Questions tagged [infinite-groups]

For questions about groups where the underlying set has infinite cardinality.

A group is an ordered pair $(G, \ast)$ where $G$ is a set and $\ast$ is a binary operation on $G$ such that

  • $\ast$ is associative (i.e. $(g\ast h)\ast k = g\ast(h\ast k)$ for all $g, h, k \in G$),
  • there is an element $e \in G$ such that $g\ast e = e\ast g = g$ for all $g \in G$, and
  • for every $g \in G$, there is $h \in G$ such that $g\ast h = h\ast g = e$.

The element in the second condition is called an identity element and can be shown to be unique. The element $h$ in the third condition can also be shown to be unique and is called the inverse of $g$, denoted $g^{-1}$.

An infinite group is a group $(G, \ast)$ such that the cardinality of $G$ is infinite. Some common examples include $(\mathbb{Z}, +)$, $(\mathbb{R}^*, \times)$, and $GL(n, \mathbb{R})$ with matrix multiplication.

627 questions
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Does group of permutations of natural numbers contain subgroup isomorphic to $SO(2)$?

Consider following two infinite groups: group of all permutations of natural numbers (i.e. group of all bijections $f: \mathbb{N} \to \mathbb{N}$) and group of all rotations of a plane. Does group of permutations contain subgroup isomorphic to the…
37
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countable group, uncountably many distinct subgroup?

I need to know whether the following statement is true or false? Every countable group $G$ has only countably many distinct subgroups. I have not gotten any counter example to disprove the statement but an vague idea to disprove like: if it has…
Myshkin
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How do you prove that a group specified by a presentation is infinite?

The group: $$ G = \left\langle x, y \; \left| \; x^2 = y^3 = (xy)^7 = 1\right. \right\rangle $$ is infinite, or so I've been told. How would I go about proving this? (To prove finiteness of a finitely presented group, I could do a coset…
31
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3 answers

Generalisation of integers for infinite length?

As most people know, an integer can only be finite length when expressed in the form of a series of digits in some base. However, real numbers in general can be infinite length, so long as there is a "first digit". That is, if we express an…
Glen O
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Does there exist any uncountable group , every proper subgroup of which is countable?

Does there exist an uncountable group , every proper subgroup of which is countable ?
28
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Is it possible that a left coset of $H$ contains more than one right coset of $H$?

Let $H$ be a subgroup of group $G$. Is it possible that a left coset of $H$ contains more than one right coset of $H$? It is clear to me that the answer is 'no' if we deal with finite groups.
drhab
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Probability of selecting an even natural number from the set $\Bbb N$.

I confirmed on this thread that there are as many as even natural numbers as there are natural numbers. Question : Suppose I have selected a number $n \in \mathbb N$; what is the probability that $n$ is even? My Thought : $\text{Probability} =…
Jaideep Khare
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Find an abelian infinite group such that every proper subgroup is finite

I found this question in Arhangel'skii and Tkachenko's book Topological Groups and Related Structures. The first chapter of the book is devoted to algebraic preliminaries. The question actually reads: Give an example of an infinite abelian group…
19
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Infinite group has infinitely many subgroups, namely cyclic subgroups.

If $G$ is an infinite group then $G$ has infinitely many subgroups. Proof: Let's consider the following set: $C=\{\left \langle g \right \rangle: g\in G \}$ - collection of all cyclic subgroups in $G$ generated by elements of $G$. Two cases are…
RFZ
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Probability of a group being finite

Suppose $F_m := F[x_1, … , x_m]$ is a free group on $m$ generators $x_1, … , x_m$ and lets define Cayley ball $B_m^n := \{e, x_1, x_1^{-1}, … , x_m, x_m^{-1}\}^n$ as the set of all elements with Cayley length $n$ or less. Suppose $R_1, … , R_l$ are…
17
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On which structures does the free group 'naturally' act?

One of the best ways to get a handle on a group is to recognize it as isomorphic to a set of symmetries of some structure. The dihedral group of order $2n$ is easily recognized as the set of symmetries of a regular $n$-gon, the symmetric group as…
17
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Cardinal numbers of right factors of a group

Let $A$ and $B$ be subsets of a group $G$. The product $AB$ is called direct (and we denote it by $A \cdot B$, e.g., see this) if the representation of each element $x$ of $AB$ as $x=ab$, $a\in A$, $b\in B$ is unique (equivalently $A^{-1}A \cap…
16
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5 answers

Examples of Infinite Simple Groups

I would like a list of infinite simple groups. I am only aware of $A_\infty$. Any example is welcome, but I'm particularly interested in examples of infinite fields and values of $n$ such that $PSL_n(F)$ is simple. References about this topic, or…
16
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Is there some sort of classification of all minimal non-cyclic groups?

Does there exist some sort of classification of all minimal non-cyclic groups (non-cyclic groups, such that all their proper subgroups are cyclic) I know the following classes of such groups: 1) $C_p × C_p$, where $p$ is a prime 2) $Q_8$ 3) $\langle…
16
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4 answers

Is there a group $G$ and subgroup $H$, such that there exists $g\in G$ with $gHg^{-1} \subset H$ and $|H:gHg^{-1}|$ is infinite?

Question (asking on behalf of my friend who studies abstract algebra): Is there a group $G$ and subgroup $H$, such that there exists $g\in G$ with $gHg^{-1} \subset H$ and $|H:gHg^{-1}|$ is infinite? ( I incline to think this is true.) For such…
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