Maths Oxford 1st Year Past Paper
Maths Oxford 1st Year Past Paper
Maths Oxford 1st Year Past Paper
= [A
|b
]
be a matrix obtained by applying an elementary row operation to B. Show that the set
of solutions of the system A
x = b
0 1 1 1
1 0 1 1
1 1 0 1
1 1 1 0
.
(i) Find the eigenvalues of A and determine their algebraic and geometric multiplicities.
(ii) Find a matrix P such that P
T
P = I and P
T
AP is a diagonal matrix.
Part B
5. (a) [12 marks] What is meant by the cycle type of a permutation in S
n
?
Prove for a cycle (a
1
a
2
. . . a
k
) in S
n
and S
n
that
1
(a
1
a
2
. . . a
k
) = (a
1
a
2
. . . a
k
) .
Deduce that two permutations in S
n
are conjugate if and only if they have the same
cycle type.
(b) [8 marks] Let G be a group and g G. Show that the centralizer C
G
(g) of g, given by
C
G
(g) = {h G : gh = hg} ,
is a subgroup of G.
Explain why there are 18 elements of S
6
which commute with = (123) (456) and why
the centralizer C
S
6
() is not abelian.
6. (a) [10 marks] Let G and H be groups. What does it mean to say a map f : G H is a
homomorphism? What is meant by the kernel, ker f, of f?
Given a homomorphism f : G H, show that ker f is a normal subgroup of G.
State the First Isomorphism Theorem.
(b) [10 marks] Prove that the normal subgroups of S
3
are
{e} , A
3
, S
3
.
[You may quote any result from Question 5(a) without proof.]
Treating the dierent cases for n appropriately, determine all the homomorphisms from
S
3
to C
n
(the cyclic group of order n).
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7. (a) [8 marks] What is meant by a left action of a group G on a set S? If s S dene the
orbit, Orb(s), of s.
Show that the orbits partition S.
(b) [6 marks] If G and S are nite, show that the number of orbits of the action equals
1
|G|
gG
x(g)
where
x(g) = |{s S : g s = s}| .
[You may assume, without proof, the Orbit-Stabilizer Theorem.]
(c) [6 marks] A squares edges are each painted one of n colours. Show that the number of
dierent colourings is
n
4
+ 2n
3
+ 3n
2
+ 2n
8
where two colourings of the square are considered equal if one is a rotation or reection
of the other.
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