The Basics of Abstract Algebra

John Bamberg and Alice C. Niemeyer

 Contents

Chapter 1. Introduction 5
3P5 5
3P7 5
3CC 5
Chapter 2. Relations, Functions, and Permutations 7
1. Binary Relations 7
2. Functions 8
3. Composition of functions 10
4. Image, preimage, and inverses 10
5. Permutations 12
6. Binary Operations 13
7. Equivalence Relations 14
8. The Issue of Well-Defined 16
Chapter 3. Some Elementary Number Theory 17
1. Arithmetic properties of numbers 17
2. Euclidean Algorithm in Z 18
3. Linear Congruences 19
Chapter 4. An Introduction to Group Theory 21
1. The Axioms 21
2. Examples of Groups 21
3. Abelian Groups 22
4. Subgroups 22
5. Orders 23
6. Cyclic Groups 23
7. Isomorphism and Homomorphism 25
8. Lagranges Theorem 26
Index 29

3
 CHAPTER 1

Introduction

The purpose of this handout is to summarise some basic concepts used in Algebra. A more detailed account
can be found in Fraleighs book 1. For each of the algebra units taught in third year, we have listed some
recommended books and suggestions for reading this text.

3P5
Recommended Reading:
A course in group theory , J. F. Humphreys
An introduction to abstract algebra, T. Whitelaw
Modern algebra, J. R. Durbin
Groups, C. R. Jordan and D. A. Jordan
Rings, fields, and groups, R. B. J. T. Allenby
Introduction to abstract algebra, Elbert A. Walker
Abstract algebra; a first undergraduate course, A. P. Hillman and G. C. Alexanderson.
All parts of this handbook, except possibly Section 3 would be recommended if you are a student in 3P5.

3P7
Recommended Reading:
Introduction to Modern Algebra, N. H. McCoy and G.J. Janusz
Topics in Algebra, I.N. Herstein
Contemporary Abstract Algebra, J.A. Gallian
Elementary Number Theory and its Applications, K.H. Rosen
An Introduction to the Theory of Numbers, I. Niven, H.S. Zuckerman and H.L. Montgomery,
A Classical Introduction to Modern Number Theory, K. Ireland and M. Rosen
Reading the following parts of this handbook is recommended if you are a student in 3P7:
Chapter 2, except Section 5
Chapter 4, skip anything about Permutations.

3CC
Recommended Reading:
Public-key cryptography, Arto Salomaa
Cipher systems : the protection of communications,London : Northwood Books, Henry Beker and Fred
Piper
The code book, Simon Singh
An introduction to error correcting codes with applications, Scott A. Vanstone and Paul C. van Oorschot
Introduction to the theory of error-correcting codes, Vera Pless,
Coding and information theory, S. Roman
The following parts of this handbook would be recommended if you are a student in 3CC:
Chapter 2,
Chapter 3,
Sections 1-4,
Section 6, and
Section 8.

1John B. Fraleigh, A first course in abstract algebra, Addison-Wesley Publishing Co., Reading, Mass.-London-Don Mills, Ont.,
fifth edition, 1994.

5
 CHAPTER 2

Relations, Functions, and Permutations

An important idea in mathematics is that of a set of objects. From the theory of sets, we can establish the
notions of a binary relation and a function.

1. Binary Relations
Intuitively, a binary relation is some rule on two objects. For example, 10 < 20, Collingwood is better
than Carlton, and Pacino and de Niro have been in the same movie. On the integers, things like less than,
is a factor of, or not equal to are examples of binary relations. We abstract this notion as follows:

Definition 1.1. A binary relation from a set X to a set Y is a subset of the set of ordered pairs

{(x, y) : x X, y Y }.

By ordered pair we mean that (x, y) is not necessarily equal to (y, x), that is, it matters that x is in the first
coordinate and y is in the second coordinate. The set of all ordered pairs is known as the Cartesian 1 product
of X and Y . We denote this set by X Y := {(x, y) : x X, y Y }.

Example 1.2.
If X = Y , we call a binary relation from X to Y also a binary relation on X.
Equality is a binary relation on any set. If X is a set, then R= on X is precisely the subset of X X
given by {(x, x) : x X}. So two elements x, y X are equal if (x, y) R= . This looks a bit strange
doesnt it? You might be asking, dont you mean x = y? See below for the answer.
Less than is a binary relation on the real numbers. So (1, 2) R< and (, 4) R< . Again, this
looks very strange if you are familiar with infix notation.
The blood type binary relation BT is defined on the sets of human beings and blood types. So if
Fred has A+ blood, then (F red, A+) BT .
The grand-father binary relation GF is defined on the set of human beings. So if Bill is Freds
grandfather, then (F red, Bill) GF .

.............................................................................................................

Instead of writing (x, y) R all the time, we will often write x R y to mean (x, y) R. So in the
first example above, (x, y) R= is the same as x = y.

Exercises 1.3. Which of the following are binary relations?

(1) Football team x is better than football team y.
(2) Politicians are stupid.
(3) Town x is a suburb of Perth.
(4) The integer x is a divisor of the integer y.
(5) Person x is wearing the same hat as person y.

1 The Cartesian Product was named after Ren`

e Descartes (1596-1650), the famous French
philosopher and mathematician.

7
8 2. RELATIONS, FUNCTIONS, AND PERMUTATIONS

2. Functions
In high school, the first functions we saw were something like f (x) = x2 or f (x) = 3x + 1, but yet a function
was never defined. What is a function? One can think of a function as a machine which takes an input and
spits out an output. Another way to think of a function, is that it is a binary relation on the input and output
of this machine. So for example, if we take the above example f (x) = x2 on the real numbers, we say that 2 and
4 are related since f (2) = 4. So a function is a relation, but is it special in anyway? Note that f (2) is always
equal to 4, but the same cant be said of <, where 2 < 4 but 2 < 5 as well! We have the following abstract
definition of a function:
Definition 2.1. A function f from X to Y is a binary relation from X to Y where for each (a, b) and
(a, c) in f , if (a, b) = (a, c) then b = c. In other words, for anything in the first coordinate of an ordered pair of
f , there is a unique entry in the second coordinate.

Example 2.2.
(1) The squaring function f (x) = x2 on the real numbers, can be thought of as the set of pairs (x, x2 )
(like (2, 4), (5, 25), (1, 1), ( 6, 6), etc).
(2) Equality is a function. In fact, we usually call it the identity function. So if X is a set, the function
defined by f (x) = x (for all x X) is actually the equality relation!
(3) Notice that R< is not a function since (2, 4) R< and (2, 5) R< .
(4) The grandfather relation is also not a function since it is possible to have two different grandfathers!
(5) The blood-type relation is a function, since everyone has a unique blood type.
.............................................................................................................

Definition 2.3 (One-to-One).

A function f : X Y is one-to-one if for each element of y Y , there is at most one element x X such that
f (x) = y.

Example 2.4.
The function f defined by f (x) = x2 is not one-to-one since f (1) = f (1) but 1 6= 1.
The identity function on a set X is one-to-one since for all y X, there is just one element, namely
itself, that is mapped to y by the identity function.
The blood type function is not one-to-one, since one of the authors blood type is the same as his
mothers!
Pictorially, a function f on the reals is one-to-one if every horizontal line drawn on the graph of f
intersects the values of f at most once. You should picture f (x) = x2 and imagine drawing horizontal
lines on the graph.
.............................................................................................................

To prove a function f : X Y is one-to-one:

Suppose f (x1 ) = f (x2 ) for some x1 , x2 X. Show that x1 = x2 .

Example 2.5. Show that the function f : {x R : x > 1} R defined by f (x) = x + 1 for all real
numbers x > 1, is one-to-one.

Proof. Let x1 , x2 be real numbers greater than 1, and suppose f (x1 ) = f (x2 ). Then x1 + 1 = x2 + 1
and hence squaring gives x1 + 1 = x2 + 1. So x1 = x2 and hence f is one-to-one. 
.............................................................................................................
 2. FUNCTIONS 9

Definition 2.6 (Onto).

A function f : X Y is onto, if for each element y Y , there is at least one element x X such that f (x) = y.

Example 2.7.
The function f : R R defined by f (x) = x2 (for all x R) is not onto since no element maps to 1
under f . If however we restricted the definition of f by defining f : R R+ {0}, then it would be
onto.
The blood-type function is onto, since for every blood type, there is at least one person in the world
who has that blood type.
.............................................................................................................

To prove a function f : X Y is onto:

Let y be any element of Y . Find an element x X such that f (x) = y.

Example 2.8. Show that the function f : {x R : x > 1} [1, ) defined by f (x) = x + 1 for all real
numbers x > 1, is onto.
Proof. Let y [1, ). We must find a real number x greater than 1 such that f (x) = y. Choose
x = y2 note that y 1, which implies that y 2 1 0 and hence x is certainly greater than 1. So
1. First p
f (x) = x + 1 = y 2 1 + 1 = |y| = y and hence f is onto. 
.............................................................................................................
Counting is one of the most central ideas of mathematics, and it wasnt until Cantors2 work in the 19th
century that we began to understand fully what it means to count. To say that one set has more elements
then another is a trivial problem in the finite context, but what about infinite sets? Are there more integers
than even numbers? What Cantor realised, is that counting can be thought of pairing elements in a unique and
exhaustive way. For example, we can pair up the integers and even numbers in the following way:
. . . , (6, 3), (4, 2), (2, 1), (0, 0), (2, 1), (4, 2), (6, 3), . . . .
You can see here that every even number will appear in the first coordinate in precisely one of these pairs and
every integer will appear in the second coordinate in just one of these pairs. So what we require is that there
is a function from the even numbers to the integers that is one-to-one and onto. We call this a bijection.
Definition 2.9 (Bijection). A function is bijective if it is both one-to-one and onto.

Example 2.10.
(1) The function f from the even numbers to the integers defined by f (x) = x/2 is a bijection. So
essentially, we think of the integers and even numbers as having the same amount of elements.
(2) There is no bijection from the integers to the real numbers. We will not prove this here, but will
remark that according to Cantors theory of cardinality, the real numbers are infinite in a different
way to the integers.
.............................................................................................................

To prove two functions f : X Y and g : X Y are equal:

Let x X. Show that f (x) = g(x). A common mistake by students is that
they prove that two functions are equal for a specific element of X. You must
prove that they compute the same value for EVERY element of the domain!

2 Georg Cantor (1845-1918) was born in Russia, but lived most of his life in Germany. He is
best known as one of the founders of modern analysis and number theory.
10 2. RELATIONS, FUNCTIONS, AND PERMUTATIONS

Exercises 2.11.
(1) Which of the following relations are functions?
(a) {(x, y) R R : y = cos(x)},
(b) {(x, y) Z Z : y 6= 0},
(c) {(x, y) Z Z : y = 0},
(d) The relation R : Q Z Z defined by qRa where a is the numerator of q.
(2) Prove or disprove that the following functions are one-to-one or onto:
(a) f : R R, f (x) = x3 for all x R,
(b) f : [1, 1] R, f (x) = sin(x/2) for all x [1, 1],
(c) f : R\{0} R, f (x) = x2 1/x for all x R\{0},
(d) f : R+ R+ {0}, f (x) = x log(x) for all x R+ .

3. Composition of functions
In algebra, we often want to create new things from old things. In this section, we look at a way of creating
a function from two old ones. This operation is called function composition.
Definition 3.1 (Function Composition). Let g be a function from a set A to a set B and let f be a
function from a set B to a set C. Then the composition of f and g, denoted f g is the function defined by
(f g)(a) = f (g(a)) for all a A.

Example 3.2.
The function h defined by h(x) = sin2 (x) (for all x R) is the composition of the two functions f
and g defined by f (x) = x2 and g(x) = sin(x). So h = f g. Note that g f is a completely different
function which maps an element x R to sin(x2 ).
Let X and Y be sets and let f : X Y be a function. Then f idX = f and idY f = f where idX
and idY are the identity functions on X and Y , respectively.
Let R+ denote the positive real numbers, and let f : R+ R+ be defined by f (x) = x2 (for all

x R+ ). Let g : R+ R+ be defined by g(y) = y (for all y R+ ). Then f g = idR+ and
g f = idR+ .
.............................................................................................................

Exercises 3.3.
(1) Let f : R R and g : R+ R be defined by f (x) = x(x 1) and g(y) = log(y 2 ) for all x R and
y R+ . What is f g? Is it O.K to write g f ?
(2) Show that the composition of two one-to-one functions is one-to-one.

4. Image, preimage, and inverses

Modern mathematics and its language have evolved into a reasonably stable and uniform state. The words
one-to-one, onto, and real number are universally understood. We present here some more notions that
are fundamental to the communication of mathematics.
Definition 4.1 (Image and Preimage).
Let be a function from a set X into a set Y , and let A X and B Y .
The image (A) of A under is the subset {(a) : a A} of Y .
The preimage (B) of B under is the subset {a X : (a) B}.

Example 4.2.
Warning! The object may not be a function!
Consider the sine function sin : R R. The image of R under this function is sin(R) = [1, 1]. The
preimage of {0} under sine is the set
sin ({0}) = {x R : sin(x) = 0} = {x : x Z}.
.............................................................................................................
 4. IMAGE, PREIMAGE, AND INVERSES 11

Exercises 4.3. Let A and B be sets, let f : A B be a function, let U, V A, and let X, Y B. Prove
the following:
(1) U V = f (U ) f (V )
(2) X Y = f (X) f (Y )
(3) U f (f (U ))
(4) if f is one-to-one, then U = f (f (U ))
(5) f (f (X)) X
(6) if f is onto, then f (f (X)) = X
Definition 4.4 (Invertibility).
A function f : X Y is said to be invertible if there exists a function g : Y X such that f g = idY and
g f = idX . If such a g exists, we call it the inverse of f , and denote it by f 1 .

Example 4.5.
The squaring function from R to R is not invertible. However the squaring function on R+ is invertible!
The inverse of the identity function is itself, since for any set X, idX idX = idX .
.............................................................................................................

Theorem 4.6. A function f : X Y is invertible if and only if it is bijective.

Proof. We have to prove both directions. Suppose first that f is invertible. Then by definition, there
exists a function g : Y X such that f g = idY and g f = idX . We must show that f is one-to-one and
onto. Suppose f (x1 ) = f (x2 ) for some x1 , x2 X. Then
x1 = idX (x1 ) = (g f )(x1 ) = g(f (x1 )) = g(f (x2 )) = (g f )(x2 ) = idX (x2 ) = x2
and hence f is one-to-one. It remains to show that f is onto. Let y Y . We must find an element x X such
that f (x) = y. Choose x = g(y). Then
f (x) = f (g(y)) = (f g)(y) = idY (y) = y
and hence f is onto. Therefore f is bijective.
Now we prove the converse. Suppose f is bijective, that is, f is one-to-one and onto. Then for every element
y Y , there exists x X such that y = f (x). Moreover, x is unique, since if there was another element x0 such
that y = f (x0 ), then f (x) = f (x0 ) and hence x = x0 as f is one-to-one. So we can define a function g : Y X
where for each y Y , g(y) is the unique element of X such that y = f (x). We will prove now that g is the
inverse of f . For all x X, (g f )(x) = g(f (x)) = x = idX (x) and hence g f = idX . Similarly, for all y Y ,
(f g)(y) = f (g(y)) = y = idY (y) and hence f g = idY . Therefore f is invertible. 
Exercises 4.7. Which of the following functions are invertible?
(1) The Blood Type function.
(2) Equality.
(3) f : R R, f (x) = x4 for all x R.
(4) f : R+ R, f (x) = x4 for all x R.
(5) f : R+ R+ , f (x) = x4 for all x R.
12 2. RELATIONS, FUNCTIONS, AND PERMUTATIONS

5. Permutations
We can think of a rearrangement of a set as just being a bijection from the set to itself. Formally, we call
this a permutation.
Definition 5.1 (Permutation). A permutation on a set X is a bijection from X onto X.
We denote the set of all permutations of a set X by Sym(X). If X = {1, . . . , n}, then we write Sym(X) = Sn .
Consider S4 the set of permutations of {1, 2, 3, 4}. Then we can write down specifically what each permutation
does. For example, the map which takes 1 to 4, 2 to 1, 3 to 2, and 4 to 3, is indeed a permutation of {1, 2, 3, 4},
and we can write it as:  
1 2 3 4
.
4 1 2 3
The top line represents the domain elements and the bottom line represents the image of the elements. This is
called double-bar notation. But this notation can be a bit cumbersome, so we have the following way of writing
this permutation:
(1 4 3 2).
This
 means, 1
 goes to 4, 4 goes to 3, 3 goes to 2, and 2 goes to 1. Similarly, the permutation given by
1 2 3 4
can be written as
4 3 2 1
(1 4)(2 3).
So within each pair of parentheses, a number is sent to the number on its right in a cyclic way. So (1 4) sends
4 to 1 and 1 to 4. The permutation (1 2 3 4) sends 1 to 2, 2 to 3, and so on. This is called cycle notation.

Example 5.2. Here are some equivalent ways of writing some permutations in S6 :
 
1 2 3 4 5 6
(1 2 3 4 3 6),
2 3 4 5 6 1
1 2 3 4 5 6
(1)(2 3 4)(5)(6),
1 3 4 2 5 6
 
1 2 3 4 5 6
(1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6).
1 2 3 4 5 6
Generally, parentheses with just one number in them will be disregarded and we write the second permutation
as (2 3 4) and the identity permutation (in the third example) as ().
.............................................................................................................
A permutation is called a cycle if when written in cycle notation we get only one parenthesis with more
than one number in it. The permutation (1 3 6) is a cycle, but (1 2)(3 4) is not. So not every permutation is a
cycle, but we can write permutations as products of cycles. For example, the permutation
 
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
S8
3 8 6 7 4 1 5 2
can be written as
(1 3 6)(2 8)(4 7 5).
To compute elements with this permutation, we apply the permutation to the right of the variable. For example,
if = (1 2 3)(2 4)(3 5) S5 , then (1) = 2, (2) = 3, and so on.

WARNING! As a function, when we compute the values of a permutation, we are actually applying
it to the right of a variable, rather than the left.

Definition 5.3 (Disjoint Cycles). Two cycles in Sn are disjoint if they do not move a common point.
The cycles (1 2 3) and (1 4 5) are not disjoint since they have a 1 in common.
Theorem 5.4. Every permutation of a finite set is a product of disjoint cycles.
Proof. Let X = {1, 2, . . . , n} and let be a permutation of X. For each i X, let i = {(i) r : r Z}.
This is the set of all iterated images of i under . Now for all i X, define i : X X by
(
(x) if x i
(x)i = .
x otherwise
 6. BINARY OPERATIONS 13

Note that i is a permutation of X for all i X and that = 1 2 n . Now some of the i will be
equal, so it suffices to show that i and j are either equal or disjoint. We leave this as an exercise. 
Definition 5.5 (Transposition). A transposition is a cycle of length 2.
Notice that (1 2 3 4 5 6) = (1 2)(1 3)(1 4)(1 5)(1 6). So we have the following important observation.
Theorem 5.6. Every permutation of a finite set with more than one element, is a product of transpositions.
Exercises 5.7.    
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
(1) (a) Let = and let = . Calculate .
4 2 5 3 1 3 5 4 2 1
(b) So what is (1) equal to?
(2) (a) How many possible permutations are there of n elements?
(b) Consider the following permutations on {1, 2, 3}:
   
1 2 3 1 2 3
r1 = , f1 = .
2 3 1 1 3 2
Calculate r2 := r12 , r0 := r13 , f2 := r1 f1 , and f3 := f1 r1 .
(3) Which of the following functions are elements of Sym(R):
(a) f1 : R R defined by f1 (x) = x + 1
(b) f2 : R R defined by f2 (x) = x2
(c) f3 : R R defined by f3 (x) = x3
(d) f4 : R R defined by f4 (x) = ex
(e) f5 : R R defined by f5 (x) = x3 x2 2x

6. Binary Operations
As children, one of the first mathematical ideas we learnt was how to count and how to add or multiply
numbers. Addition and multiplication are in fact functions. More generally, matrix multiplication, addition,
cross products of vectors, composition of functions, and the greatest common divisor function all have at least
one thing in common they are binary operations.
Definition 6.1 (Binary Operation).
A binary operation on a set X is a function from X X to X.

Example 6.2.
+ is a binary operation on R.
is not a binary operation on N.
The cross product is a binary operation on R3 ,
Matrix multiplication is a binary operation on the set of n n matrices.
The dot product is not a binary operation on R3 .
Function composition is a binary operation on Sym(X), for any set X.
.............................................................................................................

Definition 6.3 (Commutative, Associative).

A binary operation on a set X is...
commutative if a b = b a for all a, b X.
associative if (a b) c = a (b c) for all a, b, c X.

Example 6.4.
Matrix multiplication is associative but not commutative,
Function composition is associative but not commutative.
The cross product is neither commutative, nor associative, on R3 ,
is not commutative, nor associative on R.
.............................................................................................................

Exercises 6.5. Of the following functions, state whether they are binary operations or not, and if so, are
they commutative or associative?
14 2. RELATIONS, FUNCTIONS, AND PERMUTATIONS

(1) on the integers.

(2) The function defined by f (x, n) = xn where x, n Z.
(3) Function composition on the set of linear functions on R.
(4) Function composition on the set of polynomials on R.

7. Equivalence Relations
Recall from calculus that if f : R R is a differentiable function, then the function g : R R defined by
g(x) = f (x) + c, where c is some constant in R, has the same derivative as f . So the functions x 7 f (x) + 1,
x 7 f (x) 50, and x 7 f (x) + all have the same derivative. So if all we care about is the derivative of a
function, then we might say that f and g are equivalent. Along with this concept of equivalence is that of a
partition. For example, if we take the set of all differentiable functions on R, we could lump altogether those
functions which have the same derivative into separate compartments of the differentiable functions on R. So
one part of the partition would contain the cosine function and all translations of it. In general, we define a
partition as follows.
Definition 7.1 (Partition). Let A be a set. A collection B of subsets of A is called a partition of A provided
(1) every element of B is nonempty,
(2) for every element x A, there is a set B B such that x B (union covers A),
(3) every pair of elements of B are either equal or disjoint.

The elements of the partition are sometimes called cells or parts of the partition.

Example 7.2. Let

A0 = {5z : z Z} = {. . . , 15, 10, 5, 0, 5, 10, 15, . . .},
and let
Ai = {x + i : x A0 }
for i = 1, 2, 3, 4. For example,
A3 = {. . . , 12, 7, 2, 3, 8, 13, . . .}.
So A0 is the set of multiples of 5, and the Ai are translates of A0 . Let B = {A0 , A1 , A2 , A3 , A4 }. We claim that
B is a partition of the integers.
(1) Every element of B is nonempty, since 0 A0 and i Ai for all i {1, 2, 3, 4}.
(2) Every integer belongs to at least one of the elements B. To see this, let z be an integer and let i be
the remainder of z divided by 5. Then z Ai .
(3) Every pair of distinct elements in B are disjoint. This is clear from the definition of the Ai .
.............................................................................................................
As promised in the introduction to this section, we show that the idea of a partition is strongly connected
to that of an equivalence relation.
Definition 7.3 (Equivalence Relation).
A relation on a set S satisfying the following axioms, is called an equivalence relation.
(1) (Reflexive) (x S) x x,
(2) (Symmetric) (x, y S) x y = y x,
(3) (Transitive) (x, y, z S) x y and y z = x z.

Definition 7.4 (Equivalence Class).

Let be an equivalence relation on a set S. Then for all x S, the set
[x] = {y S : y x}
is called an equivalence class (with representative x).

Example 7.5. Lets check that has the same derivative is an equivalence relation on the set of differentiable
functions.
(1) Reflexive: every function has the same derivative as its own derivative!
(2) Symmetric: if f has the same derivative as g, then g has the same derivative as f .
(3) Transitive: if f has the same derivative as g and g has the same derivative as h, then f has the same
derivative as h.
 7. EQUIVALENCE RELATIONS 15

The equivalence class of the identity function is the set of all functions which have g(x) = 1 as their derivative.
So any function of the form f (x) = x + c for some constant c, is in the equivalence class of the identity function.
.............................................................................................................

Example 7.6.
Equality is an equivalence relation.
< is not an equivalence relation as it is not reflexive.
is not an equivalence relation as it is not symmetric (but it is reflexive and transitive!),
friendship is an equivalence relation (at least it should be!), since everyone is a friend of themselves
(reflexivity), if Im a friend of you then youre a friend of me (symmetry), and a friend of a friend is
a friend (transitivity). The equivalence class of me under the equivalence relation friendship, is the
set of all friends of mine!
.............................................................................................................

Theorem 7.7. The equivalence classes of an equivalence relation partition the set S. On the other hand,
each partition of S determines an equivalence relation.
Proof.
() We need to show each element is in exactly one equivalence class. Certainly a S is in [a]. Suppose
a [b]. Then a b and if d [a] then d a and a b so d b and hence [a] [b]. On the other
hand [b] [a] by similar proof. So [a] = [b].
() Define a relation on S by a b if a and b lie in the same cell. Then is an equivalence relation.
(1) reflexive: a a as a lies in the same cell as a.
(2) symmetric: a b then b a if a lies in the same cell as b then b lies in the same cell as a.
(3) transitive: a b and b c then a c. a lies in the same cell as b and b lies in the same cell as c
then a lies in the same cell as c.


Example 7.8. The rational numbers are just like a partition of Z Z. Let K = {(m, n) : m Z, n Z\{0}}.
Define to be the relation
(m1 , n1 ) (m2 , n2 ) m1 n2 = m2 n1
for all (m1 , n1 ), (m2 , n2 ) K. Is this an equivalence relation?
Reflexive: Let (m, n) K. Clearly, mn = mn (since = is reflexive) and hence (m, n) (m, n).
Symmetric: Suppose (m1 , n1 ) (m2 , n2 ) for some (m1 , n1 ), (m2 , n2 ) K. Then m1 n2 = m2 n1 . Since
= is symmetric, m2 n1 = m1 n2 and hence (m2 , n2 ) (m1 , n1 ).
Transitive: Suppose (m1 , n1 ) (m2 , n2 ) and (m2 , n2 ) (m3 , n3 ) for some (m1 , n1 ), (m2 , n2 ), (m3 , n3 )
K. Then m1 n2 = m2 n1 and m2 n3 = m3 n2 . So m1 n3 = m1nn22 n3 since n2 is nonzero, and hence
m1 n3 = m2nn21 n3 (we used the fact that = is transitive here). So m1 n3 = m3nn22 n1 = m3 n1 , and hence
(m1 , n1 ) (m3 , n3 ).
Therefore is an equivalence relation on K. So
[(1, 2)] = {. . . , (3, 6), (2, 4), (1, 2), (1, 2), (2, 4), (3, 6), . . .}.
This is what one-half means. It is an equivalence class!
.............................................................................................................

Exercises 7.9.
(1) (a) Show that the following relation is an equivalence relation on the set of integers:
x R y x + y is an even number.
(b) What is the equivalence class of 1 under this relation?
(c) What is the equivalence class of 2 under this relation?
(d) What is the partition of the integers induced by this relation?
(2) (a) Show that the following relation is an equivalence relation of the set of Australian politicians:
x R y x and y belong to the same political party
16 2. RELATIONS, FUNCTIONS, AND PERMUTATIONS

(b) What is the equivalence class of John Howard?

(c) What is the partition of the set of politicians induced by this relation?

8. The Issue of Well-Defined

It is a common trait of mathematicians to define a function before actually proving that it is a function.
Ideally, we should define a set, show it is a binary relation, and then show it is a function. As you can imagine,
this can be quite a cumbersome task in most situations. So mathematicians have become accustomed to writing
functions down before verifying that they are indeed functions. When we prove that a binary relation is a
binary relation or a function is a function, we say that the object in question is well-defined. Not until now
have you needed to deal with this issue, but you will find, especially when defining functions with a partition
as their domain, that you must take a minute to prove that what youve claimed is a function actually is!

Example 8.1.
Let f (x) : Q Z be the function defined by f (q) = a where a is the numerator of q.
This is BAD! What weve written is not a function, since f (1/2) = 1 and f (2/4) = 2 but 1/2 = 2/4. The
rational numbers are like a partition of Z (Z\{0}), and so we must be extra careful when defining functions
when there are equivalence relations hanging about!
.............................................................................................................
 CHAPTER 3

Some Elementary Number Theory

Number theory has traditionally been called the queen of mathematics for its elegance and prominence
in mathematics. Even in modern mathematics, the old theory of numbers plays an ever present role. Often
a complex problem in algebra, analysis, or geometry can be reduced to a problem in number theory. The
most popular open questions in the last 100 years have been number theory problems; Collatzs conjecture, the
Riemann Hypothesis, Goldbachs conjecture, and Fermats Last Theorem, just to name a few.

1. Arithmetic properties of numbers

We begin this section by defining a natural relation on the integers.
Definition 1.1 (The Divides Relation).
A non-zero integer x is said to divide another integer y if there exists an integer n such that y = nx. We write
x|y to mean x divides y.
So for example, 3 divides 6, 8 divides 24, and 3 divides 3.
Lemma 1.2 (Division Algorithm). If m is a positive integer and n is an integer, then there exist unique
integers q and r such that
n = mq + r and 0 r < m.
The integer r is called the remainder and q is called the quotient.

Example 1.3.
If we take m = 4 and n = 23, then q = 5 and r = 3 are the only integers which satisfy the Division
Algorithm. That is, 23 = 4 5 + 3.
Warning: r must be between 0 and m, or equal to 0.
.............................................................................................................

Definition 1.4 (Greatest Common Divisor).

The greatest common divisor of two positive integers x and y is defined by
gcd(x, y) = max{i N : i|x and i|y}.

Example 1.5.
The divisors of 8 are 1, 2, 4, 8 and the divisors of 20 are 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 20. So gcd(8, 20) = 4.
The gcd of two distinct primes is always 1.
.............................................................................................................

Theorem 1.6. The greatest common divisor of two non-zero integers a and b, can be expressed as a linear
combination of a and b:
gcd(a, b) = am + bn for some integers m and n.
Definition 1.7. The least common multiple of two positive integers x and y is defined by
LCM(x, y) = min{i N : x|i and y|i}.

Lemma 1.8. For all non-zero integers x and y,

xy
LCM(x, y) = .
gcd(x, y)
Definition 1.9. Two positive integers are relatively prime if their gcd is equal to 1.

17
18 3. SOME ELEMENTARY NUMBER THEORY

Example 1.10.
Any two distinct primes are relatively prime.
15 and 8 are relatively prime.
.............................................................................................................

2. Euclidean Algorithm in Z
In this section we demonstrate a method for finding the gcd of two integers. We show by example the
routine.

Example 2.1. Consider 558 and 423. We put the biggest one on the left (in this case 558 and write it as a
linear combination involving 423 (via the Division Algorithm).
558 = 1 423 + 125.
We will write the quotient of 423 in bold to keep track of this number. Next we take the number adjacent to
the bold number, and write it as a linear combination of the remainder:
423 = 3 135 + 18
We continue this process until we get 0 as a remainder:
558 = 1 423 + 135
423 = 3 135 + 18
135 = 7 18 + 9
18 = 29+0

Then the last non-zero remainder is 9 so it will turn out that 9 = gcd(558, 423). Now we do the reverse
substitution and get
9 = 135 7 18
= 135 7(423 3 135)
= 22 135 7 423
= 22 (558 423) 7423
= 22 558 29 423

.............................................................................................................

Example 2.2. We use the Euclidean1 Algorithm to find the gcd of 56 and 1450.
1450 = 25 56 + 50
56 = 50 1 + 6
50 = 6 8 + 2
6=23+0
Therefore gcd(56, 1450) = 2.
.............................................................................................................

Exercises 2.3.
(1) List all the positive divisors of each of the following integers:
12, 20, 32, 63, -101.
(2) For each pair a and b below, find the unique integers q and r such that a = bq + r with 0 r < b,
(a) a = 19, b = 5

1 Euclid of Alexandria (abt.325 BC - abt.265 BC) is the most prominent mathematician of

antiquity best known for his treatise on mathematics The Elements.
 3. LINEAR CONGRUENCES 19

(b) a = 7, b = 5
(c) a = 30, b = 1
(3) Find the gcd of the following pairs of numbers:
(a) 4, 6
(b) 5, 8
(c) 24, 32
(d) 9, 18
(4) Use the Euclidean Algorithm to find the gcd of:
(a) 1001 and 357
(b) 56 and 126

3. Linear Congruences
In this section, we introduce an equivalence relation on the integers that in some sense preserves arithmetic
on the integers.
Definition 3.1 (Congruence Modulo n).
Let n N. Integers a and b are said to be congruent modulo n if n divides a b. We denote this relation by
a b (mod n).

Example 3.2.
14 4 (mod 5) since 14 4 = 10 is a multiple of 5.
7 2 (mod 3) since 7 2 = 9 is a multiple of 3.
.............................................................................................................

Lemma 3.3. For n N, congruence modulo n is an equivalence relation on the integers.

Proof.
(1) Reflexivity: Note for all a Z that n divides a a = 0 and hence a a (mod n).
(2) Symmetry: If a b (mod n), then n divides a b, which is the same as b a, and hence b a
(mod n).
(3) Transitivity: Suppose a b (mod n) and b c (mod n) for some integers a, b, and c. Then n divides
a b and n divides b c. So n divides the sum of a b and b c, which is a c, and hence a c
(mod n).
Since congruence modulo n is a reflexive, symmetric, and transitive relation on the integers, it is also an
equivalence relation. 
Here are some properties of congruences:
If a b (mod n) and a0 b0 (mod n), then a + a0 b + b0 (mod n) and aa0 bb0 (mod n).
If d > 0, d divides n, and a b (mod n), then a b (mod d).
We now define addition and multiplication modulo n.
Definition 3.4 (Arithmetic Modulo n).
Let n N. Then we define the binary operations n and n on the integers by
x n y = (x + y) (mod n)
x n y = xy (mod n)
for all x, y Z.

Example 3.5.
5 4 3 = 8 (mod 4) = 0,
7 5 13 = 6 (mod 5) = 1,
50 233 233 = 50.233 (mod 233) = 0.
.............................................................................................................

Definition 3.6 (Ceiling and Floor).

Let x be a real number. Then the ceiling of x, denoted dxe is the smallest integer bigger than x. The floor of
x, denoted bxc is the largest integer smaller than x.
20 3. SOME ELEMENTARY NUMBER THEORY

Example 3.7.
b3.6c = 4,
.............................................................................................................

Exercises 3.8.
(1) Find the solutions of the following sums:
(a) 5 3 7
(b) 50 20 2
(c) 19 5 8
(2) Show that n and n are indeed binary relations. (Hint: use the Division Algorithm).
(3) Prove the properties of congruences stated above.
(4) Find the day of the week you were born on by using the following formula:
W = (D + b2.6((M + 9) mod 12) + 2.4c 2C + b5Y/4c + bC/4c b((M + 9) mod 12)/10c) mod 7
where
D is the day (1 to 31),
M is the month (1 to 12),
C is the century (2003 has C = 20),
Y is the year (2003 has Y = 3),
W is the week day (Sunday=0,. . . ,Saturday=6).
(5) Prove that a number is divisible by three if and only if the sum of its digits is divisible by three.
 CHAPTER 4

An Introduction to Group Theory

What do we know about the set of permutations (bijections) of a set X? Well we know, that if we
compose two permutations, we get another permutation. So composition is a binary operation on the set
of permutations of X. We also know that there is a special function called the identity map which when
composed with any permutation, returns the same permutation. That is f id = id f = f for all permutations
f of X. The last property to note is that every permutation has an inverse permutation. So this set of
permutations we have been considering obeys the algebraic laws of what is abstractly known as a group.

1. The Axioms
Definition 1.1 (Group). A group is a set G together with a binary operation on G, such that the
following axioms are satisfied:
(1) is associative, (associativity axiom)
(2) There is an element e G such that x e = e x = x for all x G.
We call e the1 identity element of G; (identity axiom)
(3) For each a G, there is an element b G such that a b = b a = e. We call b the2 inverse of a.
(inverse axiom)

Note that to show (G, ) is a group for a set G and a binary operation , we have to prove each
of these axioms.

Often we use the usual multiplication symbol instead of . In this case we denote the identity of (G, ) by
1 and denote the inverse of an element a G by a1 . We also use the convention an for n Z+ to mean a a
where the product contains n copies of a. Sometimes we also use the symbol + instead of . Generally, we do
that if the group is commutative, i.e. if a b = b a for all a, b G. In this case we write (G, +) for our group,
the identity is denoted by 0 and the inverse of an element a G is denoted a. The convention na for n Z+
means a + . . . + a, where the sum contains n copies of a.
Lemma 1.2. Let G be a group with binary operation . Then
the identity of G is unique,
each non-identity element in G has a unique inverse,
for a, b G holds (a b)1 = b1 a1 and (a1 )1 = a,
a b = a c = b = c, and b a = c a = b = c (cancellation laws),
a b = a = b = e.
Proof. Exercise. 

2. Examples of Groups
Exercises 2.1.
(1) For each of the following either prove or disprove that the given set together with the binary operation
is a group.
(a) (Z, +);
(b) (Z+ , +);
(c) (Z, );
(d) (R, +);
(e) (R\{0}, );
(f) The set GL(2, R) of 22 invertible matrices with real entries, together with matrix multiplication;
1We prove in Lemma 1.2 that there is a unique such element e with this property. So we can say the identity element here.
2Again, we prove in Lemma 1.2 that there is a unique such element b with this property. So we can say the inverse here.

21
22 4. AN INTRODUCTION TO GROUP THEORY

(g) The Klein 4-group V4 = {(), (1, 2)(3, 4), (1, 4)(2, 3), (1, 3)(2, 4)}. Show that V4 under permutation
multiplication;
(h) The symmetric group on 3 letters S3 = {(), (1, 2), (1, 3), (2, 3), (1, 2, 3), (1, 3, 2)}. under permuta-
tion multiplication;
(i) C5 = {(), (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), (1, 3, 5, 2, 4), (1, 4, 2, 5, 3), (1, 5, 4, 3, 2)} under permutation multiplication;
(j) The circle group S 1 = {z C : |z| = 1} under multiplication.
(2) Let n N and let Zn = {0, 1, 2, . . . , n 1}. Show that Zn is a group under n . Is it a group under
n ?
(3) Let G be a group and for all g G, let g : G G be the map defined by g (x) = gx for all x G.
Show that g is a permutation (for all g G) and that the set of all g is a subgroup of Sym(G).

3. Abelian Groups
Recall that a binary operation on a set X is commutative if x y = y x for all x, y X. We have a
special name for groups with a commutative binary operation.
Definition 3.1 (Abelian Group).
A group G with binary operation , is said to be abelian 3 if is commutative.

To show that a group is not abelian, find two elements in the group that do not commute. Do
not attempt to give a general proof. Whenever you need to show that a statement is not true
in general, give a concrete counterexample.
For most groups we use, if it is clear what the binary operation is, we will use the juxtaposition ab to
represent a b. For abelian groups, we may use a + b to mean a b.
Exercises 3.2. For each group in Exercise 2.1 decide whether or not the group is abelian.

4. Subgroups
Everyone knows what subset means, and it is helpful to use this term when we are talking about sets.
In Linear Algebra, it is common to use the term subspace for a subset of a vector space that is also a vector
space. Recall that to prove that a subset V of a vector space W is a vector space, we needed to show that
+ was closed on W , and scalar multiplication was also closed. Similarly, for groups we have the notion of a
subgroup, but first we give the defintion of closure of a binary operation.
Definition 4.1 (Closure).
Let be a binary operation on a set X and let S be a subset of X. If a b S for each a, b S, then we say
that S is closed under . The operation restricted to S is called the induced binary operation on S.
Definition 4.2 (Subgroup).
Let G be a group and let H be a subset of G. If H is closed under the binary operation of G, and is a group
under the induced binary operation of G, then H is a subgroup of G. We write H G to mean H is a subgroup
of G, and H < G if H G but H 6= G.
Two obvious examples of a subgroup of a group G are {1} and G itself.
Definition 4.3. We say that a subgroup H of G is trivial if H = {1}. We call H a proper subgroup of G
6 {1} and H 6= G.
if H =
Now we give a lemma which will assist us in proving that a subset of a group is a subgroup.

3 Commutative groups are called abelian after Niels Henrik Abel (1802-1829). In 1824, at the
age of 22, Abel proved that it is impossible to solve algebraically the general equation of the
fifth degree. By the time he died he had written many influential papers in mathematics.
 6. CYCLIC GROUPS 23

Lemma 4.4. Let G be a group with binary operation and identity element 1, and let H be a subset of G.
Then the following are equivalent:
(1) H is a subgroup of G,
(2) H satisfies...
(a) 1 H,
(b) a, b H = ab H,
(c) a H = a1 H.
(3) H satisfies the subgroup criterion...
(a) 1 H,
(b) a, b H = ab1 H.
Note: 1 H is equivalent to H is nonempty.

Example 4.5.
(1) (Q, +) is a subgroup of (R, +), which in turn is a subgroup of (C, +).
(2) (Q, ) is not a subgroup of (R, +). Why not?
.............................................................................................................

Exercises 4.6.
(1) Prove that the circle group S 1 is a subgroup of C.
(2) Prove that {(), (1, 2)} is a subgroup of S3 .
(3) Prove that {(), (1, 2)} is a subgroup of V4 .
(4) Prove that {0, 1} is a subgroup of Zn under n .
(5) Is {0, 2, 4} a subgroup of Z6 under 6 ?
(6) Is {1, 3, 5} a subgroup of Z6 under 6 ?
(7) Is {2n | n Z} a subgroup of (Z, +)?

5. Orders
Definition 5.1 (Order of a Group).
The order of a group G is the cardinality (or size) of the set G. If G is finite, then we say that G has finite
order and denote |G| the order of G.
Just as we have power laws for real numbers, we can define power laws for elements of a group.
Lemma 5.2 (Power laws).
Let G be a group and let a G. Then for all m, n Z we have (in multiplicative notation):
am+n = am an and (am )n = amn .
Proof. Exercise (hint: use induction). 
Definition 5.3 (Order of an element).
Let G be a group and let g G. We say that g has finite order if there is a positive integer n such that g n = 1.
If n is the smallest integer such that g n = 1, then we say that g has order n.
Exercises 5.4. (1) What is the order of (R, +) ?
(2) What is the order of V4 ? What are the orders of all the elements of V4 ?
(3) What is the order of S3 ? What are the orders of all the elements of S3 ?
(4) Given n Z+ . What is the order of (Zn , n )?
(5) What are the orders of all the elements in Z5 and in Z6 ?

6. Cyclic Groups
We have seen a few examples of groups thus far, many of which are quite complicated in structure. Here,
we investigate cyclic groups, which are the most basic of classes of groups.
Theorem 6.1 (Fraleigh, Theorem 1.5).
Let (G, ) be a group and a G. Then
H = {an | n Z}
is a subgroup of G and is the smallest subgroup containing a, that is every subgroup of G that contains a also
contains H. We write this subgroup as hai.
24 4. AN INTRODUCTION TO GROUP THEORY

The group H of the previous theorem is called a cyclic group. The element a is called a generator of H.
Definition 6.2 (Cyclic Subgroups).
An element g of a group G generates G if G = {g n | n Z}, i.e. if G = hgi. If a group G is equal to hgi for
some g G, then we say that G is cyclic.

Example 6.3.
(1) (Z, +) is a cyclic group. A generator for this group is 1. Note that here we are using additive notation,
so an in multiplicative notation becomes na in additive notation. Then h1i = {n 1 | n Z} = Z.
(2) Are there any other generators for (Z, +)?
(3) 3 is not a generator for (Z, +), because h3i = {3n | n Z} = {. . . , 6, 3, 0, 3, 6, . . .}. In particular,
1 6 h3i. As h3i =
6 {0} it is a proper subgroup of (Z, +).
(4) Prove that if G is a group and each element of G has order at most 2, then G is abelian.
.............................................................................................................

Note that if g has finite order, then the order of g is equal to the order of hgi. Both uses of
the word order here mean different things!

Exercises 6.4.
(1) Which of the groups in Exercise 2.1 are cyclic?
(2) Find a generator for Z6 .
We said that a cyclic group is basic in structure. In fact, cyclic groups are abelian!
Theorem 6.5. Every cyclic group is abelian.
Proof. Let G be a cyclic group. Then G = hgi for some g G. Now suppose a, b G. Then there are
integers i, j Z such that a = g i and b = g j . Thus
ab = g i g j = g i+j = g j+i = g j g i = ba
and so G is abelian. 
Exercises 6.6.
(1) Let G be a group and a G. Suppose that a has order n. Show that
(a) ak = 1 n divides k.
(b) The order of ak is n/ gcd(n, k).
(2) Let G be an abelian group group and a, b G. Suppose that a has order n and b has order m. Show
that if gcd(n, m) = 1 then the order of ab is nm.
 7. ISOMORPHISM AND HOMOMORPHISM 25

7. Isomorphism and Homomorphism

What does it mean for two groups to be the same? For example, {1, 1} under multiplication looks just
like {0, 1} under binary addition if we just change the labelling of elements. But relabelling alone does note
ensure our groups behave the same way. We must make sure that the basic algebraic properties are preserved
as well. For example, consider the two functions defined by f (x) = 1/x and g(x) = x on the set of all nonzero
real numbers. The set V = {id, f, g, f g} forms a group under composition of functions (check this!). Another
group of four elements is the set of permutations V4 = {(1), (1, 2)(3, 4), (1, 3)(2, 4), (1, 4)(3, 2)}. Every element
of V is equal to its own inverse, and the same holds for V4 . We say two groups are the same if we can relabel
the elements, that is there is a bijection between the groups such that the binary operation is preserved. It
turns out that V and V4 are the same group up to relabelling of elements. Formally, we define the following
equivalence relation on groups.
Definition 7.1 (Isomorphism).
Let G and H be groups with binary operations  and ? respectively. A function : G H is an isomorphism
if it is a bijection and preserves the group operation as follows:
(g1  g2 ) = (g1 ) ? (g2 ), for all g1 , g2 G.
We say that two groups G and H are isomorphic if there exists an isomorphism from G onto H, and we write
G
= H to mean G is isomorphic to H.
The next theorem, first demonstrated by Arthur Cayley4 can turn a difficult group with a difficult binary
operation into a nice group of permutations under the nice binary operation of function composition.
Theorem 7.2 (Cayleys Theorem). Every group is isomorphic to a group of permutations.
Proof. Let G be a group (with identity element 1) and let f : G Sym(G) be the function defined by
f (g) = g where g is the permutation defined by g (x) = gx for all x G. We showed in a previous exercise
that f (G) is a subgroup of Sym(G). Now we will prove that f is a one-to-one function from G onto f (G) that
preserves the binary operation and hence show that G is isomorphic to f (G). Suppose f (g1 ) = f (g2 ). Then
g1 = g2 . So g1 (1) = g2 (1) and hence g1 = g2 . Therefore f is one-to-one. Now for all g1 , g2 G, we have
f (g1 g2 ) = g1 g2 . But for all x G, (g1 g2 )(x) = g1 (g2 )(x) = g1 (g2 x) = g1 g2 x = g1 g2 (x). So g1 g2 = g1 g2
and hence f (g1 g2 ) = f (g1 ) f (g2 ). Therefore f is a homomorphism and thus G is isomorphic to f (G). 
In linear algebra, not only do we study invertible linear maps, but we are also interested in the non-invertible
ones as well. There are some interesting properties of vector spaces that are preserved by linear maps, but
that do not require that our vector spaces look exactly the same. Analogously, we generalise the notion of
isomorphism to that of a homomorphism so that we can study similarity properties of non-isomorphic groups.
Definition 7.3 (Homomorphism). Let G and H be groups with binary operations  and ? respectively. A
function : G H is a homomorphism if it preserves the group operation. That is,
(g1  g2 ) = (g1 ) ? (g2 ), for all g1 , g2 G.
A one-to-one homomorphism is called an embedding, or sometimes it is called a monomorphism. An onto
homomorphism is called an epimorphism.
Now we give some important properties of homomorphisms.
Theorem 7.4. Let be a homomorphism from a group G into a group H. Then
(1) if e is the identity of G, then (e) is the identity of H,
(2) if g G, then (g 1 ) = ((g))1 ,
(3) if A is a subgroup of G, then (A) is a subgroup of H,
(4) if B is a subgroup of H, then (B) is a subgroup of G.
Proof.
(1) Let e be the identity of G. Now (e)(e) = (ee) = (e), and hence (e) is the identity element of
H.

4 Arthur Cayley (1821-1895) was a child prodigy who showed impressive ability in numerical
calculations at an early age. At the age of 25, he began a 14 year career in the legal profession
and solved mathematics problems in his spare time. Even though he was seen as an amateur
mathematician, he was one of the most prolific during his time as a lawyer. He eventually
took a cut in pay to become a mathematician, and remained so until his death.
26 4. AN INTRODUCTION TO GROUP THEORY

(2) Let g G. Then (g)(g 1 ) = (gg 1 ) = (e). By (1), (e) is the identity of H, and so (g 1 ) is
the inverse of (g).
(3) Let A be a subgroup of G. Since e A and (e) (A), by (1), the identity of H belongs to (A).
Let (a) and (b) be arbitrary elements of (A). Then (a)(b1 ) = (ab1 ) (A). So by the
subgroup criterion, (A) is a subgroup of H.
(4) Exercise.


A homomorphism preserves the identity, inverses, and subgroups.

Definition 7.5 (Kernel). Let be a homomorphism from a group G into a group H, and let 1H be the
identity element of H. The set
ker := {g G : (g) = 1H }
is called the kernel of .
Note that ker = (1H ).
Exercises 7.6.
(1) Let be a homomorphism from a group G into a group H. Show ker is a subgroup of G.
(2) Prove that a group homomorphism : G H is one-to-one if and only if ker is trivial.
(3) Let n Z+ . Prove that : (Z, +) Zn defined by (a) = a (mod n) is a homomorphism. Is
one-to-one? Is onto? What is ker ?
(4) Are the groups Z4 and V4 isomorphic?
(5) Let G, H be groups and an isomomorphism from G to H. Prove that if G is abelian, then so is H.
(6) Let G, H be groups and a homomorphism from G to H. Prove that if g G has order n then
(g) H has order dividing n.

8. Lagranges Theorem
In this section we prove that the order of a subgroup of a finite group always divides the order of the group.
We also introduce the important concept of cosets.
Theorem 8.1. Let (G, ) be a group and let H be a subgroup of G. Define binary relations L and R on
G by
a L b a1 b H
a R b ba1 H.
Then L and R are both equivalence relations on G.
Proof. Exercise! 

Note that by Theorem 7.7 both equivalence relations define partitions of the set G. What do the parts of
these partitions look like? Let us consider the equivalence relation L first. Then the set of all elements of G
equivalent to a particular element a G is a part. Let us denote this part by aH. We can see that this part is
aH = {b G | b L a}
= {b G | a1 b H}
= {b G | b = ah for some h H}
= {ah | h H}.
Similarly, if we denote by Ha the part containing a when we use the equivalence relation R , we can see
that Ha = {ha | h H}.
Definition 8.2 (Coset).
Let H be a subgroup of a group G. The part aH = {ah | h H} is called the left coset of H containing a in G
and Ha = {ha | h H} is called the right coset of H containing a. We call a a representative of the coset aH.
 8. LAGRANGES THEOREM 27

Example 8.3. The left coset of the subgroup 3Z = h3i containing a of Z is a + h3i = {a + 3n : n Z}. Thus
all left cosets are (taking a = 0, 1, 2)
3Z = {. . . , 6, 3, 0, 3, 6, . . .}
1 + 3Z = {. . . , 5, 2, 1, 4, 7, . . .}
2 + 3Z = {. . . , 4, 1, 2, 5, 8, . . .}.
We see that these three cosets already partition Z thus we have found all left cosets of h3i in Z. Note that
3 + 3Z = 3Z.
.............................................................................................................

Example 8.4. Let G = (R2 , +) and let v be an element of R2 . Then hvi is a line in R2 passing through v
and the origin (0, 0) (which is the identity element of R2 ). By definition, hvi is a subgroup of G. What do the
cosets of hvi look like? They are just the lines in R2 parallel to hvi (see below).

Figure 1. Two cosets of hvi.

.............................................................................................................

Exercises 8.5.
(1) Find all cosets of the subgroup h5i of Z.
(2) Show that if aH = bH then Ha1 = Hb1 .
(3) Consider again the homomorphism : Z Zn defined by (a) = a (mod n). Find all cosets of ker
in Z.
Lemma 8.6. Let H be a subgroup of G. Then every left coset and every right coset of H in G have the
same number of elements.
Proof. We show that every left coset and every right coset of H in G has the same number of elements
as H. Lets start with a left coset aH. Define a map : H aH defined by (h) = ah. Then it is clear
that is onto. Let us now show it is one-to-one. Suppose (h) = (k) for h, k H. Then ah = ak. By the
cancellation law, it follows that h = k. Therefore, is one-to-one. In particular this means H and aH have the
same number of elements. The same can be shown for any right coset Ha. 
Theorem 8.7 (Lagrange5).
Let H be a subgroup of a finite group G. Then the order of H is a divisor of the order of G.

Proof. See Theorem 2.5 in Fraleigh. 

From this it follows immediately that the order of an element in a finite group divides the order of the
group.
Exercises 8.8.
(1) Let G = hai be a cyclic group of order n. Show that every subgroup of G is cyclic of order d for some
d dividing n.
(2) For each d dividing n show that there is a unique subgroup of G of order d. Can you list the elements
of this subgroup in terms of a?

5 Joseph-Louis Lagrange was born in 1736 in Turin, Italy under the name Giuseppe Lodovico
Lagrangia. He was mostly self taught and published papers on a wide variety of topics. He
died 1813 in Paris, France.
 Index

abelian group, 22 parts, 14

addition modulo n, 19 permutation, 12
cycle, 12
bijection, 9 cycle notation, 12
binary operation, 13 double-bar notation, 12
associative, 13 transposition, 13
commutative, 13 power laws, 23
binary relation, 7 preimage, 10
cancellation laws, 21 relatively prime, 17
Cartesian product, 7 representative, 26
Cayleys Theorem, 25
ceiling, 20 subgroup, 22
cells, 14 subgroup criterion, 23
circle group, 22
closure, 22 transposition, 13
composition, 10 well-defined, 16
congruence modulo n, 19
coset, 26
cycle, 12
disjoint cycle, 12
cyclic, 24
cyclic group, 24

divides, 17
Division Algorithm, 17

equivalence class, 14
equivalence relation, 14
Euclidean algorithm, 18

floor, 20
function, 8

generator of a group, 24
greatest common divisor (gcd), 17
group, 21

homomorphism, 25

image, 10
invertible function, 11
isomorphism, 25

kernel, 26
Klein 4-group, 22

Lagranges Theorem, 27
least common multiple (lcm), 17

multiplication modulo n, 19

one-to-one, 8
onto, 9
order, 23
order of an element, 23

partition, 14

29