Commutator subgroup a subgroup of any Abelian quotient group?

In summary, the universal property of abelianization states that if G is a group and G has an abelianization Gab, then Gab is a subgroup of G. This fact follows from the fact that if G has a subgroup A and G/A is Abelian, then G/A is also Abelian.
  • #1
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I am new to group theory, and read about a "universal property of abelianization" as follows: let G be a group and let's denote the abelianization of G as Gab (note, recall the abelianization of G is the quotient G/[G,G] where [G,G] denotes the commutator subgroup). Now, suppose we have a homomorphism p: G --> H with H being an Abelian group. Then this homomorphism has to factor through the Abelianization. (what I mean by factor through is there exists another map q such that q ° θ = p, where I'm letting θ denote the cannonical quotient map G --> G/[G,G])Ok, that property makes sense. The issue is, there are a couple proofs I'm reading that jump straight from using this property to the fact that then if we have G and H a normal subgroup of G and G/H Abelian, then this means [G,G] is a subgroup of H. I guess this doesn't surprise me, but at the same time I just don't see this quick connection. There is no elaboration of this "next step" in the proofs I'm reading so I assume this is a trivial corollary of the universal property mentioned, unfortunately I don't see it. Why does this fact obviously follow?This is what I do understand: I know I have my cannonical quotient map θ: G --> G/[G,G]. I also have another this other quotient map λ: G --> G/H with G/H is Abelian by assumption, so that means λ factors through G/[G,G], meaning (by the universal property) there is another map ρ: G/[G,G] --> G/H with ρ°θ=λ, so this is a map going from G --> G/[G,G] --> G/H. I guess my question might be, is it always the case that if I have a group G with subgroups A and B, and if I have a "Factoring through" like this G --> G/A --> G/B, does it means A must be a subgroup of B? Forgive this question if its unbearably obvious, I can't stress enough how poor my algebra skills are
 
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  • #2
If a is in A, then when you map to G/A a maps to the identity, so when you push forward to G/B a gets mapped to the identity. Therefore a is in B for all a in A
 
  • #3
oh man. i feel so dumb. But I thank you so much for pointing this out.
 

Related to Commutator subgroup a subgroup of any Abelian quotient group?

What is the commutator subgroup of a group?

The commutator subgroup of a group G is the subgroup generated by all the commutators [a,b] = aba^-1b^-1, where a and b are elements of G. It is denoted by [G, G].

What is an Abelian quotient group?

An Abelian quotient group is a group in which all elements commute with each other, meaning that for any elements a and b in the group, ab = ba. This is also known as a commutative group.

What is the significance of the commutator subgroup being a subgroup of an Abelian quotient group?

The commutator subgroup being a subgroup of an Abelian quotient group is significant because it shows that the commutator subgroup is a fundamental property of a group, and it is closely related to the concept of commutativity. It also helps in understanding the structure of a group and its subgroups.

How is the commutator subgroup related to the center of a group?

The center of a group is the set of elements that commute with all other elements in the group. The commutator subgroup is a subgroup of the center, and in fact, the center is the quotient group of the group by its commutator subgroup. This means that the commutator subgroup is a way of measuring how far a group is from being commutative.

What are some applications of the commutator subgroup in mathematics or science?

The commutator subgroup has numerous applications in mathematics and science, such as in group theory, Galois theory, number theory, and topology. It is also used in physics, specifically in quantum mechanics and special relativity, to understand the symmetries and operations of physical systems.

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