Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2023/prelims/mathematics-i/7/b/i/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Oxford 2023 Prelims Mathematics I 7 b i Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-25
Assume first . All transpositions form a single conjugacy class . A group automorphism preserves order of a group element, so the image of a transposition is a nonidentity involution. By the order formula, its disjoint cycle decomposition contains only one-cycles and two-cycles, with at least one two-cycle. Thus it lies in some , where .
Moreover an automorphism maps the entire conjugacy class onto the conjugacy class of the image: for a fixed transposition ,and runs over all of by surjectivity. Part (a)(i) identifies that latter conjugacy class as . Hence , with equality rather than just inclusion. If , is empty and the equality holds trivially with .
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