Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2007 ib Paper 3 1G Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 ia Paper 3 1E Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 ia Paper 3 5E i Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2009 ia Paper 3 8D Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2011 ia Paper 3 6D a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2011 ia Paper 3 6D b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 ia Paper 3 5E ii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-07
Choose with stabilizer subgroup . Transitivity means that every point is for some . Its stabilizer subgroup issince exactly when . The kernel of a group homomorphism arising from the group action is the set of elements fixing every point, henceThis is the subgroup core. A group homomorphism is injective precisely when its kernel is trivial. The desired equivalence is therefore exactly the equivalence between a trivial subgroup core and a faithful group action. No finiteness assumption is required in this part.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 ia Paper 3 8E Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-07
Work with modulo and modulo . By Fermat's little theorem, in , so the factor is independent of the chosen representative of . The proposed multiplication is therefore well defined on the stated Cartesian product. Its two associative bracketings have the same second component:and both have first component . The identity element is , and the two-sided inverse element isThus the multiplication defines the twisted cyclic pair group, of order .
If , multiplication is coordinatewise addition, so the group is abelian. If , then and both and are available; their products in opposite orders are and . They differ. HenceBoth and contain the identity element and are closed under the multiplication and inverses: they are the cyclic groups of orders and respectively. Conjugation gives, with all coordinates reduced in the appropriate modulus,so is a normal subgroup. For , the corresponding calculation isWhen this lies in . Conversely, for , take , , : the second coordinate is , so is not normal. Thus is normal precisely when .
Finally, the projectionis a surjective group homomorphism because the first coordinates add. Its kernel of a group homomorphism is exactly . At , is the only possibility and the first factor is trivial, consistent with every conclusion. No assumption that generates the multiplicative group of the finite field is needed.
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 ia Paper 3 6D b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-07
Write the matrix as . Direct multiplication and inversion giveThe identity is and all determinants are one, so these formulas verify the subgroup criterion inside . This is the real Heisenberg group.
The map is a surjective group homomorphism to the additive group of real numbers; its kernel is exactly . Hence is normal and the first isomorphism theorem givesTwo matrices commute exactly when . Requiring that relation for every forces , while is unrestricted. ThereforeFinally is a surjective group homomorphism to the additive group with precisely this kernel of a group homomorphism, giving . The central coordinate records noncommutativity: the group commutator is .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 ia Paper 3 6D a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
True. The determinant gives a group homomorphismFor an orthogonal matrix, implies , and a reflection has determinant , so the target has order two and the map is onto. Its kernel of a group homomorphism is exactlyThis is the defining special orthogonal group inside the orthogonal group.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 ia Paper 3 6D b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
True. The sign of a permutation is a group homomorphism , as follows, for example, from the multiplicative determinant of permutation matrices. Its kernel of a group homomorphism is the alternating groupA transposition maps to , so this homomorphism is onto.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 ia Paper 3 6D d Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
False. Any supposed kernel of a group homomorphism of order two would have a nonidentity central element by the introductory proof. Every element of order two in is a transposition, and none is central: conjugating by a suitable three-cycle gives a different transposition. Thus the center of a group for is trivial, and such a kernel is impossible. This argument does not assume that an arbitrary order-two subgroup is normal.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 ia Paper 3 6D Solution 2026-10-06
A group homomorphism satisfies for every . Its kernel of a group homomorphism is . The homomorphism equation gives by cancellation, and . Therefore contains the identity and is closed under multiplication and inverses, so it is a subgroup.
For and ,Thus conjugation carries into itself, and applying the inverse conjugation gives equality: is a normal subgroup. If , conjugation cannot send to the identity because it is injective. ConsequentlyThis proves directly the normal subgroup of order two is central principle for kernels, including the kernel facts needed below.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 ia Paper 3 8D b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
Write the Heisenberg group element as . Matrix multiplication and inversion giveAll matrices have determinant one. They contain , are closed under multiplication and inverses, and inherit associativity from matrix multiplication; hence they form a subgroup of .
Two such matrices commute precisely when . Requiring this for every forces . ConsequentlyThe map is a surjective group homomorphism to the additive group , with kernel of a group homomorphism . Equivalently, it gives the explicit quotient group isomorphismIt is well-defined because multiplying by a central element changes only . It is injective because equal imply that the quotient of the two matrices is central, and surjectivity follows by taking . This also proves the needed instance of the first isomorphism theorem directly.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 ib Paper 3 1E Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
A permutation representation is a group homomorphism , equivalently a group action on a set . The left regular action takes and . Each such map is a bijection, and . If is the identity, evaluating at the identity element gives . Thus the representation is faithful. Numbering the elements of identifies with the symmetric group , proving Cayley theorem:For a nonabelian simple group, compose this faithful representation with the sign of a permutation homomorphism . Its kernel is a normal subgroup of , hence either trivial or all of . A trivial kernel would embed in a group of order two, contradicting noncommutativity. Therefore every represented element is even, and the same representation embeds in the alternating group .
Finally let act on the two cosets of its normal subgroup . An even permutation fixes both cosets, whereas an odd permutation exchanges them. This gives with kernel ; explicitly, send even permutations to the identity and odd permutations to .