Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2017/prelims/mathematics-i/5/b/iii/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Oxford 2017 Prelims Mathematics I 5 b iii Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-25
Suppose has order of a group element two. On a cycle of length , moves each entry two places. Since , every such divides two, so or . After omitting the fixed points, the disjoint cycle decomposition is therefore a product of disjoint permutation cycles of length two, which are transpositions. There is at least one, because .
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