Let
If were rational, then
would make rational. But if in lowest terms, then , which is impossible by unique prime factorization: the exponent of on the two sides is respectively a multiple of three and one more than a multiple of three. Therefore
Use the given convergent series
Suppose this number were . Choose large enough that . Multiplication by makes both the rational number and the partial sum through integers. Their difference
would therefore be an integer. It is positive, while
for sufficiently large , a contradiction. Hence
A transcendental number is a complex number that is not a root of any nonzero polynomial with rational, equivalently integer, coefficients. Let
If and were an algebraic number, then would satisfy
over the algebraic extension . By transitivity of algebraic extensions, would be algebraic over , contradicting its transcendence. If , then and would again be algebraic. Thus
Suppose there were only finitely many prime numbers congruent to modulo , and list them as . Consider
No divides , and does not divide . In the prime factorization of , not every prime factor can be congruent to modulo , since their product would then also be congruent to , whereas
Thus some prime factor is congruent to modulo , contradicting the completeness of the list. Hence
Now let be prime. If , then either , giving
or is not divisible by , so . In the latter case
and is greater than , hence is composite. For the number is , which is prime. Therefore
The set consists of all bijections . The composition of two bijections is a bijection, composition is associative, the identity map is an identity, and every bijection has an inverse, so is a group.
An element of has finite support. The support of a composition is contained in the union of the two supports, and a permutation and its inverse have the same support. The identity has empty support. Hence is a subgroup.
Let be a cycle and choose that it moves. Because has finite support, the sequence
must repeat. Since is invertible, its first repetition returns to ; let the least positive return time be . The cycle condition says that every moved point occurs in this orbit, so fixes every point. No smaller positive power fixes . Therefore
which is finite.
For , partition its finite support into the orbits of the cyclic group . On each orbit, let agree with and fix every point outside that orbit. Then each is a permutation cycle, their supports are pairwise disjoint, and
Disjoint cycles commute because at every point at most one of them acts nontrivially.
Writing , a power is the identity exactly when every is the identity, equivalently when every divides . Thus
A subgroup is normal when
Its left and right cosets then agree, and multiplication
is well defined on the cosets. The identity is , the inverse of is , and associativity descends from , so these cosets form the quotient group .
For a group homomorphism , its kernel and image are
The kernel is normal because
whenever . Conversely, if , the quotient map
is a homomorphism with kernel . The image of any homomorphism is closed under products and inverses, so it is a subgroup of . Finally, the map
is well defined and bijective and preserves multiplication. This is the first isomorphism theorem.
Define
Euler's formula shows that is a homomorphism, its image is the complex unit circle, and its kernel is . The first isomorphism theorem therefore gives
The image of consists exactly of the roots of unity: if , then , while every element of finite order on the unit circle has an argument that is a rational multiple of .
A Möbius transformation of the Riemann sphere is a map
with its natural values at the pole and at infinity.
For three distinct points , define
The usual limiting conventions cover an infinite . This Möbius transformation sends to . Defining similarly, the map
sends to . If two Möbius transformations do so, their quotient fixes . A Möbius transformation fixing infinity is affine, and fixing zero and one then makes it the identity. This proves uniqueness.
With this convention, the cross-ratio is
Substitution shows that translations, nonzero scalings, and inversion preserve it; since these generate the Möbius group, every Möbius transformation preserves cross-ratios.
Conversely, suppose a bijection of the Riemann sphere preserves every cross-ratio. Let be the unique Möbius transformation agreeing with at three chosen points . For any other , preservation by and gives
The last coordinate in a cross-ratio with three fixed distinct entries is injective, so . The equality already holds at the three base points, hence everywhere and is Möbius.
Finally, the map is constant when and therefore is not Möbius. If , it is bijective and fixes infinity. Were it Möbius, it would have the affine form . Equality on real forces and , whereas equality at would require , contradicting . Thus

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