Intersection of two subgroups trivial, union is the whole group

In summary, the conversation discusses a lemma regarding a group of order n, where n is an odd squarefree prime. The lemma states that if N is normal in G and |G/N| = p_j for some prime in the prime factorization of n, and |N| = n/p_j, then the intersection of N and G/N is trivial. The second condition remains unclear.
  • #1
ToNoAvail27
7
0

Homework Statement


Let ##G## be a group of order ##n## where ##n## is an odd squarefree prime (that is, ##n=p_1p_2\cdots p_r## where ##p_i## is an odd prime that appears only once, each ##p_i## distinct). Let ##N## be normal in ##G##. If I have that ##|G/N|=p_j## for some prime in the prime factorization of ##n##, and ##|N|=\frac{n}{p_j}##, then are the following true?
##N \cap G/N = \{e\}##
and
##N \sqcup G/N = G##



Homework Equations





The Attempt at a Solution


For the first claim, if you take ##N \cap G/N## and obtain a non-trivial element, that element will generate ##G/N##. And since that element is also in ##N##, I believe that would mean ##G/N < N##, but by LaGrange's theorem, since their orders are relatively prime, ##G/N## cannot be a subgroup of ##N##. Thus, the intersection is trivial. I'm a bit stuck on getting started on the second condition.
 
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  • #2
ToNoAvail27 said:
##N \cap G/N = \{e\}##
What does ##N \cap G/N## mean? ##N## is a subset of ##G##, but ##G/N## is not: it is a collection of subsets of ##G##. What do you mean by the intersection of these objects?
 
Last edited:
  • #3
jbunniii said:
What ##N \cap G/N## mean? ##N## is a subset of ##G##, but ##G/N## is not: it is a collection of subsets of ##G##. What do you mean by the intersection of these objects?

Yes I apologize. When writing up the question, I got excited that this lemma would help me prove a bigger problem I had. Indeed, ##G/N## is a group since ##N\vartriangleright G##, but of course ##G/N## itself is not a subgroup of ##G##, which renders the lemma useless in my case, though, I do like the lemma. Thank you.
 

Related to Intersection of two subgroups trivial, union is the whole group

1. What is the definition of "intersection of two subgroups trivial"?

The intersection of two subgroups is defined as the set of elements that are common to both subgroups. A subgroup is considered trivial if it only contains the identity element.

2. Can the intersection of two non-trivial subgroups ever be trivial?

No, the intersection of two non-trivial subgroups will always contain at least the identity element and therefore cannot be trivial.

3. How does the union of two subgroups being the whole group relate to the intersection being trivial?

If the union of two subgroups is the entire group, it means that any element in the group must be contained in at least one of the two subgroups. If the intersection of these two subgroups is trivial, it means that there are no elements that are common to both subgroups, further supporting the idea that the union of the two subgroups is the entire group.

4. Are there any limitations to the intersection of two subgroups being trivial?

Yes, there are some limitations. For example, the intersection of two cyclic subgroups may not be trivial even if the union is the whole group. This is because the intersection of two cyclic subgroups may result in a cyclic subgroup with a different generator.

5. How can the concept of trivial intersection of two subgroups be useful in group theory?

The concept of trivial intersection can be useful in proving the structure of a group. For example, if a group is known to have two subgroups with trivial intersection and their union is the whole group, it can be concluded that the group is isomorphic to the direct product of these two subgroups. This can also help in simplifying calculations and understanding the behavior of a group.

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