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

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the nature of group actions, specifically whether a group action on a set X utilizes the original operation of the group G or a different operation. Participants confirm that the notation gh refers to the multiplication operation of the group G, as defined by Dummit and Foote. A distinction is made regarding an older book that may incorrectly define the action using a different operation, which is identified as a potential typo. Ultimately, the consensus is that the specific operation is less critical than ensuring the action is well-defined.

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  • Understanding of group theory concepts, particularly group actions.
  • Familiarity with the notation and definitions from Dummit and Foote's "Abstract Algebra".
  • Knowledge of the identity element and its role in group operations.
  • Ability to interpret mathematical functions and mappings in the context of group actions.
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  • Review the definition of group actions in Dummit and Foote's "Abstract Algebra".
  • Examine the differences between group operations in various algebraic structures.
  • Investigate the implications of using different operations in group actions.
  • Explore additional literature on group theory to clarify definitions and notations.
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Mathematicians, students of abstract algebra, and anyone studying group theory who seeks clarity on the definitions and applications of group actions.

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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