- #1
Mr Davis 97
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Homework Statement
Let ##R## be the set of all polynomials with integer coefficients in the independent variables ##x_1, x_2, x_3, x_4##.
##S_4## acts on ##R## by the group action ##\sigma \cdot p(x_1,x_2,x_3,x_4) = p(x_{\sigma(1)},x_{\sigma(2)},x_{\sigma(3)},x_{\sigma(4)})##. Exhibit all permutations in ##S_4## that stabilize the element ##x_1x_2 + x_3x_4## and prove that they form a subgroup isomorphic to the dihedral group of order 8.
Homework Equations
The Attempt at a Solution
So, by listing the elements of ##S_4## and seeing how they act on ##x_1x_2+x_3x_4##, I found that the stabilizer of ##x_1x_2+x_3x_4## is ##\{1,(12),(34),(12)(34),(13)(24),(14)(23),(1324),(1423) \}##.
My problem is showing that this is isomorphic to the dihedral group of order 8. I think the correspondence is clear if we label the vertices of a square and consider the permutations as symmetries of the square, but I feel that exhibiting this 1-1 correspondence in that much detail is too computationally intensive and that there should be an easier way.