Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 ia Paper 3 1E Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-07
For a finite group and a subgroup , Lagrange's theorem statesIn particular divides : the left cosets partition , and multiplication by a representative is a bijection from to each coset. Apply this to the cyclic subgroup . Its size is the order of a group element , so every element order divides .
Under the square condition, every group element is its own inverse element. Consequentlyfor all . This proves that a group of exponent two is abelian, including the trivial group.
For the fourth-power condition a counterexample to commutativity is the quaternion groupHere and . Thus its six elements outside have order of a group element four, while and have orders one and two. All fourth powers are the identity, yet .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 ia Paper 3 5E i Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-07
For a group action of on , let be the stabilizer subgroup of , and its group orbit. The orbit-stabilizer theorem is the bijectionIt is well defined because elements in the same left coset differ by an element fixing . Conversely, implies , so the cosets coincide. Surjectivity is the definition of the group orbit. For a finite group, counting the cosets givesTo obtain Cayley theorem, let act on its own underlying set by left multiplication. The map is a permutation, with inverse , and . If is the identity permutation, evaluating at the identity element gives . Thus is an injective group homomorphism. When , labeling this set by letters identifies its image with a subgroup of . Every finite group embeds in the symmetric group on its own elements.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 iii Paper 67 1 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
Cyclic periodicity on implies that the least positive period divides : the shifts preserving the function form a subgroup of the cyclic group. Injectivity within one period says that distinct residue classes modulo have distinct function values. Write .
Prepare the uniform superposition state by applying the quantum Fourier transform to , and evaluate reversibly into a second quantum register. This is efficient because the given classical Boolean circuit can be converted into a reversible circuit, with its workspace cleaned by uncomputation. The resulting quantum state isMeasuring the function quantum register leaves a uniform coset state for some . The amplitude at after a quantum Fourier transform isThe finite geometric series is zero unless is a multiple of , and then equals . Thus a computational-basis measurement produces a uniform Fourier sampleThe exact period recovery from a Fourier sample computesA greatest common divisor is computable in time polynomial in . The candidate is always a divisor of the true period, and equals it precisely when is coprime to .
For the success flag, compute and compare with . If , injectivity within the first period makes these unequal. If , periodicity makes them equal, including . Hence accept and output exactly when this comparison succeeds; otherwise report failure. This is heralded exact quantum period finding when the period divides the register size, with no false acceptance. The case succeeds even on the sample .
The exact success probability iswhere is the Euler totient function. For , the prime-product formula gives . A Rosser–Schoenfeld totient bound supplies the needed lower bound for large . Every single attempt, including verification, has the assumed polynomial-in- gate cost. Repeating times gives constant success probability with a certified result whenever one is found.
The printed in the totient hint should be a lower-bound statement, . Literally, is false: at primes , . Likewise the exact single-sample success probability need not be ; for prime period it tends to one. The useful intended guarantee is the displayed inverse-log-log lower bound, not a universal upper bound. If an algorithm satisfying the literal success upper bound is desired, one can additionally accept an otherwise certified run only when independent fair bits are all zero. This retains a detectable failure flag and polynomial runtime, and has success at most , but deliberately weakens the useful guarantee. The standard unsuppressed algorithm above gives the stronger intended performance. Small can be handled directly. Primary evidence for the totient lower bound is Theorem 15, equations (3.41)–(3.42), in denisevellachemla.eu/Rosser-Schoenfeld-1962.pdf .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 ia Paper 3 1D Solution 2026-10-07
Lagrange's theorem states that for a subgroup of a finite group , . In particular divides ; the equal-sized cosets partition .
Apply the theorem to inside both subgroups. Its order divides both coprime orders, so . For and , the group commutator lies in by being a normal subgroup, and in because . It is therefore the identity. Thus every element of commutes with every element of .
Define by . The cross-commutation just proved gives , so this is a group homomorphism from the direct product of groups. The product assumption makes it surjective. If , then , so both entries are the identity and the kernel of a group homomorphism is trivial. HenceThis proves the internal direct product theorem in the present coprime-order setting, rather than merely matching the numbers of elements.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 iii Paper 16 2 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
Construct the Euclidean lattices in an orthogonal coordinate system whose squared axis lengths areThus an integer coordinate vector has squared norm . These four numbers are linearly independent over : the four sign changes of in their field extension isolate the four coefficients of a rational relation. The independence will distinguish the two flat tori; equality of their length spectra will hold for every positive choice of axis weights.
LetHere and below these integer coordinates are interpreted in the weighted orthogonal axes. Direct multiplication gives , , andIn particular both are full-rank Euclidean lattices. Denote their four generator columns by . Modulo the two matrices have the same columns, and the nonzero words of the given ternary tetracode are exactlyThese are the reductions of , respectively. The first and fourth displayed words are the specified generators, and the middle two arise from their sum and difference, up to sign. Thus reduction modulo maps either Euclidean lattice onto precisely .
To construct a length-preserving correspondence, find the kernels of this reduction. The inverse matrix is . Hence exactly when . These congruences are equivalent toFor clarity, the first congruence is ; subtracting the others gives evenness of each required pair sum. For the matrix the first congruence is ; the remaining congruences again give equality of the four parities. Substitution proves the converse in each case.
Let be the orthogonal reflection changing only coordinate . If the coordinates of are even, this changes their sum by a multiple of ; if all are odd, it changes the sum by modulo . ThereforeEach Euclidean lattice is the disjoint union of its kernel and the eight cosets , since has nine words. Define a map by using on and on each of and . Each piece maps bijectively onto the corresponding coset. Thus is a bijection satisfyingIt also commutes with . The closed geodesics of a flat torus have lengths for nonzero translation vectors in its Euclidean lattice. Consequently the two length spectra agree, including the multiplicities of translation classes and with either consistent orientation convention. If only primitive closed geodesics are counted, the same conclusion follows by removing iterates in increasing order of length: the total multiplicity at is the sum of primitive multiplicities at , and there are only finitely many such contributions below any fixed length. The correspondence need not itself preserve primitiveness to give this conclusion.
It remains to prove the two flat tori are not isometric. An isometry of flat tori lifts to an affine Euclidean isometry; its linear part of an affine map must carry onto . In integer coordinates write this part as . For every , both and have integer coordinates and have equal squared norms. Rational independence of the impliesApply this to for all . Two squared linear forms agreeing on all integer points agree as polynomials; their difference factors, so one form is the other or its negative. Since is invertible, is consequently a diagonal sign change .
Modulo , such a must preserve . Each nonzero word of has exactly three nonzero coordinates, and for each choice of zero coordinate there are just two such words, differing by an overall sign. Preserving these words forces the three signs on each support to agree. The four overlapping supports then force . Thus only and are possible. Neither changes .
Finally : it has the same ternary word as , but their difference is , which fails the congruence defining . Hence and no such linear isometry exists. This completes the tetracode length-isospectral lattice construction.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 ia Paper 3 8D a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
A subgroup is a normal subgroup of if for every . Define multiplication on its left cosets byTo check that this is well-defined, replace by with . Thenbecause normality gives . Thus the product depends only on the two cosets. Associativity follows from that of , the identity is , and the inverse of is . These are all the group axioms, so is a group under coset multiplication. The natural projection is a surjective group homomorphism with kernel .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 ia Paper 3 5D Solution 2026-10-06
A left group action is a map with and . The group orbit and stabiliser subgroup areThe identity belongs to . If , then ; also . Thus is a subgroup.
For the orbit-stabilizer theorem, the map from left cosets to the group orbit is a bijection: if and only if , which is precisely . Each left coset has elements, since multiplication by is a bijection from to , and the left cosets partition . For finite this proves
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 ia Paper 3 7D a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
Lagrange's theorem says that, for a finite group and subgroup ,Here is the number of left cosets. Every lies in . If and meet, write ; then , so . Hence the left cosets partition . The bijection makes each coset have elements. Adding their cardinalities proves Lagrange's theorem.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 ia Paper 3 7D b Solution 2026-10-06
Every lies in , since both subgroups contain the identity. If two double cosets intersect, chooseThen , so every element of lies in . Reversing the argument gives equality. Thus the double cosets partition the group.
Unlike single cosets, double cosets can have different cardinalities. For finite , decompose into left cosets of , or apply the orbit-stabilizer theorem to the action of on . Its stabiliser subgroup is , givingThis formula explains the counterexamples in the following parts.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 ia Paper 3 1D ii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
Conversely, assume is a normal subgroup and the quotient group is an abelian group. Commuting the two cosets and givesso every group commutator belongs to . This proves the converse and completes the equivalence.
For the dihedral group of order ten, choose a rotation and a reflection with and . Its rotation subgroup is a normal subgroup, and the quotient by it has order two, hence is an abelian group. Consequently the commutator subgroup is contained in . On the other hand,Since generates the order-five cyclic group , the commutator subgroup is exactly . Every abelian quotient must kill this subgroup. There are only two subgroups containing it, since the remaining quotient has prime order. The complete list, including the trivial quotient, isThis is the order-ten instance of the abelianization of an odd dihedral group.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 ia Paper 3 2D Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
Lagrange's theorem states that, for a finite group and a subgroup ,To prove it, define an equivalence relation by when . Its classes are the left cosets , which therefore partition . Left multiplication by gives a bijection , so every coset has elements. Counting this partition gives the formula; in particular divides . Applying the theorem to the cyclic subgroup generated by an element shows that its order of a group element divides .
Write the given order-two normal subgroup as . Conjugation must preserve and cannot send its nonidentity element to the identity, so for all . Thus is in the center of a group: a normal subgroup of order two is central.
Choose . By Lagrange's theorem, its order of a group element is , or . It cannot have order two: since is central, the four distinct elements would form a subgroup of order four, whereas does not divide for odd . If has order , it already generates . Otherwise has order , commutes with , and implies . Hence both and divide , so has order . In either case