Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2023/prelims/mathematics-i/5/b/iii/solution

Assume is a group homomorphism. For any , expanding and cancelling the initial and final gives the useful identity
We also need a consequence of compatibility with conjugation. Calculate the cube of in two ways:
Cancelling shows . Thus the square of every element of commutes with every element of the image of a group homomorphism .
Now take any . In particular . Applying (1) to and then using this commutation gives
This proves the abelian image of a cubing homomorphism property. Since the image of a group homomorphism is a subgroup, .

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