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Let $D_8$ denote the dihedral group of group order eight acting on a square. Here the subscript specifies group order; the same group is called $D_4$ in the convention that counts vertices of a polygon, as in the group action example. Let $r$ be a counterclockwise quarter-turn rotation and $s$ a reflection in a diagonal. ThenProducts act rightmost first. The group commutator of the generators of a group isIt is a half-turn rotation, so forcing $r$ and $s$ to commute must identify a half-turn with $e$.

More concretely, write each element uniquely as $r^i{s}^j$, with $0\le i<4$ and $j\in \{0,1\}$. The functionis a surjective group homomorphism. Indeed, $srs=r^{-1}$ giveswhere the exponents are reduced modulo four and two. Modulo two, $-k$ and $k$ agree, so $\varphi$ adds the two coordinates separately. Its group kernel is $N=\{e,r^2\}$. Since the target is an abelian group, $D_8^{\prime }\subseteq N$; since $[r,s]=r^2$, also $N\subseteq D_8^{\prime }$. ThusThe four cosets are $\{e,r^2\}$, $\{r,r^3\}$, $\{s,r^{2}s\}$, and $\{rs,r^{3}s\}$. Each coset forgets the difference of a half-turn. The quotient group still distinguishes rotations from reflections, and even from odd numbers of quarter-turns; the two surviving choices are independent. This is the Klein four-group, rather than the cyclic group $C_4$, because each nonidentity element squares to the identity element. For the general dihedral group calculation, see Conrad, Dihedral groups I, theorem A.1; that source uses the vertex-count convention and $xy{x}^{-1}{y}^{-1}$ for individual group commutators.

For a group homomorphism $\phi :G\to H$, the group isomorphism $g\ker \phi \mapsto \phi (g)$ givesThe group kernel records which inputs become indistinguishable, and the image records which outputs actually occur. The first isomorphism theorem says that identifying precisely those indistinguishable inputs gives a group isomorphic to the image. It is one of the general isomorphism theorems. ^[ref].

For example, reduction modulo three gives a surjective group homomorphism from the additive cyclic group $\mathbb{Z}/6\mathbb{Z}$ to $\mathbb{Z}/3\mathbb{Z}$. Its group kernel is $\{0,3\}$. The three cosets $\{0,3\}$, $\{1,4\}$, and $\{2,5\}$ become the three outputs zero, one, and two, respectively. ThusThe quotient group diagram shows both the identification and the resulting operation. More generally, fibres of a group homomorphism are cosets of its kernel explains why this map is well-defined and injective; it is surjective onto the image by definition.

Let $G$ be generated by $r$ elements and choose $h\ge \max \{2,r\}$. The fundamental group of a closed orientable surface has the presentationMapping $a_1,\dots ,a_r$ to generators of $G$ and every $b_i$ and remaining $a_i$ to the identity defines a surjective group homomorphism ${\pi }_1(S_h)\twoheadrightarrow G$.

Its kernel determines a connected regular covering $S\to S_h$ with deck transformation group $G$. The action is free and orientation preserving. The covering surface has genus at least two, and the lifted hyperbolic metric makes every deck transformation an isometry. Part a now gives $G\hookrightarrow \mathrm{Mod}(S)$. This is the realization of a finite group as a surface deck group.

Write $\bar{a}=f(a)$, $\bar{t}=f(t)$, and $\bar{b}={\bar{a}}^{\bar{t}}={\bar{t}}^{-1}\bar{a}\bar{t}$. The elements $\bar{a}$ and $\bar{b}$ are conjugate group elements, so they have the same order of a group element, say $n$. The defining relation becomesIterating conjugation gives ${\bar{b}}^j\bar{a}{\bar{b}}^{-j}={\bar{a}}^{2^j}$. Since ${\bar{b}}^n=1$, taking $j=n$ yields $\bar{a}={\bar{a}}^{2^n}$, and henceThe stated consequence of Fermat's little theorem implies $n=1$. Thus $\bar{a}=1$, and the surjective group homomorphism $f$ shows that $Q$ is generated by $\bar{t}$. Therefore $Q$ is a cyclic group.

The quotient map of groups sends each group element to its coset modulo a normal subgroup. It is a surjective group homomorphism, with group kernel exactly $N$. In the additive six-element example, it sends $0,3$ to $N$, $1,4$ to $1+N$, and $2,5$ to $2+N$. The quotient map of groups records the identification that produces the new group.

For every abelian group $A$ and group homomorphism $f:G\to A$, there is a unique group homomorphism $\bar{f}:G^{\mathrm{ab}}\to A$ such thatThis is a universal property. To see why it holds, compute $f([x,y])=[f(x),f(y)]=e_A$, using commutativity in $A$. Hence $G^{\prime }\subseteq \ker f$, and $f$ is constant on each coset of $G^{\prime }$. The displayed formula is therefore well-defined and preserves multiplication. It is unique because $q$ is surjective. This is an instance of factoring a group homomorphism through a quotient group; see Conrad, Universal mapping properties, theorem 3.4.

In particular, every abelian quotient $G/N$ comes from a surjective group homomorphism $G^{\mathrm{ab}}\to G/N$, $g{G}^{\prime }\mapsto gN$. For $S_3$, any group homomorphism to an abelian group is determined by the common image $a$ of its three transpositions, with $a^2=e_A$. Every even permutation must map to $e_A$. Thus sign of a permutation captures all possible information of this kind, including maps with infinite abelian groups as their targets.