τg\tau_{g} is injective
    Let a,bSa,b\in S such that τg(a)=τg(b)    ga=gb    g1(ga)=g1(gb)    (g1g)a=(g1g)b    ea=eb [ where e is the identity element of G]    a=b\begin{align*} & \tau_{g}(a)=\tau_{g}(b) \\ \implies & g\cdot a = g\cdot b\\ \implies & g^{-1}\cdot\big(g\cdot a\big) = g^{-1}\cdot\big(g\cdot b\big)\\ \implies & \big(g^{-1}\circ g\big)\cdot a = \big(g^{-1}\circ g\big)\cdot b\\ \implies & e\cdot a = e\cdot b~ \big[\text{ where e is the identity element of G} \big]\\ \implies & a=b \end{align*} \therefore τg\tau_{g} is injective.
  • To prove τg\tau_{g} is surjective
    Let cSc\in S then c=ec    c=(gg1)c    c=g(g1c)    c=τg(g1c)\begin{align*} & c=e\cdot c\\ \implies & c= \big(g\circ g^{-1}\big)\cdot c\\ \implies & c= g\cdot \big(g^{-1} \cdot c\big)\\ \implies & c= \tau_{g} \big(g^{-1} \cdot c\big)\\ \end{align*} g1c\therefore g^{-1} \cdot c is the pre-image of cc under τg\tau_{g}. Since cc is an arbitrary element of SS then each member of SS has a pre-image in SS, \therefore τg\tau_{g} is surjective.

  \therefore τg\tau_{g} is bijective     τg=A(S)\implies \tau_{g}=A(S).
  Now let us define a mapping ψ:GA(S)\psi:G\to A(S) such that ψ(g)=τg , gG\psi(g)=\tau_{g}~,~g\in G.

  • To prove ψ\psi is well-defined.
    Let g1,g2Gg_{1},g_{2} \in G such that g1=g2 g_{1}= g_{2} . Let sSs\in S τg1(s)=g1s sS    τg1(s)=g2s sS    τg1(s)=τg2(s) sS    τg1=τg2    ψ(g1)=ψ(g2)\begin{align*} & \tau_{g_{1}}(s)=g_{1}\cdot s~\forall s\in S \\ \implies & \tau_{g_{1}}(s)=g_{2}\cdot s~\forall s\in S \\ \implies & \tau_{g_{1}}(s)=\tau_{g_{2}} (s)~\forall s\in S\\ \implies & \tau_{g_{1}}=\tau_{g_{2}} \\ \implies & \psi(g_{1})=\psi(g_{2}) \end{align*} \therefore ψ\psi is well-defined.
  • To prove ψ\psi is surjective.
    Let τgA(S)\tau_{g}\in A(S) for some gGg\in G then ψ(g)=τg\psi(g)=\tau_{g} . Therefore τg\tau_{g} has a pre-image gGg\in G. Since τg\tau_{g} is an arbitrary element of A(S)A(S), then each member of A(S)A(S) has a pre-image in GG.
    \therefore ψ\psi is surjective.
  • To prove ψ\psi is homomorphism.
    Let g1,g2Gg_{1},g_{2} \in G then ψ(g1g2)=τg1g2\begin{align*} \psi\big(g_{1}\circ g_{2} \big)=\tau_{g_{1}\circ g_{2}} \end{align*} Let sSs\in S then τg1g2(s)=(g1g2)s  sS    τg1g2(s)=g1(g2s)  sS    τg1g2(s)=τg1(g2s)  sS    τg1g2(s)=τg1(τg2(s))  sS    τg1g2(s)=(τg1τg2)(s)  sS    τg1g2=τg1τg2    ψ(g1g2)=ψ(g1)ψ(g2)\begin{align*} &\tau_{g_{1}\circ g_{2}}(s)=\big(g_{1}\circ g_{2} \big)\cdot s~\forall~s\in S\\ \implies & \tau_{g_{1}\circ g_{2}}(s)=g_{1}\cdot \big(g_{2} \cdot s\big)~\forall~s\in S\\ \implies & \tau_{g_{1}\circ g_{2}}(s)=\tau_{g_{1}} \big(g_{2} \cdot s\big)~\forall~s\in S\\ \implies & \tau_{g_{1}\circ g_{2}}(s)=\tau_{g_{1}} \big(\tau_{g_{2}}( s)\big)~\forall~s\in S\\ \implies & \tau_{g_{1}\circ g_{2}}(s)=\big(\tau_{g_{1}}\circ \tau_{g_{2}}\big)( s)~\forall~s\in S\\ \implies & \tau_{g_{1}\circ g_{2}}=\tau_{g_{1}}\circ \tau_{g_{2}}\\ \implies & \psi\big(g_{1}\circ g_{2} \big)=\psi\big(g_{1} \big)\circ \psi\big(g_{2} \big)\\ \end{align*} \therefore ψ\psi is homomorphism.

  Hence the theorem is proved.

Extended Cayley's Theorem

  Statement:

  Let (G,)(G,\circ ) be a group and HH be a subgroup of GG. Let S={aH:aG}S=\set{aH: a\in G} . Then there exists a homomorphism ψ:GA(S)\psi: G \to A(S) such that Ker ψHKer~\psi\subseteq H.


  Proof:
  Given that (G,)(G,\circ ) is a group and HH is a subgroup of GG and Let S={aH:aG}S=\set{aH: a\in G} .
  Let us construct a mapping :G×SS\cdot: G\times S \to S such that g(aH)=(ga)Hg\cdot(aH)=(g\circ a)H where g,aGg,a\in G.
  First we prove that \cdot is an action of GG on SS.

  • To prove that \cdot is well-defined.
    Let (g1,aH) , (g2,bH)G×S\big(g_{1},aH\big)~,~\big(g_{2},bH\big)\in G\times S such that (g1,aH)=(g2,bH)    g1=g2, aH=bH    g1(aH)=g2(bH)    (g1,aH)=(g2,bH)\begin{align*} & \big(g_{1},aH\big)=\big(g_{2},bH\big)\\ \implies & g_{1}=g_{2},~aH=bH\\ \implies & g_{1}\cdot(aH)=g_{2}\cdot(bH)\\ \implies & \cdot \big(g_{1},aH\big)=\cdot \big(g_{2},bH\big) \end{align*} \therefore \cdot is well-defined.
  • To prove that \cdot is an action.
    • Let g1,g2Gg_{1},g_{2}\in G and aHSaH\in S for some aGa\in G
      (g1g2)aH=[(g1g2)a]H=[g1(g2a)]H=g1[(g2a)H]=g1(g2aH)\begin{align*} &\big( g_{1}\circ g_{2} \big)\cdot aH \\ =&\big[\big( g_{1}\circ g_{2} \big)\circ a\big] H\\ =&\big[ g_{1}\circ \big(g_{2} \circ a\big)\big] H\\ =& g_{1}\cdot \big[ \big(g_{2} \circ a\big)H\big]\\ =& g_{1}\cdot \big( g_{2} \cdot aH\big) \end{align*}
    • Let ee be the identity element of GG and aHSaH\in S for some aGa\in G
      eaH=(ea)H=aH\begin{align*} e\cdot aH =\big( e\circ a \big)H = aH \end{align*}
    \therefore \cdot is an action.

  Let consider the mapping τg:SS\tau_{g}:S\to S such that τg(aH)=gaH\tau_{g}(aH)=g\cdot aH for some g,aGg,a\in G.
  Then this action GG on ss induces the homomorphism ψ:GA(S)\psi : G \to A(S) such that ψ(g)=τg\psi(g)=\tau_{g}
  Now to prove that Ker ψHKer~\psi\subseteq H
  Let IAI_{A} is the indentity mapping on A(S)A(S) xker ψ    ψ(x)=IA    τx=IA    τx(aH)=IA(aH)  aHS    xaH=aH  aHS    (xa)H=aH  aHS    (xa)a1H  aG    x(aa1)H  aG    xeH    xH    Ker ψH\begin{align*} & x\in ker~\psi \\ \implies & \psi(x)=I_{A}\\ \implies & \tau_{x}=I_{A}\\ \implies & \tau_{x}(aH)=I_{A}(aH)~\forall~aH\in S\\ \implies & x\cdot aH=aH~\forall~aH\in S\\ \implies & \big( x\circ a \big)H=aH~\forall~aH\in S\\ \implies & \big( x\circ a \big)\circ a^{-1} \in H~\forall~a\in G \\ \implies & x\circ \big(a \circ a^{-1}\big) \in H~\forall~a\in G \\ \implies & x\circ e \in H \\ \implies & x \in H \\ \implies & Ker~\psi\subseteq H \end{align*}   Hence the theorem is proved.

Applications

  Group Actions are crucial in a wide range of applications across mathematics and science. In geometry, group actions help classify shapes and structures based on their symmetries. In physics, they are used to study conservation laws and quantum mechanics. Group actions also play a role in coding theory, providing solutions to problems in communication systems. For further study, explore Relations and Ring Theory.

Conclusion

  Understanding Group Actions – Important Theorems enhances problem-solving skills in abstract algebra and its applications. These notes are fundamental for students and researchers focusing on Abstract Algebra and its impact on modern mathematical developments.

References

  1. Introduction to Group Theory by Benjamin Steinberg
  2. Topics in Group Theory by Geoffrey Smith
  3. Abstract Algebra by David S. Dummit and Richard M. Foote
  4. Algebra by Michael Artin
  5. Symmetry and Group Theory by Mark A. Armstrong

FAQs

  1. What are group actions in mathematics?
    Group actions describe how a group operates on a set, preserving its structure and properties.
  2. What are some applications of group actions?
    Group actions are applied in geometry, number theory, and theoretical physics.
  3. Why are group actions important in algebra?
    They provide insights into symmetry and facilitate the study of mathematical structures.
  4. What is an example of a group action?
    Rotations of a square by a cyclic group represent a group action.
  5. What is the orbit of a group action?
    The orbit is the set of all elements a group element can map to under the action.
  6. What is the stabilizer in group actions?
    The stabilizer is the subgroup of elements in a group that keeps a point fixed under action.
  7. How do group actions relate to symmetry?
    Group actions formalize the concept of symmetry by describing transformations preserving structure.
  8. What is the importance of group actions in combinatorics?
    Group actions help solve counting problems using orbits and stabilizers.
  9. Are group actions used in computer science?
    Yes, they are applied in algorithms, cryptography, and coding theory.
  10. Where can I practice questions on group actions?
    Explore Abstract Algebra Questions for exercises on this topic.