Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-year-2-of-the-natural-sciences-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2019/paper-2/10/d/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2019 Paper 2 10 d Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-18
For a finite group over , the number of inequivalent irreducible representations is its number of conjugacy classes, and the sum of squares of irreducible representation dimensions equals the group order. There are therefore five irreducibles for , with squared dimensions summing to .
First establish that part (c) found every one-dimensional representation. In such a representation, conjugate elements have the same scalar image. All transpositions are conjugate and square to the identity, so they all have one common image with . Transpositions generate , hence gives exactly the trivial representation, while gives exactly the sign representation. There are precisely two degree-one irreducibles.
The other three dimensions are integers at least two and satisfyNo one of them can be at least four, since . They are therefore all two or three. Starting from three twos gives sum of squares ; each replacement of a two by a three adds . To reach requires exactly two replacements. Thus the complete list isThe count of conjugacy classes guarantees that these are all the inequivalent complex irreducible representations, not just dimensions of a proposed incomplete list.
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