Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2016/iii/paper-104/6/b/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 104 6 b Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
An isomorphism-invariant Markov property of finitely presented groups has two finitely presented witnesses: a group with , and a group which cannot embed in any finitely presented group having . In symbols,The second condition is an obstruction to embedding, stronger than merely saying that itself fails the property.
Let be a fixed finitely presented group with unsolvable word problem for a group. Form the finitely presented free product . Given a word in the generators of , apply part (a) to this and , and output the finite presentation ofIf in , it is also in , so is trivial and has . If in , its image stays nontrivial in the free product , and embeds in . Therefore embeds in , which cannot have . We have the effective equivalenceAn algorithm recognizing whether an arbitrary finite group presentation has would decide the unsolvable word problem for a group . This contradiction proves the Adian–Rabin theorem: no Markov property of finitely presented groups is algorithmically decidable.
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