Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 iii Paper 13 3 ii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
Write for the two coordinates. The PDF gives , a primitive sixth root of unity. The matrices satisfyThese relations reduce every word to or , . The six first matrices are diagonal and distinct, and the six second matrices are antidiagonal and distinct. Thus has exactly twelve elements; it is a binary dihedral group.
First calculate the polynomial invariant ring of . A monomial is invariant exactly when is divisible by . Removing the smaller exponent shows that it is a product of powers ofThe sole relation is . Indeed, reduction by this relation leaves monomials and with , whose images in have distinct exponent pairs. HenceOn these generators, interchanges and sends to . Put and . Since is invertible, the preceding ring isEvery element has a unique form . The induced involution fixes and negates both and . Its invariants are therefore exactly the expressionsSetWe obtain the relationThe unique normal form above also proves that there are no further relations: forces both polynomials to vanish. Thus the polynomial invariant ring is
For completeness, the algebraic quotient by a finite group is the affine variety with this coordinate ring. Each element of satisfies the monic orbit polynomial with invariant coefficients, so the quotient map is a finite morphism. Invariants separate distinct finite orbits: interpolate a polynomial taking value on one orbit and on the other, and average it over . Thus its fibres are precisely the orbits. The defining polynomial and resulting algebraic quotient by a finite group areUsing the converted TeX's fourth root would instead give a different group and a different binary dihedral invariant hypersurface; the sixth root from the original PDF is essential.