Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-year-2-of-the-natural-sciences-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2008/paper-2/9/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2008 Paper 2 9 Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-18 Updated 2026-10-20
The kernel of a group homomorphism is . It is a subgroup, since the identity maps to the identity and for . Alsoso . Applying the same inclusion with gives equality, proving that is a normal subgroup.
The map is well defined, multiplicative and injective, with image . Thus the first isomorphism theorem givesThe quotient is isomorphic to all of precisely when the original homomorphism is surjective.
For the general linear group, the determinant gives a homomorphism , since . Its kernel is the special linear group , so that subgroup is normal. Every nonzero real is the determinant of for , making the map surjective. Thereforewhere the operation on the right is multiplication.
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