Does a Group Action Always Use the Group's Original Operation?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the nature of group actions on a set, specifically whether the operation used in the action is the original operation of the group or a different one. Participants explore definitions from various sources, including textbooks and articles, and consider the implications of these definitions on the understanding of group actions.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants assert that a group action is defined using the original operation of the group, as indicated by sources like Dummit and Foote.
  • Others question whether the notation for the group operation (gh) refers to the group's multiplication operation, suggesting it does.
  • A participant raises the possibility that an older book may define the action using a different operation, leading to confusion about the definition of group actions.
  • One participant expresses that the specific operation may not be crucial, provided the action on the set is well-defined.
  • A later reply includes a reference to a specific author's definition, indicating a desire to clarify the discussion with additional context.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on whether the group action must use the original operation of the group or if alternative definitions exist. Multiple competing views remain regarding the interpretation of group actions based on different sources.

Contextual Notes

There are unresolved questions about the definitions used in different texts and the implications of using alternative operations in defining group actions. The discussion highlights potential ambiguities in terminology and notation.

Bachelier
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A group ##G## is said to act on a set ##X## when there is a map ##\phi:G×X \rightarrow X## such that the following conditions hold for any element ##x \in X##.

1. ##\phi(e,x)=x## where ##e## is the identity element of ##G##.

2. ##\phi(g,\phi(h,x))=\phi(gh,x) \ \ \forall g,h \in G##.

My question is: is this action on the set ##X## performed under the operation of the group ##G## or under a different new operation. Only the ##Wikipedia## article author defines this operation as the group ##G## original operation. On the other hand, I was reading a different book and it defines the action using a totally new operation. Mind you this book is quite old.
 
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Bachelier said:
My question is: is this action on the set ##X## performed under the operation of the group ##G## or under a different new operation.

Are you asking whether the notation gh refers to the multiplication operation of the group G? It does.
 
Dummit and Foote clearly define it using the operation of that same group. What book are you using?

Are you suggesting that your book defines a group action of (G,\ast_1) on X via a function \phi : G \times X \to X such that \phi(g,\phi(h,x))=\phi(g\ast_2h,x), where g,h\in G; x\in X, and where \ast_2 is the operation of another group defined on the elements of G? Because this definitely be a typo, as this would simply correspond to the usual definition of a group action of (G,\ast_2) on X.
 
I tend to agree with you guys. It seems the operation is not really that important though as long as the action on the set is well-defined.

For the sake of discussion, I am including an image of the Author's (A.J Green) definition.
 

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