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Semester 2 Assessment, 2014

Department of Mathematics and Statistics
MAST20022 Group theory and linear algebra
Writing time: 3 hours
Reading time: 15 minutes
This is NOT an open book exam

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This paper consists of 15 pages (including this page)

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Authorised Materials:

• No materials are authorised.

Instructions to Students:
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• This examination consists of 14 questions. The total number of marks is 100.

• The examination paper is in two sections. The questions in Section A are shorter and more
routine than those in Section B. It is recommended that students attempt the questions in Section
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A before trying those in Section B. It is possible to pass the examination on marks from Section
A alone. All questions should be attempted.
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• Please give complete explanations in all questions and show all your calculations and working.
Give careful statements of any results from the notes or lectures that you use.

• You may remove this question paper at the conclusion of the examination.
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Instructions to Invigilators:

• Students may remove the examination paper at the conclusion of the examination.

This paper may be held in the Baillieu Library.

Page 1 of 15
Section A: 50 marks total
1. (a) Use the Euclidean algorithm to compute the greatest common divisor gcd(78, 28).

(b) Find integers x and y such that 78x + 28y = 2.

(c) Does [28]78 have a multiplicative inverse modulo 78?

[5 marks]
Solutions: (2 + 2 + 2 = 1)

(a) We use the Euclidean algorithm:

78 = 2 · 28 + 22

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28 = 1 · 22 + 6
22 = 3 · 6 + 4
6=1·4+2

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4=2·2

and conclude that gcd(78, 28) = 2.

(b) Going backward through the computation in (a), we have

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2 = 6 − 4 = 6 − (22 − 3 · 6) = 4 · 6 − 22 = . . . = −5 · 78 + 14 · 28.

So we can take x = −5, y = 14.

(c) We know that [a]n is invertible if and only if gcd(a, n) = 1. But gcd(78, 28) = 2, so [28]78 is not
invertible.
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Page 2 of 15
2. (a) Define “algebraically closed field”.

(b) Prove that the field F11 is not algebraically closed.

[5 marks]
Solutions: (2 + 3 = 5)

(a) A field K is algebraically closed if every nonconstant polynomial f ∈ K[x] has a root in K.

(b) We compute all the squares in F11 :

02 = 0 12 = 1 = 102 22 = 4 = 9 2 32 = 9 = 82 42 = 5 = 72 52 = 3 = 62

We notice that 2 is not among the squares, which means that the polynomial x2 − 2 has no roots

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in F11 .

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Page 3 of 15
3. Let f : C6 → C6 be a linear transformation. You are told that its characteristic polynomial is

c(x) = (x + 2)(x − 1)5

and its minimal polynomial is

m(x) = (x + 2)(x − 1)3 .
What can you say about the Jordan normal form J of f ? [5 marks]
Solutions: The factor (x + 2) of c(x) implies that there is a Jordan block J(−2, 1) in J, and this is
the only Jordan block with −2 on the diagonal.
The factor (x − 1)3 of m(x) implies that the largest Jordan block with 1 on the diagonal is J(1, 3). The
factor (x − 1)5 of c(x) implies that the sum of the sizes of the Jordan blocks with 1 on the diagonal is
5. This could be then 5 = 3 + 2 or 5 = 3 + 1 + 1, giving rise to two possibilities for J:

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−2 −2
   

 1 1 


 1 1 

 1 1   1 1 
J = or J =

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   
 1 
  1 

 1 1   1 
1 1
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Page 4 of 15
4. Let V = R5 with the standard inner product (that is, the dot product); let (e1 , e2 , e3 , e4 , e5 ) denote
the standard basis of V . Let f : V → V be an orthogonal linear transformation. You are told that the
1-eigenspace of f is
V1 = Span(e2 )
and the (−1)-eigenspace of f is
V−1 = Span(e1 + e3 , e4 ).
Let W = V1 ⊕ V−1 .

(a) Find a basis for the orthogonal complement W ⊥ of W .

(b) Give a geometric interpretation for the restricted linear transformation f |W ⊥ .

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[5 marks]
Solutions: (2 + 3 = 5)

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(a) Let v = a1 e1 + a2 e2 + a3 e3 + a4 e4 + a5 e5 ∈ W ⊥ . Since a basis for W is (e2 , e1 + e3 , e4 ), we need to
make sure that v is orthogonal to these three basis vectors:

hv, e2 i = a2 ⇒ a2 = 0
hv, e1 + e3 i = a1 + a3 ⇒ a3 = −a1

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hv, e4 i = a4

We conclude that (e1 − e3 , e5 ) is a basis of W ⊥ .

⇒ a4 = 0

(b) We know that any orthogonal transformation on a finite-dimensional real vector space has (with
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respect to a suitable orthonormal basis) a block diagonal matrix with blocks that are either 2 × 2
rotation matrices, or 1 × 1 matrices of ±1. However, the eigenvectors corresponding to the 1 × 1
matrices of ±1 are all contained in W = V1 ⊕ V−1 , so what is remaining must be a 2 × 2 rotation
matrix. We conclude that f |W ⊥ is a rotation about the origin in the plane W ⊥ , by an angle
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θ ∈ R \ πZ.
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Page 5 of 15
5. Let V be a finite-dimensional complex inner product space.

(a) Define “isometry on V ”.

(b) Let f be an isometry on V . Show that the eigenvalues of f have absolute value 1.

[5 marks]
Solutions: (2 + 3 = 5)

(a) A linear transformation f : V → V is an isometry if any of the following equivalent conditions hold:

• f ∗ ◦ f = idV ;
• f ◦ f ∗ = idV ;

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• hf (u), f (v)i = hu, vi for all u, v ∈ V ;
• kf (v)k = kvk for all v ∈ V .

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(Any one of these definitions receives full marks.)

(b) Let a ∈ C be an eigenvalue of f , and let v be a corresponding eigenvector: f (v) = av. We have:

kvk = kf (v)k = kavk = |a| kvk

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which, since v 6= 0, implies that |a| = 1.
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Page 6 of 15
6. Let G be a group with identity element e such that g 2 = e for all g ∈ G. Prove that G is abelian.
[5 marks]
−1
Solutions: We start by noting that for any g ∈ G we have gg = e, so g = g.
Let g, h ∈ G. We have (gh)2 = e, so

ghgh = e ⇒ gh = h−1 g −1 = hg.

Therefore G is abelian.

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Page 7 of 15
7. (a) Write the following product of permutations in S6

(1 2 4)(3 6) ◦ (1 5 6)(2 4 3)

as a product of disjoint cycles.

(b) What is the order of the following element of S4 :

(1 2 3) ◦ (1 4 3 2)?

(c) What is the order of the following element of S100 :

(1 2 . . . 50) ◦ (51 52 . . . 100)?

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[5 marks]
Solutions: (1 + 2 + 2 = 5)

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(a) (1 5 3 4 6 2)

(b) The element can be simplified to (1 4), which has order 2.

(c) The two cycles are disjoint, so the order of their product is the least common multiple of the
lengths of the cycles, hence 50.
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Page 8 of 15
8. (a) Explain why the size of the group GL2 (F5 ) is

(52 − 1)(52 − 5) = 480.

(b) Is there a subgroup of GL2 (F5 ) that is isomorphic to the dihedral group D25 ?

[5 marks]
Solutions: (3 + 2 = 5)

(a) Let g ∈ GL2 (F5 ). The columns of g form a basis for F25 . The first column can be any nonzero
vector v1 ∈ F25 \ {(0, 0)}, so there are (52 − 1) possibilities. The second column must be a vector v2
that is not in the span of v1 , so there are (52 − 5) possibilities.

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(b) No! Suppose H ⊂ GL2 (F5 ) is isomorphic to D25 . Then #H = #D25 = 50. By Lagrange’s theorem,
#H divides # GL2 (F5 ), contradicting the fact that 50 does not divide 480.

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Page 9 of 15
9. Consider the group of orthogonal 2 × 2 matrices

O2 = {M ∈ GL2 (R) | M T M = I}

and its subset of matrices of determinant 1

SO2 = {M ∈ O2 | det(M ) = 1}.

(a) Prove that SO2 is a normal subgroup of O2 .

(b) Prove that the quotient O2 / SO2 is isomorphic to Z/2Z.

[5 marks]

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Solutions: (2 + 3 = 5)

(a) The map det : O2 → R× is a group homomorphism:

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det(M N ) = det(M ) det(N ).

The kernel of det is precisely SO2 (by the definition of the latter), so SO2 is a normal subgroup of
O2 .

(b) If M ∈ O2 , we have

I = MT M ⇒

Moreover, det(I) = 1 and det


1 0
0 −1
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1 = det(M T ) det(M ) = det(M )2 ⇒ det(M ) = ±1.

first isomorphism theorem, O2 / SO2 ∼

to Z/2Z.
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= −1, so the image of det is precisely {±1} ⊂ R× . By the
= {±1}, and the latter is a group of order 2, hence isomorphic
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Page 10 of 15
10. (a) State the orbit-stabiliser theorem.

(b) Compute the number of rotational symmetries of a rectangular box with dimensions 1 × 1 × 3.

[5 marks]
Solutions: (2 + 3 = 5)

(a) If G is a finite group acting on a set X and x ∈ X then

#G = #(G · x) # Stab(x)

(b) Let x be the one of the two square faces of the box. The orbit of x has two elements (since x is
either sent to itself or to the other square face). The stabiliser of x has four elements: looking at

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one of the edges of x, we see that a rotation sending x to x must send this edge to one of the four
edges of x.
Therefore the box has #G = 2 · 4 = 8 rotational symmetries.

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Page 11 of 15
Section B: 50 marks total
11. Let V = R[x]≤3 be the vector space of real polynomials of degree at most 3. Consider the linear
transformation given by differentiation
df
δ : V → V, δ(f ) = .
dx
Find the Jordan normal form J of δ, and a basis B of V such that J is the matrix of δ with respect to
B. [10 marks]
Solutions: We start by finding the matrix A of δ with respect to the standard basis (1, x, x2 , x3 ):

δ(1) = 0
δ(x) = 1

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δ(x2 ) = 2x
δ(x3 ) = 3x2

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Therefore  
0 1 0 0
0 0 2 0
A=
0

0 0 3

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We compute the characteristic polynomial of δ:
0

c(x) = det(xI − A) = x4
0 0

and look for the minimal polynomial of δ among the divisors of c(x) = x4 :
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A 6= 0
 
0 0 2 0
0 0 0 6
A2 = 

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 6= 0
0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0
 
0 0 0 6
0 0 0 0
A3 = 

 6= 0
0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0
so

so we conclude that m(x) = x4 .

Since m(x) = x4 , we know that the Jordan normal form J of δ contains a Jordan block J(0, 4). But J
is 4 × 4, so  
0 1 0 0
0 0 1 0
J = J(0, 4) = 
0 0

0 1
0 0 0 0
By comparing J to A, we see that the basis B = (1, x, x2 /2, x3 /6) is such that J = [δ]B .

Page 12 of 15
12. Let V be a finite dimensional complex inner product space. Recall that a self-adjoint linear
transformation f : V → V is positive if all its eigenvalues are nonnegative.
(a) Prove that a self-adjoint f is positive if and only if hf (v), vi ≥ 0 for all v ∈ V . (Hint: for one
direction, use the spectral theorem; for the other direction, consider an eigenvector v.)
(b) Prove that the sum of two positive linear transformations is positive.
(c) Is the composition of two positive linear transformations always positive? Give a proof or a
counterexample.

[12 marks]
Solutions: (6 + 3 + 3 = 12)

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(a) Since f is self-adjoint, it is normal. By the spectral theorem, there is an orthonormal basis
(v1 , . . . , vn ) of V such that the matrix of f is diagonal:
 
a1

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 a2 
A=
 
.. 
 . 
an
Since f is positive, aj ≥ 0 for all j.

so that

Now
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Let v ∈ V and write it with respect to our basis:
v = b1 v1 + . . . + bn vn

f (v) = b1 a1 v1 + . . . + bn an vn

hf (v), vi = hb1 a1 v1 +. . .+bn an vn , b1 v1 +. . .+bn vn i = b1 b1 a1 +. . .+bn bn an = kb1 k2 a1 +. . .+kbn k2 an ≥ 0.

For the converse, let a be an eigenvalue of f with some corresponding eigenvector v. Then
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0 ≤ hf (v), vi = hav, vi = akvk2 ,
so a ≥ 0.
(b) Let f and g be positive. Then they are self-adjoint; so their sum is also self-adjoint:
(f + g)∗ = f ∗ + g ∗ = f + g.
so

Let v ∈ V . Using part (a), we have

h(f + g)(v), vi = hf (v), vi + hg(v), vi ≥ 0.
Using part (a) again, we conclude that f + g is positive.
(c) Let f and g be positive. The composition f ◦ g need not be positive, as it may fail to be self-adjoint.
For an example, consider f, g : C2 → C2 given by matrices
   
1 0 3 1
0 2 1 3
Their composition is given by the matrix
 
4 1
2 6
which is manifestly not self-adjoint.

Page 13 of 15
13. Consider the set X of all decorated squares, where each vertex is assigned a label from {1, 2, 3},
and the same label may be used for more than one vertex. Here are some examples of elements of X:

1 1 2 3

1 2 3 1

The dihedral group D4 acts on X by symmetries of the square.

(a) Prove that if x ∈ X, the size of the orbit of x is one of 1, 2, 4, 8.

(b) For each of the numbers 1, 2, 4, 8, find an element x ∈ X whose orbit has that size.

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(c) If we only allow {1, 2} as possible labels, can we still get orbits of sizes 1, 2, 4, 8?

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[13 marks]
Solutions: (3 + 6 + 4 = 13) Let G = D4 = {e, r, r2 , r3 , s1 , s2 , s3 , s4 }.

(a) By the orbit-stabiliser theorem, #G = #(G · x) # Stab(x). So the size of the orbit of x divides the
order of G, which is 8. We conclude that the size of the orbit is one of 1, 2, 4, 8.

1
x

1
t Stab(x)

{e, r, r2 , r3 , s1 , s2 , s3 , s4 }
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(b) We use the orbit-stabiliser theorem, which says we should look for elements x ∈ X with stabilisers
of size 8, 4, 2, 1:
#(G · x)

2 1
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1 2
{e, r2 , s1 , s3 } 2

1 1

1 2
{e, s3 } 4
so

1 1

2 3
{e} 8

(c) The answer is no, as we can see in the above table. If we only have two labels 1 and 2, there are
only 4 essentially different configurations: the first three from the table, and

1 1

2 2
with stabiliser {e, s2 }, hence orbit of size 4.

This means that there are no decorated squares with orbit of size 8.

Page 14 of 15
14. (a) State Lagrange’s theorem about the order of elements in a finite group.

(b) According to Lagrange’s theorem, which prime numbers are possible orders of elements in the
symmetric group S5 ?

(c) Which of the primes in part (b) actually occur as orders of elements in S5 ? Justify your answer by
exhibiting an element for each of these orders.

(d) What is the largest order (prime or otherwise) of any element in S5 ?

(e) How many Sylow 5-subgroups does S5 have?

[15 marks]
Solutions: (2 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 4 = 15)

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(a) If G is a finite group and g ∈ G, then the order of g divides the size of G.

(b) Since S5 has size 5!, the prime numbers that can occur as orders are the prime numbers dividing

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5!, that is 2, 3, 5.

(c) All these primes occur as orders:

• (1 2) has order 2;
• (1 2 3) has order 3;
• (1 2 3 4 5) has order 5.
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(d) Let g ∈ S5 and write g as a product of disjoint cycles. Then the order of g is the least common
multiple of the lengths of these cycles.

lengths of cycles
5
order
5
1, 4 4
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2, 3 6
1, 1, 3 3
1, 2, 2 2
1, 1, 1, 2 2
1, 1, 1, 1, 1 1

A calculation of the different ways of writing 5 as a sum of positive integers eventually gives that
so

the largest order is 6, attained by the product of a 2-cycle and a 3-cycle, e.g.

(1 2)(3 4 5)

(e) The largest power of 5 that divides 5! is 5, so any Sylow 5-subgroup of S5 has 5 elements. The
number n5 of Sylow 5-subgroups is a divisor of 24:

n5 ∈ {1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24}

and is congruent to 1 modulo 5, which leaves only the possibilities n5 = 1 or n5 = 6. If n5 = 1, then

there are only 4 elements of order 5 in S5 , but it is easy to see that there are 4! = 24 five-cycles in
S5 . So there are 6 Sylow 5-subgroups.

End of exam

Page 15 of 15