Name: Midterm Exam

1. (a) Give a list of abelian groups of order 225 so that every abelian group of order 225
is isomorphic to exactly one group on your list. Be sure to justify your list by
explaining how it follows from the structure theorem for finite abelian groups.

I Solution. All abelian groups of a given order m = pr11 pr22 · · · prkk can be de-
scribed uniquely in elementary divisor form by listing the distinct ways of writing
each ri as a sum of nondecreasing natural numbers ≥ 1. (See Theorem 17 in the
Finite Abelian Group Supplement.) For m = 225 = 32 · 52 , we have r1 = r2 = 2
and this process gives the following distinct possibilities for an isomorphism class
(in elementary divisor form) of a group of order 225.
Abelian Groups of order 225
Partition of r1 = 2 Partition of r2 = 2 Group
2 2 Z32 × Z52
1+1 2 Z3 × Z3 × Z52
2 1+1 Z32 × Z5 × Z5
1+1 1+1 Z3 × Z3 × Z5 × Z5
J

(b) The exponent of a finite abelian group G is the largest order of any element of G.
For each of the groups in the list you found in part (a), determine the exponent.

I Solution. Since o(a1 , a2 , . . . , am ) = lcm {a1 , a2 , . . . , am }, it follows that the

exponent of a direct product of abelian groups G×H is the least common multiple
of the exponents of G and H. Since the exponent of a cyclic group Zm is clearly
the order m of the group, it follows that we get the following table of exponents
for the groups of order 225 found in part (a):
Exponents of Abelian Groups of order 225
Group Exponent
Z32 × Z52 32 × 52 = 225
Z3 × Z3 × Z52 3 × 52 = 75
Z32 × Z5 × Z5 32 × 5 = 45
Z3 × Z3 × Z5 × Z5 3 × 5 = 15
J

(c) Using parts (a) and (b) show that two abelian groups G and H of order 225 are
isomorphic if and only if they have the same exponent.

I Solution. Every abelian group of order 225 is isomorphic to exactly one of

the groups in the table in part (a) and according to the table in part (b), each of
these groups has a different exponent. Thus, giving the exponent of a group of
order 225 picks out the row of the table in part (b), and hence the group to which
it is isomorphic. J

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Name: Midterm Exam

(d) Find two non-isomorphic abelian groups of order 16 that both have exponent 4.

I Solution. G = Z4 ×Z4 and H = Z4 ×Z2 ×Z2 are both groups of order 16 with
exponent 4. But G and H are not isomorphic since they have different elementary
divisors. J

2. Let σ ∈ S8 be the permutation

µ ¶
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
σ= .
4 3 7 5 1 8 2 6

(a) Write σ as a product of disjoint cycles.

I Solution. σ = (1 4 5)(2 3 7)(6 8). J

(b) Find the order and parity of σ.

I Solution. o(σ) = lcm {3, 3, 2} = 6 and σ is odd since 3-cycles are even and
transpositions are odd. J

(c) Is σ conjugate to τ = (1 2)(3 4)(5 6)(7 8)? If so, find α ∈ S8 such that ασα−1 = τ .
If not, explain why not.

I Solution. σ is not conjugate to τ since σ is the product of 2 disjoint 3-cycles

and a 2-cycle, while the cycle type of τ is a product of 4 disjoint 2-cycles. J

(d) Is σ conjugate to ω = (1 2 3)(4 5 6)(7 8)? If so, find β ∈ S8 such that βσβ −1 = ω.
If not, explain why not.

I Solution. Since σ and ω have the same cycle type, they are conjugate in S8 .
To find a potential β, create a permutation in 2-rowed notation by writing σ atop
of ω, matching up the corresponding cycles and then removing the parentheses:
µ ¶ µ ¶ µ ¶
σ (1 4 5)(2 3 7)(6 8) 1 4 5 2 3 7 6 8
= = .
ω (1 2 3)(4 5 6)(7 8) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

By rearranging the first row in the standard order we get

µ ¶
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
β= .
1 4 5 2 3 7 6 8
J

3. (a) Give an example of an ideal of Z[X] that is not principal. (You need to prove
that your example is not principal.)

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Name: Midterm Exam

I Solution. The ideal I = h2, Xi is not principal. If it were principal, then

we would have I = hf (X)i and 2 ∈ I would imply that 2 = g(X)f (X) so that
0 = deg 2 = deg g(X) + deg f (X) so that we must have deg f (X) = 0. Hence
f (X) is a constant polynomial m and since 2 is a multiple of m we must have
m = 2 or m = 1. Since 1 ∈ / I, it follows that we must have m = 2 and hence
I = h2i. But X ∈ I and there is no equation X = 2f (X) for any f (X) ∈ Z[X]
since 2f (X) has only even coefficients while X has an odd coefficient. Thus I
cannot be principal. J

(b) Give an example of a non-zero prime ideal of Z[X] which is not a maximal ideal
(include proofs).

I Solution. P = hXi is prime but not maximal since Z[X]/hXi ∼

= Z which is
an integral domain but not a field. J

(c) Give an example of a maximal ideal of Z[X] and prove it is maximal.

I Solution. The ideal I = h2, Xi of part (a) is a maximal ideal. To see this,
define a ring homomorphism ϕ : Z[X] → Z2 by

ϕ(f (X)) = f (0) (mod 2).

Then ϕ is surjective with Ker(ϕ) = I so Z[X]/I = Z[X]/ Ker(ϕ) ∼

= Z2 . Since Z2
is a field, it follows that I is maximal. J

4. Let C denote the field of complex numbers.

(a) If a ∈ C show that C[X]/hX − ai ∼

= C.

I Solution. Define a ring homomorphism ϕa : C[X] → C by ϕa (f (X) = f (a).

Then ϕa is surjective since constant polynomials are taken to themselves and
since f (X) = (X − a)g(X) + f (a) by the division algorithm, it follows that
Ker(ϕa ) = hX − ai. By the Noether isomorphism theorem, we conclude that
C[X]/hX − ai ∼
= Im(ϕa ) = C. J

(b) Show that there is an isomorphism of rings

C[X]/hX 2 + 1i ∼
= C × C.

Hint: Chinese Remainder Theorem.

I Solution. Since X 2 + 1 = (X + i)(X − i) it follows that hX 2 + 1i = hX + ii ∩

hX − ii. Moreover, hX + ii + hX − ii = C[X] so the ideals hX + ii and hX − ii
are coprime ideals. By the Chinese Remainder Theorem

C[X]/hX 2 + 1i ∼
= C[X]/hX + ii × C[X]/hX − ii ∼
= C × C,

where the last isomorphism is from part (a). J

Math 7200 October 18, 2004 3