Homework 9 (selected solutions)

2.104
Prove that no pair of the following groups of order 8 are isomorphic (I am
omitting the group D8 since it was not discussed in class):

I8 , I4 × I2 , I2 × I2 × I2 , Q.
Solution.
The group Q is non-abelian while the groups I8 , I4 × I2 , I2 × I2 × I2 are
abelain. Therefore Q is not isomorphic to any of the groups I8 , I4 × I2 , I2 ×
I2 × I2 .
The group I8 has an element of order 8 while the groups I4 ×I2 , I2 ×I2 ×I2
do not have elements of order 8. Therefore I8 is not isomorphic to either of
the groups I4 × I2 , I2 × I2 × I2 .
The group I4 × I2 has an element of order 4 while the group I2 × I2 × I2
has no elements of order 4. Therefore I4 × I2 6∼
= I2 × I2 × I2 .
2.112 (i) How many permutations in S5 commute with (1 2)(3 4) and
how many even permutations commute with (1 2)(3 4)?
(ii) How many permutations in S7 commute with (1 2)(3 4 5)?
(iii) Exhibit all the permutations in S7 that commute with (1 2)(3 4 5).
Solution.
First we need to prove:
Lemma Let H ≤ G be a subgroup of index 2. Let A ≤ G. Then [A :
A ∩ H] ≤ 2.

Proof. If A ⊆ H then A = A ∩ H and [A : A ∩ H] = 1. Suppose now

that A 6⊆ H. Let a ∈ A − H. Then G = H ∪ aH. We claim that A =
(A ∩ H) ∪ a(A ∩ H). This would imply that [A : A ∩ H] = 2.
Let b ∈ A be arbitrary. If b ∈ H then b ∈ A ∩ H. Suppose now b 6∈ H
then b ∈ aH and b = ah for some h ∈ H. Therefore h = a−1 b ∈ A since
a, b ∈ A. This h ∈ A ∩ H and b ∈ a(A ∩ H). Since b ∈ H was arbitrary, we
have proved that A = (A ∩ H) ∪ a(A ∩ H), as required. 

(i) The set of permutations commuting with x = (1 2)(3 4) in S5 is the

centralizer CS5 (x). Therefore [S5 : CS5 (x)] = |xS5 |. The conjugacy class
xS5 consists of all permutations in S5 with the cycle structures of being the
product of two disjoint cycles. Therefore
  
S5 5 3 1
|x | = = 15.
2 2 2
Therefore
|S5 | 5!
|CS5 (x)| = = = 8.
[S5 : CS5 (x)] 15
By the Lemma above [CS5 (x) : CS5 (x) ∩ A5 ] ≤ 2 since [S5 : A5 ] = 2. The
permutation (1 2) is odd but it commutes with x. Thus (1 2) ∈ CS5 (x) − A5
1
2

and therefore [CS5 (x) : CS5 (x) ∩ A5 ] 6= 1. Hence [CS5 (x) : CS5 (x) ∩ A5 ] = 2
and so
1
|CS5 (x) ∩ A5 | = |CS5 (x)| = 8/2 = 4.
2
Thus there are 4 even permutations in S5 that commute with x.
(ii) Denote y = (1 2)(3 4 5) ∈ S7 . By the same argument as above
[S7 : CS7 (y)] = |y S7 |.
The conjugacy class y S7 consists of all permutations in S7 with the cycle
structure of the disjoint product of a 2-cycle and a 3-cycle. The number of
such permutations is:
 
S7 7 1
|y | = 5 · 4 · 3 = 420.
2 3
Therefore the number of elements of S7 that commute with y is
|S7 | 7!
|CS7 (y)| = = = 12.
[S7 : CS7 (y)] 420
(iii) We know that for any α ∈ S7
αyα−1 = (α(1) α(2))(α(3) α(4) α(5)).
Thus αyα−1 = y if and only if (α(1) α(2)) = (1 2) and (α(3) α(4) α(5)) =
(3 4 5). For each such α either α(6) = 6, α(7) = 7 or α(6) = 7, α(7) = 6.
Thus α commutes with y if and only if
(α(1), α(2)) ∈ {(1, 2), (2, 1)} and
(α(3), α(4), α(5)) ∈ {(3, 4, 5), (4, 5, 3), (5, 3, 4)} and
(α(6), α(7)) ∈ {(6, 7), (7, 6)}.
Hence
   
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
CS7 (y) = { , ,
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 7 6
   
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
, ,
1 2 4 5 3 6 7 1 2 4 5 3 7 6
   
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
, ,
1 2 5 3 4 6 7 1 2 5 3 4 7 6
   
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
, ,
2 1 3 4 5 6 7 2 1 3 4 5 7 6
   
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
, ,
2 1 4 5 3 6 7 2 1 4 5 3 7 6
   
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
, }.
2 1 5 3 4 6 7 2 1 5 3 4 7 6