What can the multiplication table tell us about the representation?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the dihedral group as presented in Goldstein's "Classical Mechanics" (3rd edition), specifically regarding the independence of group elements in class 3, which involve only \(\sigma_1\) and \(\sigma_3\). The multiplication table illustrates that elements of order 2 do not appear in \(\mathbb{Z}_3 \triangleleft D_3\), confirming that the relationship between classes and representations is not straightforward. The concept of semidirect products \(\mathbb{Z}_2 \ltimes \mathbb{Z}_n\) is crucial to understanding this independence and the non-trivial action of \(\mathbb{Z}_2\) on \(\mathbb{Z}_3\).

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  • Knowledge of semidirect products in algebra
  • Ability to interpret multiplication tables in group theory
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  • Study the properties of dihedral groups, particularly \(D_n\) for various \(n\)
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In the appendix B of Goldstein's classical mechanics (3rd edition), the authors discussed the dihedral group and said:

"Notice how the group elements in class 3 involve only [tex]\sigma_1[/tex] and [tex]\sigma_3[/tex]. Thus, they are independent of the matrices [tex]I[/tex] and [tex]\sigma_2[/tex], as is expected from the structure of the multiplication table. However, since each representation has an identity element, there is no simple association between classes and representations."

Why does the structure of the multiplication table indicate this independence? And what does the last sentence mean? I've attached the multiplication table and the representations.
 

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This is just a clumsy way to say that the Dihedral groups are semidirect products ##\mathbb{Z}_2 \ltimes \mathbb{Z}_n\,.##

Elements of order ##2## do not occur in (the multiplication table of) ##\mathbb{Z}_3 \triangleleft D_3##, and there is no "simple association between classes and representations" means, that the product isn't direct: ## \mathbb{Z}_2## operates non trivially on ##\mathbb{Z}_3##.
 

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