EXPLORING P-SUPERLOCALS IN

SYMMETRIC GROUP S5
A RESEARCH PROPOSAL SUBMITTED
BY
OLIVER WEKESA
BMCS/337J/2020
TO
THE TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF
MOMBASA
SCHOOL OF APPLIED & HEALTH SCIENCES
DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS &
PHYSICS
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE
REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF
DEGREE IN MATHEMATICS AND
COMPUTER SCIENCE

April 18, 2024

Contents

DECLARATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii
DEDICATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
ACKNOWLEDGMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
ABSTRACT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
LIST OF SYMBOLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi

1 INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.2 Background Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.3 Statement of the problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.4 General objective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.5 Specific objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.6 Significance of study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

2 LITERATURE REVIEW 4

3 METHODOLOGY 6

4 CONCLUSION 7

5 Appendix 9

i
DECLARATION

I hereby declare that this research proposal is my original work and has not been
submitted to any other university for a degree or any other award.

Signature........................ Date........................

OLIVER WEKESA

BMCS/337J/2020

This research proposal has been written and submitted for review with approval of my
supervision.

Signature........................ Date........................

DR. MICHAEL MUNYWOKI

DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS AND PHYSICS

TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF MOMBASA

ii
DEDICATION

This work is solely dedicated to my family members who were always there supporting me
when I needed help physically, intellectually and financially.

iii
ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I would like to acknowledge the Technical University of Mombasa for providing me with
the opportunity to pursue this course. Also, the commitment of my profound supervisor
Dr. Michael Munywoki, whose continous support and professional advice have been in-
strumental in my achievements. And most importantly to God who granted me with good
health.

iv
ABSTRACT

This research proposal aims to compute all the p-superlocals within symmetric groups S5 .
We start by listing all subgroups of S5 and finding their normal subgroups. Then, we
calculate all p-local subgroups in S5 and identify the greatest normal p-local subgroup
within each. Sylow p-subgroups are computed, and their normalizers are determined to
confirm their status as p-local subgroups. We delve into the concept of p-superlocals and
identify relevant subgroups within the group.
To achieve this, we utilize group theory software GAP to generate all subgroups of S5 and
apply Sylow’s theorem to identify Sylow p-subgroups. The study aims to provide insights
into the structural characteristics of these groups. We identify all the superlocals in S5 ,
investigating their order and conjugacy classes. Eventually, we aim to determine the
largest subgroups of a given group G, and by taking the normalizers of these subgroups,
we aim to obtain something even larger.

Keywords: p-Superlocals, Subgroup, Sylow p-subgroups, Symmetric group (S5 ).

v
LIST OF SYMBOLS

Syl p (G) - Set of Sylow p-subgroups of G.

n p (G) - Number of Sylow p-subgroups of G.
Ω - Set.
⩽ - Subgroup.
Sn - Symmetric group of degree n.
An - Alternating group of degree n.
O p (H) - Greatest normal p-local subgroup of H.

vi
Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Introduction
Definition 1. (Superlocal) According to M. Aschbacher [3], a p-local subgroup H in a
group G is said to be a superlocal if H = NG (O p (H)).

Definition 2. (Symmetric groups Sn ) [2] Let Ω be any non-empty set and let SΩ be the set
of all bijections from Ω to itself (i.e set of all permutations of Ω). This group is called the
symmetric group on the set Ω.

Example 1.1. S5 is the set of all permutations of set {a,b,c,d,e}

|S5 | = 5! = 120; Element cycle types are: {(e), (a,b), (a,b,c), (a,b)(c,d), (a,b,c,d),
(a,b,c)(d,e), (a,b,c,d,e)}

Definition 3. (Alternating group An ) [2] Is a set of all even permutation in Sn .

5!
Example 1.2. A5 Is a set of all even permutations in S5 . |A5 | = 2 = 60
Element cycle types are: {(e),(a,b,c), (a,b)(c,d), (a,b,c,d,e)}

Definition 4. (p-group) [2, pg. 139] Let G be a group and let p be a prime.
A group G is called a p-group if every element in G has order pm for some m ≥ 0.
A group G of order pα for some α ≥ 1 is called a p-group. Subgroups of G which are
p-groups are called p-subgroups.
Example 1.3 Dihedral group D8 of order |D8 | = 23 is a p-group, i.e., 2-group.
D8 = {e, r, r2 , r3 , s, sr, sr2 , sr3 }

Definition 5. (Sylow p-subgroups) [2, pg. 139] Let G be a group and p be a prime. If G is
of order pα m, where p ∤ m, then a subgroup of order pα is called a Sylow p-subgroup of
G.

Example 1.4 |S3 | = 6 = 21 .31 where p = 2 and m = 3 since 2 ∤ 3. S3 has three Sylow
2-subgroups of order 2: {{1,(12)}, {1,(13)}, {1,(23)}}. It has a unique Sylow 3-subgroup
of order 3: {(1,(123)(132)}.

Definition 6. (Normalizer) Let A be a subset of G. The Normalizer of A in G is the set of

elements of G, NG (A) = {g∈G | gAg−1 = A}. since gAg−1 = A iff gA = Ag.

1
Definition 7. (p-local subgroup) [7] A subgroup H of a group G is called a p-local
subgroup of G whenever G includes a nontrivial p-subgroup P such that H = NG (P).
Example 1.5 Normalizer of Sylow p-subgroups in group A3 is a p-local subgroup.
Syl p (A3 ) = {e,(123),(132)}.
e {e,(123),(132)} e−1
123 {e,(123),(132)} 123−1
132 {e,(123),(132)} 132−1
H = N(A3 ) (P) = {e,(123),(132)}

p-local subgroup H in a group G (in this case G= S3 ) is superlocal if H = NG (O p (H)).

O p (H) ={e,(123),(132)}
G ={e,(12),(13),(23),(123),(132)}
e {e,(123),(132)} e−1
12 {e,(123),(132)} 12−1
13 {e,(123),(132)} 13−1
23 {e,(123),(132)} 23−1
123 {e,(123),(132)} 123−1
132 {e,(123),(132)} 132−1
NG (O p (H)) ={e,(12),(13),(23),(123),(132)}
Therefore p-superlocal in group S3 is the group itself.

Definition 8. (p-maximal) [5] Let G a finite group, p a prime, and H1 and H2 subgroups
of G. We say that H1 is p-contained in H2 (written H1 ≤ p H2 ) if H1 ≤ H2 and O p (H1 ) ≤
O p (H2 ). The relation ≤ p induces a partial order on the set of subgroups. Maximal
elements under this order are called p-maximal subgroups of G.

Definition 9. (p-radical) [5] Let G be a finite group and p a prime. We call a subgroup P
a p-radical in G, or radical p-subgroup, if P is a p-subgroup of G, and P = O p (NG (P)).

Theorem 1. (Sylow’s Theorem) [2] Let G be a group of order pα m, where p is a prime not
dividing m.
1. Sylow p-subgroups of G exist, i.e., Syl p (G) ̸= 0.
/

2. If P is a Sylow p-subgroup of G and Q is any p-subgroup of G, then there exists

g ∈ G such that Q ≤ gPg−1 , i.e., Q is contained in some conjugate of P. In
particular, any two Sylow p-subgroups of G are conjugate in G.

3. The number of Sylow p-subgroups of G is of the form 1 + kp, i.e.,

n p ≡ 1(mod p).

1.2 Background Information

In previous years, Sylow’s theorems were applied by mathematicians such as Sylow,
Holder, Burnside, Frobenius and Cole to explore for potential orders of finite simple
groups. This effort led to emergence of general findings such as the normal p-complement
theorems of Burnside and Frobenius. Here p-local subgroups made their first significant
appearance. A p-local subgroup of a group G is a subgroup of the form NG (H) where H is
a non-trivial p-subgroup of G. The concept of p-superlocals can be traced back to the

2
publication of Subgroup structure of finite groups [1] in 1985 by Aschbacher. There have
been different research on describing p-superlocals in Symmetric groups by listing and
proving useful properties of p-superlocals. Aschbacher [1] observed that every p-local
subgroup H of a finite group G is contained in the p-superlocals H such that
OP (H) ≤ O p (G). In 2003, Revin in [5] equated the concept of p-superlocal in some group
with that of a p-maximal subgroup of G, and introduced the concept of p-radical, which is
dual to that of a p-superlocal. In 2020, Vedernikov confirmed in [7] that the concept of
p-superlocal in a group G is equivalent to the concept of p-maximal subgroup of G.

1.3 Statement of the problem

In 2003, Revin explained p-superlocals in Lie type groups primarily by listing and
proving useful properties. He equated the concept of p-superlocal in a group with that of a
p-maximal subgroup of G. In 2020, Vedernikov validated this equivalence in a group G as
established by Revin for Lie type groups. However, p-superlocals in Symmetric groups
have not been computed. This research aims to compute p-superlocals in Symmetric
group S5 using Sylow’s theorem.

1.4 General objective

The objective of the study is to identify p-superlocals within the group S5 using Sylow’s
theorem.

1.5 Specific objectives

1. To compute subgroups of S5 .

2. To find all Sylow p-subgroups of S5 .

3. To find all normal p-local subgroups of S5 .

1.6 Significance of study

Sylow p-subgroups are the maximal p-subgroups of a finite group. Understanding p-local
subgroups helps in understanding Sylow p-subgroups, which in turn gives information
about the structure of the entire group. p-local subgroups have deep connections to
cohomology, especially through the theory of fusion systems, which describe the local
behavior of group actions.

3
Chapter 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

In 1985, Aschbacher observed in his publication [1] that each p-local subgroup H of a
finite group G (i.e., the normalizer in G of some p-subgroup) is contained in the
p-superlocal H such that O p (H) ≤ O p (G). In 2003, Revin provided a comprehensive
account of p-superlocals in [5] which he described their structure and properties, i.e., A
basis for studying p-local subgroups of every Lie-type group G over a finite field of
characteristic p is the known Borel-Tits theorem. This says that, for any subgroup H of G,
there exists a parabolic subgroup R such that H ≤ R and O p (H) ≤ O p (R); O p (G) denotes
the greatest normal p-subgroup of G. In 2021, Ulrich, Christopher and Peter in their work
published in the Journal of Algebra [4], delved into subgroups that generalize these
parabolic subgroups. Revin introduced a concept of a p-radical, dual to the concept of a
p-superlocal. He established a one-to-one correspondance between p-superlocals and
p-radicals in G: if H is a p-superlocal then O p (H) is its corresponding p-radical and if P
is a p-radical then NG (P) is its corresponding p-superlocal.
A fundamental proposition for studying the properties of superlocals is the following:

Proposition 1. If a superlocal H of a group G normalizes a p-subgroup Q then

Q ≤ O p (H). In particular, O p (G) ≤ O p (H).

Proof. Let P = O p (H). Then H normalizes a subgroup PQ, and hence

NPQ (P) = PQ ∩ H ⊴ H.
Consequently, P ≤ NPQ (P) ≤ O p (H) = P, where NPQ (P) = P. If Q ≰ P, then P < PQ,
and by a known property of nilpotent groups, we have P < NPQ (P), which is a
contradiction. The proposition is proved.

Proposition 2. If N is a superlocal in G, and N ≤ H ≤ G, then N is a superlocal in H. That

the concepts of a superlocal and of a p-maximal subgroup are equivalent is shown in the
next proposition.

Proposition 3. Let N1 and N2 be superlocals in G and P1 = O p (N1 ) and P2 = O p (N2 ) be

the corresponding radicals. Suppose also that N1 ≤ N2 . Then P1 ≥ P2 , and P2 ⊴ N1 . If, in
addition, N1 ≤ p N2 , then N1 = N2 . In particular, every superlocal is a p-maximal
subgroup.

Proof. Propositions 1 and 2 imply that P1 ≥ P2 , and since N1 is contained in the

normalizer of the group P2 , the subgroup P2 is normal in N1 . If N1 ≤ p N2 then
P1 = O p (N1 ) ≤ OP (N2 ) = P2 . In this way P1 = P2 , and so therefore

4
N1 = NG (P1 ) = NG (P2 ) = N2 . Since any p-maximal is a superlocal, every superlocal
coincides with the P-maximal subgroup in which it is p-contained. The proposition is
proved.

In the journal of Algebra,Ulrich, Christopher and Peter defined p-minimal subgroup: [4]
Suppose that G is finite group and p is a prime number. Let S ∈ Syl p (G), and let P be a
subgroup of G containing S. If S is not normal in P and S is contained in a unique
maximal subgroup of P, then we say that P is a p-minimal subgroup( with respect to S). In
2001, Ronald Solomon, in his publication [6], highlighted that local subgroups represent
the largest subgroups of G whose existence can be predicted from knowledge of the group
order |G|. If the group order is expressed as |G| =pα m where (p, m) = 1, then Sylow’s
theorem guarantee the existence of subgroups of order pb for 1 ≤ b ≤ α and normalizer of
these subgroups are the p-local subgroups. The proposed project aims to identify all the
p-local subgroups within group S5 by applying this concept.

5
Chapter 3

METHODOLOGY

The group theory software GAP will be utilized to generate all subgroups of S5 , including
their respective orders. Then, Sylow’s theorem will be applied to identify Sylow
p-subgroups within these generated subgroups.
The following is a GAP code to generate all subgroups of S5 along with different class
orders.

gap> G := SymmetricGroup(5);
gap> subgroups := ConjugacyClassesSubgroups(G);
gap> for class in subgroups do
> for subgroup in Elements(class) do
> Print("Subgroup: ", subgroup, " Order:",Order(subgroup),"\n");
> od;
> od;

6
Chapter 4

CONCLUSION

The project applies Sylow’s theorem to identify p-local subgroups and p-superlocals.
Utilizing Sylow’s theorem to determine Sylow p-subgroups. Normalizers are computed to
validate their p-local classification. The outcomes of this study will provide valuable
insights, facilitating future investigations into the identification of p-radicals within these
groups.

7
Bibliography

[1] M Aschbacher. Subgroup structure of finite groups. In Proceedings of the Rutgers

group theory year, 1983–1984, pages 35–44, 1985.

[2] David Steven Dummit and Richard M Foote. Abstract algebra, volume 3. Wiley
Hoboken, 2004.

[3] EI Khukhro and VD Mazurov. Unsolved problems in group theory. the kourovka note-
book. arXiv preprint arXiv:1401.0300, 2014.

[4] Ulrich Meierfrankenfeld, Christopher Parker, and Peter Rowley. Rank one isolated
p-minimal subgroups in finite groups. Journal of Algebra, 566:1–93, 2021.

[5] Danila Olegovich Revin. Superlocals in symmetric and alternating groups. Algebra
and Logic, 42(3):192–206, 2003.

[6] Ronald Solomon. A brief history of the classification of the finite simple groups.
Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society, 38(3):315–352, 2001.

[7] Victor Alexandrovich Vedernikov. Nonsolvable finite groups whose all nonsolvable
superlocals are hall subgroups. Siberian Mathematical Journal, 61(5):778–794, 2020.

8
Chapter 5

Appendix

Table 5.1: Time Frame

Task/Months Jan Feb Mar Apr May June
Topic Identification and Introduction ✓
Objectives and significance ✓
Literature review ✓
Methodology ✓
Conclusion ✓
Appendices and Bibliography ✓

Table 5.2: Budget

Items/Service Unit cost Quantity Total cost

Laptop 30,000 1 30,000
Printing Papers 1000 2 2000
Printing 6 500 3000
Binding 30 20 600
Internet 2000 2 4000
Grand Total 39,600