Understanding Faithful Group Actions: G x G --> G

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In summary: By the way, the notation is quite confusing for me. I have rewritten it below.Let G be a group and let G act on itself by right multiplication. Then this action is faithful, i.e. for any two distinct elements g1 and g2 in G, there exists an element h in G such that h^g1 is not equal to h^g2.
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Homework Statement



show for any group G, the function G x G --> G defined by (h)^g = hg is a faithful right action of the group G on itself. In this case, G is said to act on itself by right multiplication.

Homework Equations


Definition of faithful: a right action of a group g on a set X is said to be faithful if the only element of G that acts trivially on the entire set is the identity element. So an action is faithful if x^g = x for all x in X i.e g = e, the identity element

The Attempt at a Solution


My professor did this in class and I am a bit confused.
Suppose (h)^g1 = (h)^g2 for all h in G. Then by definition hg1 = hg2.
Then we left multiply by h^(-1) and we have g1=g2

I do not understand how this shows faithful right action?
Can someone explain?
 
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  • #2
jgoldstein said:

Homework Statement



show for any group G, the function G x G --> G defined by (h)^g = hg is a faithful right action of the group G on itself. In this case, G is said to act on itself by right multiplication.


Homework Equations


Definition of faithful: a right action of a group g on a set X is said to be faithful if the only element of G that acts trivially on the entire set is the identity element. So an action is faithful if x^g = x for all x in X i.e g = e, the identity element


The Attempt at a Solution


My professor did this in class and I am a bit confused.
Suppose (h)^g1 = (h)^g2 for all h in G. Then by definition hg1 = hg2.
Then we left multiply by h^(-1) and we have g1=g2

I do not understand how this shows faithful right action?
Can someone explain?

The definition of a faithful right group action on itself is

For any two distinct g_1 and g_2 in G (g_1 \neq g_2), there exists h in G such that h^{g_1} \neq h^{g_2}.

The contrapositive of the above is

If h^{g_1} = h^{g_2} for all h in G, then g_1 = g_2.

Your professor probably used this contrapositive method.
 

1. What is a "faithful" group action?

A faithful group action is a type of group action where every element of the group induces a unique transformation on the set being acted upon. In other words, each element of the group has a distinct effect on the set, and no two elements have the same effect.

2. How is a faithful group action different from a regular group action?

A regular group action allows for elements of the group to induce the same transformation on the set, whereas a faithful group action does not. This means that in a regular group action, some elements may have no effect on the set, while in a faithful group action, every element has a unique effect.

3. What are some real-world applications of faithful group actions?

Faithful group actions have applications in various fields such as chemistry, physics, and computer science. For example, in chemistry, they can be used to study molecular symmetry, while in physics, they can be used to analyze the symmetries of physical systems. In computer science, they can be used to study the symmetries of algorithms and data structures.

4. How are faithful group actions related to group theory?

Faithful group actions are closely related to group theory, as they involve the study of how elements of a group act on a given set. Group theory is the mathematical study of groups, which are sets equipped with a binary operation that satisfies certain properties. Faithful group actions provide a way to visualize and understand the structure of groups.

5. Can a group action be both faithful and non-regular?

Yes, it is possible for a group action to be both faithful and non-regular. For example, consider a group action on a set with an even number of elements, where half of the elements are rotated clockwise and the other half are rotated counterclockwise. This group action is faithful because every element has a unique effect, but it is non-regular because some elements induce the same transformation.

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