Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2006/iii/paper-3/5/i/solution

For an arbitrary subgroup , the full inverse image of its image is , not generally . In fact, exactly when for some . Since is normal, is a subgroup. By the subgroup correspondence for a surjective group homomorphism,
Multiplicativity of finite index gives
The map bijects the left cosets of in with those of in , since . Consequently
This need not equal . For example, take to be reduction modulo and . Then , but has index one. If contains , however, the denominator is one and
For finite , equality holds exactly when .

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