Order of a group

The order of a group G is the cardinality of that group. In other words, the order of a group G is the
number of its elements.

Notation: The order of a group G is denoted by |G| or °(G).

Z12

{0, 1, 2, . . . 11}

|Z12| = °(Z12) = 12

Types of Groups

Depending upon the order of groups, we can classify the groups as follows:

Finite Group: If a group contains a finite number of elements, then it is a finite group. For example, the
symmetric group Sn is a finite group of order n!.

Example:

Z6

{0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5}

|Z6| = °(Z6) = 6

S3

{1,2,3}

|Sn| = n!

|S3| = 3!= 6

Infinite group: If a group does not have a finite number of elements, then it is an infinite group. For
example, the additive group of integers is not a finite group; it is an infinite group.

Examples

1. Z consists of all integers

{..., -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3 ...}

2 (R, +)

Order of an element
Order of elements in a group G. The order of an element a ∈ (G, 0) is the smallest positive integer n
such that an=e, where e is the identity element of G. It is denoted by |a| or (a).

If such an n exists, then we say that the element a is of finite order. Otherwise, a is said to be an element
of infinite order.

1. Cyclic Group of Order 4 (Z4):

- Consider the cyclic group of order 4, denoted as Z4, with elements {0, 1, 2, 3} under addition modulo
4.

- Let's take the element '2' from this group.

- We can see that 2 + 2 = 4 ≡ 0 (mod 4), and 2 + 2 + 2 = 6 ≡ 2 (mod 4).

- So, in this case, the order of the element '2' in Z4 is ord(2) = 4 because it takes four additions to reach
the identity element '0'.

2. Dihedral Group D3:

- The dihedral group D3 represents symmetries of an equilateral triangle and has six elements.

- Take the element representing a 120-degree rotation in D3.

- Applying this rotation three times (120 degrees * 3) results in a full 360-degree rotation, which is
equivalent to the identity operation.

- Therefore, in D3, the order of this element is ord(rotation) = 3.

3. Symmetric Group on 3 Elements (S3):

- In the symmetric group S3, consider the permutation (1 2), which swaps elements 1 and 2 while
leaving 3 fixed.

- Applying this permutation twice results in the identity permutation, as (1 2) * (1 2) = (1 2)² = (1 2)(1 2)
= e.

- Thus, the order of the permutation (1 2) in S3 is ord((1 2)) = 2.

These examples illustrate how the order of an element in a group relates to the number of times you
need to apply the group operation to that element before reaching the identity element. It's a
fundamental concept in group theory and helps characterize the structure of a group.