Some Model Answers for HW on Chapter 2

#12: For any integer n>2, show that there are at least two elements in U(n) that satisfy x2=1. Clearly 1 is one such element. The other is n-1. Every U(n) contains n-1, since n-1 is always relatively prime to n. Furthermore (n-1)2 = n2 -2n+1 = 1 mod n #16: Prove that (ab)-1 = b-1 a-1 Notice that (ab)(b-1 a-1 )=a(b b-1)a-1 = a a-1 = e #20: For the same reason as in #16 (a1 a2 a3 . . . an) (an-1 an-1-1 . . . a1-1)=e #26: Prove that if (ab)2 =a2b2 in a group, then ab=ba. Write out the powers: If abab=aabb, then we can cancel a on the left and b on the right, and get ba=ab #29: Let G be a finite group. Show that the number of elements x of G such that x3=e is odd. Let H denote the set of all elements with this property. Certainly, e is in H. Next, suppose x is in H. Then x-1 is also in H, because x3=e implies that (x-1)3=e (just multiply both sides with x-1 three times). Note also that x is not equal to x-1, because if x was equal to x-1, then x2=e. Since also x3=e, it would follow that x=e. This means that each element in H (besides e) can be paired up with its unique inverse, giving an even number of elements in H. Also counting e, it makes an odd number of elements in H. Show that the number of elements in x in G such that x2 e is even. Again let H denote the set of all elements with this property. e is not in H this time. But if x is in H, then x-1 is also in H, because if (x-1)2=e, so would be x2=e. Note again that if x is in H, x-1 cant equal its inverse, because otherwise x2=e. So all elements in H can be ordered into pairs, giving an even number in H.

#33. Prove that if G is a group with the property that the square of every element is the identity, then G is abelian. Let a and b be in G. Since the square of every element is e, we have a2=e b2=e (ab)2=e. (again, because every elements square is e, including the element ab. Hence (ab)2=a2b2 for all a and b in G. By the previous problem #26 this shows that G is abelian. #35. Prove that the set H={1,2,. . . , n-1} is a group under multiplication modulo n if and only if n is prime assume that H is a group, but, by way of contradiction, that n is not prime. Then n can be factored: n=pq, with 1<p,q<n-1. But this means that p*q=0 mod n. But 0 is not in H, so the group is not closed (or more precisely, the binary operation is not well defined on H). contradiction: n must be prime. assume that n is prime. Then by exercise 13 in Chapter 0, ax=1 mod n has a solution for every a in H. This means every a in H has an inverse. The identity is in H, and multiplication is associative, so H is a group.