Definition:Transversal (Group Theory)
This page is about Transversal in the context of Group Theory. For other uses, see Transversal.
Definition
Let $G$ be a group.
Let $H$ be a subgroup of $G$.
Let $S \subseteq G$ be a subset of $G$.
Left Transversal
$S$ is a left transversal for $H$ in $G$ if and only if every left coset of $H$ contains exactly one element of $S$.
Right Transversal
$S$ is a right transversal for $H$ in $G$ if and only if every right coset of $H$ contains exactly one element of $S$.
Transversal
A transversal for $H$ in $G$ is either a left transversal or a right transversal.
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Clearly if $S$ is a transversal for $H$ it contains $\index G H$ elements, where $\index G H$ denotes the index of $H$ in $G$.
Examples
Reflection Subgroup in Equilateral Triangle
Consider the symmetry group of the equilateral triangle $D_3$.
Let $H \subseteq D_3$ be defined as:
- $H = \set {e, r}$
where:
- $e$ denotes the identity mapping
- $r$ denotes reflection in the line $r$.
Some of the left transversals of $H$ are given by:
- $\set {e, s, t}$
- $\set {e, q, p}$
- $\set {r, s, p}$
and so on.
Integer Multiples in Integers
Let $\struct {\Z, +}$ denote the additive group of integers.
Let $\struct {n \Z, +}$ denote the additive group of integer multiples.
Then a transversal for $\struct {n \Z, +}$ in $\struct {\Z, +}$ is:
- $\set {0, 1, \ldots, n - 1}$
Sources
- 1965: J.A. Green: Sets and Groups ... (previous) ... (next): $\S 6.3$. Index. Transversals
- 1989: Ephraim J. Borowski and Jonathan M. Borwein: Dictionary of Mathematics ... (previous) ... (next): transversal: 2.