Difference between revisions of "Group"

 
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A '''group''' <math>G</math> is a set of elements together with an operation <math>\cdot:G\times G\to G</math> (the dot is frequently supressed) satisfying the following conditions:
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A '''group''' <math>G</math> is a [[set]] of elements together with an [[operation]] <math>\cdot:G\times G\to G</math> (the dot is frequently supressed) satisfying the following conditions:
  
 
* For all <math>a,b,c\in G</math>, <math>a(bc)=(ab)c</math> ([[associative|associativity]]).
 
* For all <math>a,b,c\in G</math>, <math>a(bc)=(ab)c</math> ([[associative|associativity]]).
 
* There exists an element <math>e\in G</math> so that for all <math>g\in G</math>, <math>ge=eg=g</math> ([[identity]]).
 
* There exists an element <math>e\in G</math> so that for all <math>g\in G</math>, <math>ge=eg=g</math> ([[identity]]).
* For any <math>g\in G</math>, there exists <math>g^{-1}\in G</math> so that <math>gg^{-1}=g^{-1}g=e</math> ([[inverse]]s).
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* For any <math>g\in G</math>, there exists <math>g^{-1}\in G</math> so that <math>gg^{-1}=g^{-1}g=e</math> ([[Inverse with respect to an operation | inverses]]).
  
 
Groups frequently arise as [[permutation]]s of collections of objects. For example, the rigid motions of <math>\mathbb{R}^2</math> that fix a certain regular <math>n</math>-gon is a group, called the [[dihedral group]] and denoted <math>D_{2n}</math> (since it has <math>2n</math> elements). Another example of a group is the [[symmetric group]] <math>S_n</math> of all permutations of <math>\{1,2,\ldots,n\}</math>.
 
Groups frequently arise as [[permutation]]s of collections of objects. For example, the rigid motions of <math>\mathbb{R}^2</math> that fix a certain regular <math>n</math>-gon is a group, called the [[dihedral group]] and denoted <math>D_{2n}</math> (since it has <math>2n</math> elements). Another example of a group is the [[symmetric group]] <math>S_n</math> of all permutations of <math>\{1,2,\ldots,n\}</math>.
  
 
Related algebraic structures are [[ring]]s and [[field]]s.
 
Related algebraic structures are [[ring]]s and [[field]]s.
 
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Revision as of 08:19, 18 July 2006

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A group $G$ is a set of elements together with an operation $\cdot:G\times G\to G$ (the dot is frequently supressed) satisfying the following conditions:

Groups frequently arise as permutations of collections of objects. For example, the rigid motions of $\mathbb{R}^2$ that fix a certain regular $n$-gon is a group, called the dihedral group and denoted $D_{2n}$ (since it has $2n$ elements). Another example of a group is the symmetric group $S_n$ of all permutations of $\{1,2,\ldots,n\}$.

Related algebraic structures are rings and fields.