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The trivial action givesbecause $D_n$ is finite. By part b(ii),In the abelianization the relation $aba=b^{-1}$ becomes $b=b^{-1}$. HenceEach finite cyclic group is naturally isomorphic to its character group in $\mathbb{Q}/\mathbb{Z}$, so

The commutator subgroup $[G,G]$ is characteristic: every automorphism sends commutators to commutators and therefore preserves the subgroup they generate. Thus an automorphism $A$ inducesThis is independent of the coset representative $g$. If $A^{\prime }=c_h\circ A$ differs from $A$ by an inner automorphism, thenbecause the abelianization is abelian. Hence $q([A])=\overline{A}$ is independent of the representative of the outer class. Finally $\overline{AB}=\overline{A}\overline{B}$, sois a well-defined group homomorphism.

Orient the diagram and assign its regions an Alexander numbering with $R_0$ numbered zero. The abelianization $\varphi :{\pi }_1(E_K)\to ⟨t⟩$ sends $a_i$ to $t^{m_i}$, where $m_i$ is the number of $R_i$. Since $R_1$ is adjacent to $R_0$, $m_1=\pm 1$.

Form the square matrixfrom the Fox derivatives with respect to $a_i$ for $i>1$. This is the Alexander matrix with the $a_1$ column deleted. The Fox identity implies that its maximal minors differ by the factors $\varphi (a_i)-1$, and the standard presentation of the Alexander module therefore givesbecause $m_1=\pm 1$. Thus ${\Delta }_K(t)$ is $\det A_1$ up to a unit $\pm t^r$.

A Wirtinger presentation from a connected knot diagram has one generator per arc and one relator per crossing, with one relator redundant. Its presentation complex is a finite two-dimensional CW complex $X$ with one zero-cell, $n$ one-cells, and $n-1$ two-cells, and the usual diagrammatic construction gives a homotopy equivalence $X\simeq E_K$.

The abelianization of the knot group is $H_1(E_K;\mathbb{Z})\cong \mathbb{Z}$, generated by a meridian of a knot. Every homomorphism to the cyclic group $\mathbb{Z}/2$ factors through this abelianization, and reduction modulo two is its unique surjection. Thus the requested map $\alpha$ is unique.

Its kernel determines a two-sheeted covering space $\hat{X}$. The nontrivial deck transformation acts on cellular chains and homology, giving them module structures over the group ringLift one copy of every cell of $X$; its two deck translates form a free $\hat{R}$-basis. Hence $C_0\cong \hat{R}$, $C_1\cong {\hat{R}}^n$, and $C_2\cong {\hat{R}}^{n-1}$. If $\tilde{X}$ is the infinite cyclic cover, its cellular chains are free over $R=\mathbb{Z}[t^{\pm 1}]$, and imposing $t^2=1$ gives

For an odd prime $p$, the two idempotents $e_{+}=(1+t)/2$ and $e_{-}=(1-t)/2$ split the group algebraThe plus summand is the cellular chain complex of $X$ with ${\mathbb{F}}_p$ coefficients, while the minus summand is $C_{-}=C_{\ast }^{\mathrm{cell}}(\tilde{X}){\otimes }_R{R}_{-}$. Therefore

On the minus summand, the boundary $t-1:C_1\to C_0$ becomes multiplication by $-2$, which is invertible in ${\mathbb{F}}_p$, so $H_0(C_{-})=0$. After the corresponding cancellation, the remaining square boundary matrix is an Alexander matrix specialized at $t=-1$. It is singular over ${\mathbb{F}}_p$ exactly whenor equivalently when $p$ divides the knot determinant $\det K$. Thus $H_{\ast }(C_{-})$ is nonzero exactly in that case.

Finally, $\det K=|{\Delta }_K(-1)|$ is a nonzero odd integer, so the minus complex is acyclic over $\mathbb{Q}$. Since a knot exterior has the rational homology of a circle,

Write an element of the Integer Heisenberg group as $(x,y,z)$. Matrix multiplication givesThe subgroupis normal and isomorphic to ${\mathbb{Z}}^2$. If $t=(1,0,0)$, thenThus, on the coordinate column $(y,z{)}^T$, conjugation by $t$ is the linear map with matrixEvery element has a unique expression $(0,y,z)t^x$, so

The commutators $[t,(0,y,z)]$ fill the central subgroup of matrices $(0,0,z)$, while the quotient by this subgroup is generated freely and abelianly by the images of $(1,0,0)$ and $(0,1,0)$. Equivalently, $(A-I){\mathbb{Z}}^2$ is the second coordinate axis. Therefore the abelianization is

Let $N={\mathbb{Z}}^2$ and let $t$ generate the other factor of ${\Gamma }_B=N{⋊}_B\mathbb{Z}$. For $n\in N$,After abelianization, the image of $N$ is thereforeIf $1$ is not an eigenvalue of $B$, then $\det (B-I)\ne 0$. Hence $(B-I)N$ is a full-rank sublattice of $N$ with finite index of a subgroup $|\det (B-I)|$. The displayed quotient, and therefore the image of the ${\mathbb{Z}}^2$ factor in ${\Gamma }_B^{\mathrm{ab}}$, is finite. In fact the abelianization of a semidirect product by the integers gives

Write a matrix as $(r,b)$, where $r=a^2$ is a nonzero quadratic residue modulo $11$. The square subgroup isMatrix multiplication becomesThus $H$ is the affine semidirect product of cyclic groups of orders eleven and fiveThere are five choices for $r$ and eleven for $b$, so $|H|=55$. It is nonabelian, since

LetConjugation by the complement givesHence the ten nonidentity translations split into the two orbitseach of size five. For $r\ne 1$,Since $1-r\ne 0$, varying $t$ gives every $b\in {\mathbb{F}}_{11}$. Conjugation cannot change $r$ in the abelian quotient $H/N$. Therefore, withthe seven conjugacy classes areof sizes $1,5,5,11,11,11,11$, agreeing with the conjugacy classes in the affine semidirect product of orders eleven and five.

The commutators with $(4,0)$ generate every translation because multiplication by $4-1=3$ is invertible in ${\mathbb{F}}_{11}$. Hence the commutator subgroup is $N$, and the abelianization isPut $\zeta =e^{2\pi i/5}$. The one-dimensional characters factor through the abelianization, giving five characters

For the remaining characters, put $\omega =e^{2\pi i/11}$ and define a character of $N$ byThe complement has two free orbits on the nontrivial ${\theta }_m$, indexed by $m\in Q$ and $m\in 2Q$. By induction from an abelian normal subgroup with a free character orbit, the charactersare irreducible of degree five and vanish outside $N$.

SetThe quadratic periods modulo eleven give the nonsquare sum $\overline{\eta }=(-1-i\sqrt{11})/2$. Multiplication by a square preserves $Q$ and multiplication by a nonsquare exchanges the two square classes, so the complete character table isFinally,and there are seven rows for the seven conjugacy classes. Thus these are all irreducible characters, as described by the irreducible characters of the affine semidirect product of orders eleven and five.

The Schur multiplier of a group $G$ isthe second group homology group with trivial integral coefficients. If $G\cong F/R$ is a free presentation, Hopf's formula states that

Write $I_F=\ker (\mathbb{Z}F\to \mathbb{Z})$ for the augmentation ideal. The presentation relation sequence iswhere $r[R,R]\mapsto 1\otimes (r-1)$. If $F$ is free on a set $S$, then $I_F$ is free as a left $\mathbb{Z}F$-module on the elements $s-1$, so the two modules immediately preceding $\mathbb{Z}$ are free $\mathbb{Z}G$-modules. Resolving the relation module $R/[R,R]$ by free modules and splicing produces a free resolution of $\mathbb{Z}$.

Apply the right-exact functor $\mathbb{Z}{\otimes }_{\mathbb{Z}G}-$ to this partial resolution. Its degree-two homology is the kernel ofThe coinvariant module on the left is $R/[F,R]$. On the right, the map $f-1\mapsto f[F,F]$ identifies the coinvariants with the abelianization $F/[F,F]$. The displayed map is induced by the inclusion $R\hookrightarrow F$, so its kernel isThis proves Hopf's formula.

For an abelian group $A$, the Schur multiplier of an abelian group is $M(A)\cong {\bigwedge }^{2}A$. One way to see the direct-sum rule is the degree-two Künneth theorem:A cyclic group has zero second integral group homology, whileConsequently

Write the generators additively in the abelianization. The relators giveandAfter substitution, the last relation becomesThe commutator relators disappear automatically, sobecause $\gcd (5,4)=1$. Explicitly, an isomorphism to $\mathbb{Z}$ sends

A group $G$ is perfect when $G^{\prime }=G$, equivalently when its abelianization is trivial.

For a finite group presentation, the relator exponent-sum matrix records in row $i$ the total exponent of each generator in relator $r_i$. It presents the abelianization of the group. For a balanced presentation of a perfect group, it is a unimodular matrix.

For a connected space, this is the connected covering corresponding to the kernel of the homomorphism from its fundamental group to its abelianization. Its deck transformation group is $H_1(Y;\mathbb{Z})$. Lifted cells make its cellular chain complex a complex over the group ring $\mathbb{Z}[H_1(Y)]$.