Group isomorphism ($\phi :G\stackrel{\sim }{\to }H$)

A group isomorphism is a bijective group homomorphism $\phi :G\to H$. It matches the entire group operation: $\phi (ab)=\phi (a)\phi (b)$, with each product taken in its own group. Its inverse is automatically a group homomorphism. A group automorphism is the special case $H=G$.^[ref]

The target is part of the claim. The doubling example under isomorphism is a group isomorphism $d:\mathbb{Z}\to 2\mathbb{Z}$, between the additive integers and the additive even integers. Exactly the same rule $d(k)=2k$, declared as $d:\mathbb{Z}\to \mathbb{Z}$, is an injective endomorphism that misses $1$ and every other odd integer, so is not a group automorphism. Changing the declared target changes surjectivity, even though it does not change the formula or its compatibility with addition.

An isomorphism lets a calculation in one model solve the same problem in another. The example under group identifies addition modulo four with function composition of rotations of a square via $k\mapsto r^k$. Through this group isomorphism, adding exponents corresponds exactly to composing motions. More generally, a group isomorphism preserves order of a group element, carries subgroups to subgroups, and carries a generating set of a group to a generating set of a group. Having equally many elements is insufficient: the permutation in group automorphism already fails compatibility on two inputs.

Why does the inverse preserve the group operation? Write $u=\phi (a)$ and $v=\phi (b)$, possible because of surjectivity. ThenThis proves the inverse condition directly. Analogous calculations work for each operation of a ring and for addition and scalar multiplication in a vector space. The argument relies on preserving those operations; it supplies no general continuity claim for the inverse of a continuous bijection between topological spaces.