MATH 356 ABSTRACT ALGEBRA

Midterm I (due 5pm February 21st, 2003)

Instructions: This is a closed book, closed notes exam. Use of calculators is not permitted. You
have 3 hours. Show all your work for a full credit.
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Problem Max Points Your Score Problem Max Points Your Score
1 10 7 30
2 10 8 20
3 10 9 10
4 10 10 20
5 20 11 25
6 20 12 15
Total 200
1
2
(1) By using the multiplication table (cf. Table 1), show that there is only one (up
to isomorphism) group of order 3.
Table 1.
e a b
e
a
b
Solution. Clearly ab = e since if its a or b then it follows that b = e or a = e
respectively. Likewise, b a = e. We need to determine what a a and b b are.
a a cant be a since a ,= e. If a a = e then a a = a b and it follows that
a = b. Therefore a a = b. Likewise, b b = a.
(2) Show that R

, ) is not isomorphic to the circle group U = z C [ [z[ = 1 .

Solution. The two groups are not isomorphic in the same way C

, ) , R

, ),
which we have done in class. In short, the equation x

= 1 is solvable in the
former but not in the latter.
To be more concrete, suppose that there is an isomorphism
: U R

.
Since is a homomorphism, (1) = 1. Consider (1) : since ((1) (1)) =
(1) (1) = 1, so (1) is a square root of 1. It is not 1, since (1) = 1
and is one to one. Therefore (1) = 1.
Now consider (i). We have
1 = (1) = (i i) = (i) (i).
So (i) is a square root of -1 in R

!
(3) Construct an isomorphism between R/

2) and the circle group U.

Solution. Let : R U be dened by (x) = e
2ix/

2
. is onto, since for
any element e
i
o
U, we have

2
o
2

= e
i
o
. Now, lets compute the kernel
of . (x) = e
2ix/

2
= 1 if and only if x/

2 Z, that is x

2Z =

2).
Therefore R/

2) U.
(4) (a) Suppose that every proper subgroup of G is cyclic. Is G cyclic? If not,
give a counterexample.
3
Solution. Z
2
Z
2
is a counterexample.
(b) Suppose that every proper subgroup of G is abelian. Is G abelian? If not,
give a counterexample.
Solution. S
3
is a counterexample. Proper subgroups of S
3
have orders 1,
2, or 3. Hence they have to be abelian.
(5) Find all subgroups of D
3
, and draw a subgroup diagram.
Solution. D
3
= S
3
has one subgroup of order 3 consisting of rotations
1
) =

2
) =
0
,
1
,
2
. Since any rotation and a reection generate the whole D
3
,
there is no other subgroup of order 3. To nd subgroups of order 2, we note that

1
,
2
,
3
are the only elements of order 2. Therefore order 2 subgroups are

1
) =
0
,
1
,
2
) =
0
,
2
and
3
) =
0
,
3
. The subgroup diagram
of S
3
is as follows.
S
3
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R

1
)
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O

1
)
2
)
y
y
y
y
y
y
y
y

3
)
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l

(6) Recall that an automorphism of a group G is a 1-1 onto homomorphism from

G to itself.
(a) How many automorphisms does Z/15Z have?
Solution. Generators of Z
15
are 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 11, 13, 14. Hence it has 8
automorphisms.
(b) In general, how many automorphisms does Z/pqZ have for p and q distinct
prime numbers?
Solution. Number of automorphisms is equal to the number of positive
integers less than pq that are relatively prime to pq. We may assume p > q.
Multiples 1, p, 2p, . . . , (q1)p of p and multiples q, 2q, . . . , (p1)q of q
(less than pq) are the only nonzero elements that are not relatively prime
to pq. These two sets do not intersect : if mp = nq, then p divides n
4
but n p 1. Thus the number of elements that are not generators is
1 +(p 1) +(q 1). Hence the number of generators is pq 1 (p 1)
(q 1) = pq p (q 1) = (p 1)(q 1).
(7) Consider the following elements in S
6
.
=

1 2 3 4 5 6
4 2 6 5 1 3

, =

1 2 3 4 5 6
2 4 5 1 6 3

(a) Compute
2
and write it as a product of disjoint cycles, and then write
it as a product of transpositions.
Solution.

2
=

1 2 3 4 5 6
2 1 5 3 4 6

Thus
2
= (1 2)(3 5 4) = (1 2)(3 4)(3 5).
(b) List the orbits of
2
.
Solution. 1, 2, 3, 5, 4, 6.
(c) Compute the order [
2
)[.
Solution. (3 5 4) is of order 3 and (1 2) is of order 2 and they are disjoint.
Hence product of the 2 has order lcm(2, 3) = 6.
(8) Classify the following quotient groups according to the fundamental theorem
of nitely generated abelian groups.
(a) (Z/3Z Z/9Z)/(0, 2)).
Solution. (Z/3ZZ/9Z)/(0, 2)) Z/3Z(Z/9Z) /2) Z/3Z0 =
Z/3Z.
(b) (Z/3Z Z/9Z)/(2, 3)).
Solution. (2, 3)) is of order lcm(3, 3) = 3. Thus the quotient group
in question is of order
39
3
= 9. So it is either Z
9
or Z
3
Z
3
. Since
(2, 3)) = (2, 3), (1, 6), (0, 0), it is clear that 9 (0, 1) is the rst multiple
of (0, 1) that lands in (2, 3)). Hence (0, 1) +(2, 3)) is an element of order
9 in the quotient group. Hence it must be isomorphic to Z
9
.
5
(9) How many abelian groups (up to isomorphism) are there of order 120?
Solution. 120 = 2
3
3 5.
Z
8
Z
3
Z
5
Z
4
Z
2
Z
3
Z
5
Z
2
Z
2
Z
2
Z
3
Z
5
(10) Let be the homomorphism from Z Z Z to S
20
determined by
(1, 0, 0) = (1 4)(5 9 11 20)
(0, 1, 0) = (2 3 6)(7 13 18 19)
(0, 0, 1) = (8 10)(12 14 15)
(a) Compute (11, 26, 13).
Solution. (1, 0, 0) is of order lcm(2, 4) = 4, (0, 1, 0) is of order lcm(3, 4) =
12 and (0, 0, 1), of order lcm(2, 3) = 6. First we note that (0, 1, 0) =
(0, 1, 0)
1
= (6 3 2)(19 18 13 7).
(11, 26, 13) = (1, 0, 0)
11
(0, 1, 0)
26
(0, 0, 1)
13
= (1, 0, 0)
3
(0, 1, 0)
2
(0, 0, 1)
= (1 4)(20 11 9 5) (6 2 3)(19 13)(18 7) (8 10)(12 14 15).
(b) Compute Ker ().
Solution. Suppose that (a, b, c) = (1, 0, 0)
a
(0, 1, 0)
b
(0, 0, 1)
c
= e.
Since (1, 0, 0), (0, 1, 0), (0, 0, 1) are all disjoint, it must be that (1, 0, 0)
a
=
e,
(0, 1, 0)
b
= e, and (0, 0, 1)
c
= e. Therefore (a, b, c) = e if and only
if 4 [ a, 12 [ b and 6 [ c.
Ker () = 4Z 12Z 6Z.
(11) (a) Show that (Z Z) /(1, 2)) is isomorphic to Z.
Solution. The dening equation for the subgroup (1, 2)) is b = 2a. Let
: Z Z Z be dened by (a, b) = b 2a. This is a homomorphism
with kernel the subgroup dened by b = 2a, that is, (1, 2)). is onto,
hence (Z Z)/Ker () Z.
(b) Show that (Z Z) /(2, 4)) is not isomorphic to Z.
6
Solution. It has a torsion element (1, 2) (a torsion element is an element
of nite order), while Z doesnt have any. The quotient group in question
is isomorphic to Z Z
2
.
(c) Classify (Z Z Z) /(2, 2, 4)) according to the fundamental theorem of
nitely generated abelian groups.
Solution. The dening equation for the subgroup (2, 2, 4)) is
a 0 (mod 2)
b = a
c = 2a
Let : ZZZ Z
2
ZZ be the homomorphism dened by (a, b, c) =
(a, b a, c 2a). It is onto, and its kernel is determined by the three
equations above. Hence we have
(Z Z Z) /(2, 2, 4)) = (Z Z Z) /Ker () Z
2
Z Z.
(12) Let : Z
+
Z
+
be dened by (n) = s where s is the number of positive
integers less than or equal to n that are relatively prime to n. It is called the
Euler phi-fuction.
(a) Compute (5), (6), and (8).
Solution. (5) = 4, (6) = 2, (8) = 4.
(b) Note that (d) is equal to the number of generators for Z/dZ. Using this,
prove that
n =

d|n
(d).
Solution. Consider Z
n
and the fact that
n = [Z
n
[ =

|n
(number of elements of order d

)
But the elements of order d

are exactly the generators of d) where d =

n
d

.
Hence we have
n =

|n
(d) =

d|n
(d).
7
(c) Using (b), show that if x
m
= e has at most m solutions in a nite group
G for each positive integer m, then G is cyclic.
Solution. Let n = [G[. Again we have
n = [G[ =

d|n
(number of elements of order d)
by Lagranges theorem. Let g and h be elements of order d. Then elements
in g) and those in h) satisfy x
d
= e. Since x
d
= e has at most d solutions
by assumption and [g)[ = [h)[ = d, it follows that g) = h). Hence
if a is an element of order d, then it is an element of the subgroup g).
Therefore, the number of elements of order d does not exceed the number
of generators of g), which is (d). If there does not exist an element of
order n, then
n = [G[ =

d|n,d =n
(number of elements of order d)

d|n,d =n
(d) <

d|n
(d) = n
which is a contradiction. Therefore there must be an element of order n
in G. i.e. G must be cyclic.