Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 ii Paper 4 19G b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 ib Paper 2 11E a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
Write with prime and . The Sylow theorems assert that a subgroup of order exists; every p-group subgroup is contained in a conjugate of a Sylow subgroup; all Sylow subgroups are conjugate; and their number satisfies and .
For the containment and conjugacy assertions, fix a Sylow subgroup and let any p-group subgroup act by left multiplication on the left cosets . By the orbit-stabilizer theorem, every orbit has size a power of . Since , at least one orbit has size one. If is such a fixed point, then for all , equivalently . Thus . If too has order , this inclusion is equality, proving conjugacy. This is Sylow containment from a coset fixed point.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ib Paper 1 10E a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
The Sylow theorems state that if a finite group has order with prime and , it has a subgroup of order , called a Sylow subgroup. Every p-group subgroup is contained in a Sylow subgroup, and all Sylow subgroups for the same prime are conjugate subgroups. Their number satisfiesMore precisely for a Sylow subgroup , where is its normalizer.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ib Paper 1 10E b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
A finite nonabelian simple group cannot be a p-group: a nontrivial finite p-group has nontrivial centre of a group, since its class equation makes every noncentral conjugacy class size divisible by , and hence makes the centre size a positive multiple of . That centre is a normal subgroup, so must be the whole group if is a simple group, making it abelian; an abelian simple group has prime order. Therefore every Sylow subgroup here is nontrivial and proper. It cannot be normal, so .
To obtain a simple group embedding from Sylow conjugation, the conjugation action on Sylow subgroups gives a group homomorphism . This group action is transitive by the Sylow theorems and is nontrivial since . Its kernel of a group homomorphism is a normal subgroup, so the defining property of a simple group makes the kernel of a group homomorphism trivial: is an embedding. Now compose with the sign of a permutation . A nontrivial composite would again be injective because is a simple group, embedding in a group of order two, impossible for a nonabelian group. Thus lies in the alternating group . By Lagrange's theorem,The argument only invokes the factorial formula once ; the impossible case itself is also excluded by the embedding.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 3 17G b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
Conjugation by partitions into orbits. Each non-singleton orbit has size divisible by , by the orbit-stabilizer theorem. The singleton orbits are exactly . Since is divisible by , . This set contains , so .
For the deduction we also give the representation-theoretic ingredient behind Burnside's theorem: a nonabelian finite simple group has no nontrivial conjugacy class of prime power size. Here is a proof, so no stronger theorem is being assumed without justification. Suppose has class size . For an irreducible character of degree coprime to , the class sum acts as the scalar , which is an algebraic integer: the class sum has an integer-entry matrix in the regular representation, which contains every irreducible representation, so this scalar is an eigenvalue of an integer-entry matrix. Also is an algebraic integer. Bezout's identity then makes an algebraic integer. All its algebraic conjugates have modulus at most , because character values of a representation are sums of roots of unity. An algebraic integer with this property is zero or a root of unity: the monic polynomials of all its powers have uniformly bounded integer coefficients, so two powers must coincide unless it is zero.
Every nontrivial irreducible representation of a simple group is faithful. If were a root of unity, equality in the triangle inequality would force its representing matrix to be scalar, hence central, impossible. Thus whenever , except for the trivial character of a representation. Orthogonality of the identity column and the column in the character table now givesThis would make an algebraic integer, contradicting the fact that rational algebraic integers are integers. The same proof covers class size directly through triviality of the center.
A finite nonabelian simple group embeds in , where is its number of Sylow subgroups for a prime dividing its order. It is not a p-group by the nontrivial-centre property. Thus its Sylow subgroups are proper and cannot be normal, so . The conjugation action is nontrivial, and its normal kernel of a group homomorphism must therefore be trivial. The sign of this faithful permutation action must be trivial, since a nontrivial sign homomorphism would inject the group into a group of order two. Lagrange's theorem consequently gives .