Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-algebra-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2007/b/7/solution

An extension of by is a short exact sequence . It splits if the quotient map has a homomorphic section. Equivalently the embedded has a subgroup complement isomorphic to , and is the corresponding semidirect product.
For and , both and lie outside , so . It follows that , and gives the claimed conjugation identity. Conjugation is an automorphism of , so inversion is an automorphism there. Comparing the image of with the product of the images gives . Therefore is abelian.
Conversely inversion is an automorphism of any abelian group , of order dividing two. Form the semidirect product with multiplication
For completeness associativity follows because is an automorphism and these automorphisms compose according to addition modulo two; is the identity and inverses follow from this formula. The subgroup is normal with quotient , and every outside element satisfies . Thus the generalized dihedral group supplies the required extension, including when is infinite or has elements of order two.

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