Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2025 iii Paper 111 1 b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
The reflection group of a root system isEvery generating reflection permutes , so every does too. If is fundamental, then is a basis contained in . Writingshows thatthe coefficients are unchanged and therefore still have one sign. Thus is another fundamental system, and acts on the set of all fundamental systems.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2025 iii Paper 111 1 d Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
If a finitely generated Coxeter group is finite, its integer-valued Coxeter length has a maximum. Conversely, if some has globally maximal length , every group element has a word of length at most . There are only finitely many words of bounded length in the finite set of simple generators, so is finite.
Realize the finite group as the reflection group of a root system with fundamental system and positive system . Maximality and the fact that multiplication by a simple generator changes Coxeter length by one giveThe positive-root criterion for Coxeter length therefore gives . Since is itself fundamental, it must be the simple system of the positive system .
If is another maximal-length element, the same argument gives . Hence stabilizes , and part c gives . The Longest element of a finite Coxeter group is therefore unique.