Permutation group and character table

In summary, the conversation discusses the use of GAP software for working with permutation groups. The user has a permutation group with 36 elements and when calculating the character table, they find that there are 18 classes of conjugacy, each with a different order. This leads to a total of 72 elements, which seems strange to the user. Upon further examination, it is discovered that there may be some elements missing from the group, leading to the discrepancy in the number of elements. The user will check and verify all elements in the group.
  • #1
Konte
90
1
Hi everybody,

I work currently with permutation group, and with the good advice of this forum I discover GAP software (https://www.gap-system.org/) which is an excellent tools for working with group.
My question is about something that is too strange for me: I have a permutation group G composed of 36 elements (a non abelian group). When I calculate with GAP the character table of G, it has 18 classes of congugacy, each one with order of:
$$1, 4, 1, 4, 9, 9, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3, 6, 3, 6, 3, 6, 3, 6$$
It implicates now that G has ##2\times36=72## elements !
Is it normal or have I missed something?

Thank you much.

Konte.
 
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  • #2
Each element in the group belongs to exactly one conjugacy class so the sum of the orders of the conjugacy classes should be the order of the group. Without more specifics, it is difficult to analyse your situation.
 
  • #3
Orodruin said:
Each element in the group belongs to exactly one conjugacy class so the sum of the orders of the conjugacy classes should be the order of the group. Without more specifics, it is difficult to analyse your situation.

Thank you for your answer.

- I have a group G of exactly 36 elements (permutations).
- When I ask the GAP program to show me the orders of the conjugacy classes, it gives me the following answer: $$1, 4, 1, 4, 9, 9, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3, 6, 3, 6, 3, 6, 3, 6$$
- So as you can see, the sum of those numbers exceed 36.

If necessary, I can give on new post the set of permutation that compose the group.

Konte
 
Last edited:
  • #4
As I said, without more information about what group you are considering and what conjugacy classes are quoted by your program, we cannot get any further.
 
  • #5
Ok, the 36 elements are permutations:
a0= id.
a1=(1,17)(2,18)(3,16)(4,15)(5,14)(6,13)(7,12)(8,11)(9,10)
a2=(7,3)(8,4)(11,15)(12,16)(19,20)
a3=(1,17)(2,18)(3,12)(4,11)(5,14)(6,13)(7,16)(8,15)(9,10)(19,20)
a4=(3,5,7)(4,6,8)
a5=(1,17)(2,18)(3,14,5,12,7,16)(4,13,6,11,8,15)(9,10)
a6=(3,5)(4,6)(11,15)(12,16)(19,20)
a7=(1,17)(2,18)(3,14,5,16,7,12)(4,13,6,15,8,11)(9,10)(19,20)
a8=(3,7,5)(4,8,6)
a9=(1,17)(2,18)(3,12,7,14,5,16)(4,11,8,13,6,15)(9,10)
a10=(5,7)(6,8)(11,15)(12,16)(19,20)
a11=(1,17)(2,18)(3,16,7,14,5,12)(4,15,8,13,6,11)(9,10)(19,20)
a12=(11,13,15)(12,14,16)
a13=(1,17)(2,18)(3,16,7,12,5,14)(4,15,8,11,6,13)
a14=(3,7)(4,8)(11,13)(12,14)(19,20)
a15=(1,17)(2,18)(3,12,5,14,7,16)(4,11,6,13,8,15)(9,10)(19,20)
a16=(3,5,7)(4,6,8)(11,13,15)(12,14,16)
a17=(1,17)(2,18)(3,14)(4,13)(5,12)(6,11)(7,16)(8,15)(9,10)
a18=(3,5)(4,6)(11,13)(12,14)(19,20)
a19=(1,17)(2,18)(3,14,7,12,5,16)(4,13,8,11,6,15)(9,10)(19,20)
a20=(3,7,5)(4,8,6)(11,13,15)(12,14,16)
a21=(1,17)(2,18)(3,12,5,16,7,14)(4,11,6,15,8,13)(9,10)
a22=(5,7)(6,8)(11,13)(12,14)(19,20)
a23=(1,17)(2,18)(3,16)(4,15)(5,12)(6,11)(7,14)(8,13)(9,10)(19,20)
a24=(11,15,13)(12,16,14)
a25=(1,17)(2,18)(3,16,5,14,7,12)(4,15,6,13,8,11)(9,10)
a26=(3,7)(4,8)(13,15)(14,16)(19,20)
a27=(1,17)(2,18)(3,12,7,16,5,14)(4,11,8,15,6,13)(9,10)(19,20)
a28=(3,5,7)(4,6,8)(11,15,13)(12,16,14)
a29=(1,17)(2,18)(3,14,7,16,5,12)(4,13,8,15,6,11)(9,10)
a30=(3,5)(4,6)(13,15)(14,16)(19,20)
a31=(1,17)(2,18)(3,14)(4,13)(5,16)(6,15)(7,12)(8,11)(9,10)(19,20)
a32=(3,7,5)(4,8,6)(11,15,13)(12,16,14)
a33=(1,17)(2,18)(3,12)(4,11)(5,16)(6,15)(7,14)(8,13)(9,10)
a34=(5,7)(6,8)(13,15)(14,16)(19,20)
a35=(1,17)(2,18)(3,16,5,12,7,14)(4,15,6,11,8,13)(9,10)(19,20)

The character table given by the program is:

char.png


The size of each congugacy classes:## 1, 4, 1, 4, 9, 9, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3, 6, 3, 6, 3, 6, 3, 6##

The elements of the 18 conjugacy classes given by the program are:
id.,
(11,13,15)(12,14,16),
(9,10),
(9,10)(11,13,15)(12,14,16),
(5,7)(6,8)(13,15)(14,16)(19,20),
(5,7)(6,8)(9,10)(13,15)(14,16)(19,20),
(3,5,7)(4,6,8)(11,13,15)(12,14,16),
(3,5,7)(4,6,8)(11,15,13)(12,16,14),
(3,5,7)(4,6,8)(9,10)(11,13,15)(12,14,16),
(3,5,7)(4,6,8)(9,10)(11,15,13)(12,16,14),
(1,17)(2,18)(3,12)(4,11)(5,14)(6,13)(7,16)(8,15)(19,20),
(1,17)(2,18)(3,12,5,14,7,16)(4,11,6,13,8,15)(19,20),
(1,17)(2,18)(3,12)(4,11)(5,14)(6,13)(7,16)(8,15)(9,10)(19,20),
(1,17)(2,18)(3,12,5,14,7,16)(4,11,6,13,8,15)(9,10)(19,20),
(1,17)(2,18)(3,12)(4,11)(5,16)(6,15)(7,14)(8,13),
(1,17)(2,18)(3,12,5,16,7,14)(4,11,6,15,8,13),
(1,17)(2,18)(3,12)(4,11)(5,16)(6,15)(7,14)(8,13)(9,10),
(1,17)(2,18)(3,12,5,16,7,14)(4,11,6,15,8,13)(9,10),Thanks.
Konte
 
  • #6
Assuming that your quoted conjugacy classes are just given a single element of each conjugacy class:

Konte said:
(9,10),

This conjugacy class is here represented by an element that is not in your listing of the group elements. Of course, I have not checked the closure of your group operation, but it would seem to me that the program thinks you have elements in your group that you do not think that you have.
 
  • #7
Thank you for your answer, it really helps me. Now, I will re-check the group if all elements are there.
Konte.
 

Related to Permutation group and character table

1. What is a permutation group?

A permutation group is a mathematical concept that describes a set of objects and the ways in which those objects can be rearranged or permuted. It is a fundamental concept in group theory and has applications in fields such as mathematics, physics, and chemistry.

2. How is a permutation group represented?

A permutation group can be represented in various ways, including as a set of permutations, a set of generators, or a set of matrices. The most common representation is as a set of permutations, which are simply lists of the objects in their permuted order.

3. What is a character table?

A character table is a tabular representation of the irreducible representations of a group, along with their corresponding characters. It is used to analyze the symmetry properties of a group and to determine the relationships between different representations.

4. How is a character table constructed?

A character table is constructed by first determining the different irreducible representations of the group and then calculating their corresponding characters. The characters are then arranged in a table, with the rows representing the different representations and the columns representing the group elements.

5. What is the significance of a character table?

A character table is a powerful tool for understanding the symmetry properties of a group. It can be used to determine the reducibility of a representation, to calculate the number of times a representation appears in a direct product, and to identify the symmetry elements present in a group. It is also useful in applications such as molecular symmetry and crystallography.

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