Solutions to Homework 2

8. (DF 2.3 #25) Suppose G is cyclic of order n, and (k, n) = 1. Let : G G be the map
(x) = xk . If t is a generator of G, then tk is also a generator (Proposition 6 in DF). Thus the
image of contains a generator of G, so it must be all of G. Therefore is surjective.
If G is an arbitrary finite group, then
[
G=
C.
cyclic CG

For any C G, we have (k, |C|) = 1 since |C| divides n by Langranges Theorem. Thus |C (C) = C,
which says that is surjective on all of G. (Note that for non-abelian G the map need not be a
homomorphism, so proving its kernel is trivial does not imply it is injective.)
(DF 2.3 #26) Throughout this problem, fix a generator t of Zn .
(a) By problem 25, a is surjective if (a, n) = 1. Since Zn is finite, surjective implies injective.
As a is a homomorphism, it is thus an automorphism. Conversely, if a is an automorphism then
a (t) = ta is also a generator. Thus (a, n) = 1 by Proposition 6.
(b) We have
a = b a (t) = b (t)
ta = tb
a b (mod n).
(c) Let be an automorphism of Zn . Then (t) = ta for some a, since (t) Zn . Since t is a
generator, it follows that = a .
(d) We have (a b )(t) = a (tb ) = tab = ab (t). This says that the map in the text is a
homomorphism. By (c) it is surjective, and by (b) it is injective (and by (a) it is well-defined) thus
it is an isomorphism.

9. (a) An element x G is in the kernel of if and only if xgH = gH for every coset gH. Thus
ker() = {x G | xgH = gH g G}
= {x G | g 1 xgH = H g G}
= {x G | g 1 xg H g G}
= {x G | x gHg 1 g G}
\
=
gHg 1 .
gG

(b) Since [G : H] = n, we know G/H has cardinality n and so (G/H) is a group of order n!.
The kernel of a homomorphism is always normal, and the index of ker() in G is exactly the order
of the group G/ ker(). By the first isomorphism theorem, G/ ker() is a subgroup of (G/H),
1

hence its order divides n! by Langranges Theorem.

(c) As G acts transitively on cosets and (G/H) has cardinality bigger than 1 (if H = G then
the result is false for G 6= 1), we know that ker() cannot be all of G. The group G is simple,
thus the only other normal subgroup is 1, which says that is injective. Via the first isomorphism
theorem, we can identify G with a subgroup of (G/H), which has order r!. Therefore |G| divides r!.
(d) By part (c), 60 divides [G : H]!. Thus [G : H] 5, which says that |H| 12.

10. Let d divide |G| = n. Suppose there is an element x of order d in G, then x generates a cyclic
subgroup of G of order d. By our assumption, we have
{y G | y d = 1} d
and since every y hxi satisfies y d = 1, we see that
hxi = {y G | y d = 1}.
In particular, the number of elements of order d is equal to the number of generators of hxi, which
is (d). So for all divisors d of n, the number of elements of order d is either 0 or (d). Thus
X
X
n=
(# of elements of order d)
(d) = n
d|n

d|n

which says that the middle inequality must be an equality. Hence there are (d) elements of order
d for all d|n. Setting d = n, we get an element of order n, which says that G is cyclic.

11. As H E G, conjugation by G sends H to itself. Thus we obtain a homomorphism : G

Aut(H), namely (g)(h) = ghg 1 . Now H is of prime order p, thus Aut(H) is a group of order p1.
If another prime q divides the order of the image of , then q||G| and q|p 1, which contradicts
the minimality of p. So is the trivial homomorphism, which says that conjugation by G is trivial
on H. Thus H Z.