On Snevily s Conjecture and Related Topics

Size: px
Start display at page:

Download "On Snevily s Conjecture and Related Topics"

Transcription

1 Jiangsu University (Nov. 24, 2017) and Shandong University (Dec. 1, 2017) and Hunan University (Dec. 10, 2017) On Snevily s Conjecture and Related Topics Zhi-Wei Sun Nanjing University Nanjing , P. R. China zwsun@nju.edu.cn zwsun December 10, 2017

2 Abstract Let G be a finite abelian group of odd order. In 1999 H. S. Snevily conjectured that for any two subsets A and B of G with A = B = n there is a numbering {a i } n i=1 of the elements of A and a numbering {b i } n i=1 of the elements of B such that a 1 + b 1,..., a n + b n are pairwise distinct. In this talk we first review the initial progress on this conjecture via Alon s Combinatorial Nullstellensatz, and also the Feng-Sun-Xiang work on the related Dasgupta-Karolyi-Serra-Szegedy conjecture via characters of abelian groups. Finally we talk about B. Arsovski s elegant solution of the Snevily conjecture and pose a novel conjecture on finite abelian groups. 2 / 35

3 Hall s theorem In 1952 M. Hall [Proc. Amer. Math. Soc.] obtained an extension of Cramer s conjecture. M. Hall s theorem Let G = {b 1,..., b n } be an additive abelian group, and let a 1,..., a n be elements of G with a a n = 0. Then there exists a permutation σ S n such that {a σ(1) + b 1,..., a σ(n) + b n } = G. Remark. Hall used induction argument and his method is very technique. Up to now there are no other proofs of this theorem. Observation. If a 1,..., a n Z are incongruent modulo n with a a n 0 (mod n), then n divides and hence n is odd (n 1) = n(n 1) 2 3 / 35

4 Snevily s Conjecture Snevily s Conjecture for Abelian Groups [Amer. Math. Monthly, 1999]. Let G be an additive abelian group of odd order. Then for any two subsets A = {a 1,..., a k } and B = {b 1,..., b k } of G with A = B = k, there is a permutation σ S k such that a σ(1) + b 1,..., a σ(k) + b k are (pairwise) distinct. Remark. The result does not hold for any group G of even order. In fact, there is an element g G of order 2, and A = B = {0, g} gives a counterexample. Another Form of Snevily s Conjecture. Let G = {a 1,..., a N } be an additive abelian group with G = N odd, and let M be the Latin square (a i + a j ) 1 i,j N formed by the Cayley addition table. Then any n n submatrix of M contains a Latin transversal. Snevily s conjecture looks simple, beautiful and difficult! 4 / 35

5 Jäger-Alon-Tarsi Conjecture In 1982, motivated by his study of graph theory, F. Jäger posed the following conjecture in the case F = 5 Jäger-Alon-Tarsi Conjecture. Let F be a finite field with at least 4 elements, and let A be an invertible n n matrix with entries in F. There there exists a vector x F n such that both x and A x have no zero component. In 1989 N. Alon and M. Tarsi [Combinarorica, 9(1989)] confirmed the conjecture in the case when F is not a prime. Moreover their method resulted in the initial form of the Combinatorial Nullstellensatz which was refined by Alon in / 35

6 Alon s Combinatorial Nullstellensatz Combinatorial Nullstellensatz [Combin. Probab. Comput. 8(1999)]. Let A 1,..., A n be finite nonempty subsets of a field F and let f (x 1,..., x n ) F [x 1,..., x n ]. Suppose that 0 k i < A i for i = 1,..., n, k k n = deg f and [x k 1 1 x kn n ]f (x 1,..., x n ) (the coefficient of x k 1 1 x kn n in f ) does not vanish. Then there are a 1 A 1,..., a n A n such that f (a 1,..., a n ) 0. Advantage: This advanced algebraic tool enables us to establish existence via computation. It has many applications. 6 / 35

7 Alon s contribution for cyclic groups of prime orders Alon s Result [Israel J. Math. 2000]. Let p be an odd prime and let A = {a 1,..., a k } be a subset of Z p = Z/pZ with cardinality k < p. Given (not necessarily distinct) b 1,..., b k Z p there is a permutation σ S k such that a σ(1) + b 1,..., a σ(k) + b k are distinct. Remark. This result is slightly stronger than Snevily s conjecture for cyclic groups of prime order. Proof. Let A 1 = = A k = {a 1,..., a k }. We need to show that there exist x 1 A 1,..., x k A k such that 1 i<j k (x j x i )(x j + b j (x i + b i )) 0. By the Combinatorial Nullstellensatz, it suffices to prove c := [x k 1 1 x k 1 k ] 1 i<j k (x j x i )(x j + b j (x i + b i )) 0. 7 / 35

8 For σ S k let ε(σ) be the sign of σ which takes 1 or 1 according as the permutation σ is even or odd. Recall that det(a ij ) 1 i,j k = σ S k ε(σ) Now we have c =[x k 1 1 x k 1 k ] =[x k 1 =[x k 1 k a i,σ(i), per(a ij ) 1 i,j k = σ S k i=1 1 i<j k (x j x i ) 2 ](det(x i 1 j ) 1 i,j k ) 2 1 x k 1 k 1 x k 1 ] k ε(σ) σ S k k j=1 x σ(j) 1 j τ S k ε(τ) k j=1 k a i,σ(i). i=1 x τ(j) 1 j = σ S k ε(σ)ε(σ ) = σ S k ( 1) (k 2) = k!( 1) ( k 2) 0 (in Zp ). where σ (j) = k σ(j) + 1 for j = 1,..., k. 8 / 35

9 An extension of Alon s result by Hou and Sun Theorem. (Qing-Hu Hou and Z.-W. Sun [Acta Arith. 102(2002)]) Let k n 1 be integers, and left F be a field whose characteristic is zero or greater than max{n, (k n)n}. Let A 1,..., A n be subsets of F with cardinality k, and let b 1,..., b n F. Then the sumset {a a n : a i A i, a i a j and a i + b i a j + b j if i j} have more than (k n)n elements. Actually, Hou and Sun proved a much more general result including the above theorem as a special case. 9 / 35

10 Snevily s Conjecture for cyclic groups For odd composite number n, Z n = Z/nZ is not a field. How to prove Snevily s conjecture for the cyclic group Z n? Dasgupta, Károlyi, Serra and Szegedy [Israel J. Math., 2001] Snevily s conjecture holds for any cyclic group of odd order. Their key observation is that a cyclic group of odd order n can be viewed as a subgroup of the multiplicative group of the finite field F 2 ϕ(n). Thus, it suffices to show that c := [x k 1 1 x k 1 k ] 1 i<j k (x j x i )(b j x j b i x i ) 0. Now c depends on b 1,..., b k so that the condition 1 i<j k (b j b i ) 0 might be helpful. 10 / 35

11 Comuting c For σ S k let ε(σ) be the sign of σ. Then 1 i<j k =( 1) (k 2) x k j i =( 1) (k 2) σ S k ε(σ) Therefore ( 1) (k 2) c = (x j x i )(b j x j b i x i ) σ S k ε(σ) 2 = σ S k ε(σ) 1 i,j k b j 1 i k i=1 k i=1 k i=1 x k σ(i) i b σ(i) 1 i = b i 1 j 1 i,j k = x j 1 i 1 i,j k τ S k ε(τ) k i=1 b τ(i) 1 i x τ(i) 1 i. = per((b j 1 i ) 1 i,j k ) b σ(i) 1 i (because ch(f ) = 2) 1 i<j k (b j b i ) 0 (Vandermonde). 11 / 35

12 My related work Theorem [Z. W. Sun, J. Combin. Theory Ser A 103(2003)] Let G be an additive abelian group whose finite subgroups are all cyclic. Let b 1,..., b n be pairwise distinct elements of G, and let A 1,..., A n be finite subsets of G with cardinality k m(n 1) + 1 where m is a positive integer. (i) There are at least (k 1)n m ( n 2) + 1 multisets {a1,..., a n } such that a i A i for i = 1,..., n and all the ma i + b i are pairwise distinct. (ii) If b 1,..., b n are of odd order, then the sets {{a 1,..., a n }: a i A i, a i a j and ma i + b i ma j + b j if i j} and {{a 1,..., a n }: a i A i, ma i ma j and a i + b i a j + b j if i j} have more than (k 1)n (m + 1) ( n 2) (m 1) ( n 2) elements. 12 / 35

13 My related work In the proof I used Alon s Combinatorial Nullstellensatz and Dirichlet s unit theorem in Algebraic Number Theory. The theorem follows from my stronger results on sumsets with polynomial restrictions for which we need the following auxiliary result. Lemma (Sun). Let R be a commutative ring with identity. Let A = (a ij ) 1 i,j n be a matrix over R, and let k, m 1,..., m n N. (i) If m 1 m n k, then we have [x k 1 x k n ] a ij x m i j ( k ) kn n i=1 1 i,j n x m i s s=1 (ii) If m 1 < < m n k then [x k 1 x k n ] a ij x m i j 1 i,j n 1 i<j n = (kn n i=1 m i)! n i=1 (k m det(a). i)! ( n ) kn ( n 2) n i=1 m i (x j x i ) x s (kn ( n = ( 1) (n 2) 2) n i=1 m i)! n i=1 m i <j k (j m i ) per(a), j m i+1,...,mn 13 / 35 s=1

14 My result of dimension three Theorem [Z. W. Sun, Math. Res. Lett., 15(2008)] Let G be any additive abelian group with cyclic torsion subgroup, and let A, B, C be subsets of G with cardinality n Z +. Then we can write A = {a 1,..., a n }, B = {b 1,..., b n } and C = {c 1,..., c n } such that a 1 + b 1 + c 1, a 2 + b 2 + c 2,..., a n + b n + c n are pairwise distinct. Corollary Let N be any positive integer. For the N N N Latin cube over Z/NZ formed by the Cayley addition table, each n n n subcube with n N contains a Latin transversal. Conjecture (Z. W. Sun [Math. Res. Lett. 15(2008)]) Every n n n Latin cube contains a Latin transversal. 14 / 35

15 A general result on restricted sumsets (joint with L. Zhao) Theorem (Z. W. Sun & L. Zhao [J. Combin. Theory Ser A 119(2012)] Let P(x 1,..., x n ) be a polynomial over a field F. Suppose that k 1,..., k n are nonnegative integers with k k n = deg P and [x k 1 1 x n kn ]P(x 1,..., x n ) 0. Let A 1,..., A n be finite subsets of F with A i > k i for i = 1,..., n. Then, for the restricted sumset C = {x 1 + +x n : x 1 A 1,..., x n A n, and P(x 1,..., x n ) 0}, we have C min{p(f ) deg P, A A n n 2 deg P + 1}, where p(f ) = if F is of characteristic zero, and p(f ) = p if F is of prime characteristic p. Remark. In the proof we apply the Combinatorial Nullstellensatz twice. 15 / 35

16 The DKSS Conjecture The DKSS Conjecture (Dasgupta, Károlyi, Serra and Szegedy [Israel J. Math., 2001]). Let G be a finite abelian group with G > 1, and let p(g) be the smallest prime divisor of G. Let k < p(g) be a positive integer. Assume that A = {a 1, a 2,..., a k } is a k-subset of G and b 1, b 2,..., b k are (not necessarily distinct) elements of G. Then there is a permutation π S k such that a 1 b π(1),..., a k b π(k) are distinct. Remark. When G = Z p = Z/pZ, the DKSS conjecture reduces to Alon s result. DKSS proved their conjecture for Z p n and Z n p via the Combinatorial Nullstellensatz. W. D. Gao and D. J. Wang [Israel J. Math. 2004]: The DKSS conjecture holds when k < p(g), or G is an abelian p-group and k < 2p. 16 / 35

17 A Recent Result of Feng, Sun and Xiang Theorem [T. Feng, Z. W. Sun & Q. Xiang, Israel J. Math., 182(2011)]. Let G be a finite abelian group with G > 1. Let A = {a 1,..., a k } be a k-subset of G and let b 1,..., b k G, where k < p = p(g). Then there is a permutation π S k such that a 1 b π(1),..., a k b π(k) are distinct, provided either of (i)-(iii). (i) A or B is contained in a p-subgroup of G. (ii) Any prime divisor of G other than p is greater than k!. (iii) There is an a G such that a i = a i for all i = 1,..., k. Remark. By this result, the DKSS conjecture holds for any abelian p-group! Tools: Characters of abelian groups, exterior algebras. Below I ll introduce the work of Feng-Sun-Xiang by avoiding exterior algebra. 17 / 35

18 Characterize the distinction of elements a 1,..., a k (in a field) are distinct 1 i<j k (a j a i ) 0. Let a 1,..., a k be elements of a finite abelian group G. How to characterize that a 1,..., a k are distinct? We need the character group Ĝ = {χ : G K \ {0} : χ(ab) = χ(a)χ(b) for any a, b G}, where K is a field having an element of multiplicative order G. It is well known that Ĝ = G. Lemma 1 (Feng-Sun-Xiang) a 1,..., a k G are distinct if and only if there are χ 1,..., χ k Ĝ such that det(χ i (a j )) 1 i,j k 0. Proof. If a s = a t for some 1 s < t k, then for any χ 1,..., χ k Ĝ the determinant det(χ i(a j )) 1 i,j k vanishes since the sth column and tth column of the matrix (χ i (a j )) 1 i,j k are identical. 18 / 35

19 Continue the proof Now suppose that a 1,..., a k are distinct. If the characteristic of K is a prime p dividing G, then (x G /p 1) p = x G 1 for all x K, which contradicts the assumption that K contains an element of multiplicative order G. So we have G 1 0, where 1 is the identity of the field K. It is well known that { 0, if a G \ {e}, χ(a) = G 1, if a = e. χ Ĝ To show that there are χ 1,..., χ k Ĝ such that det(χ i (a j )) 1 i,j k 0, we make the following observation. 19 / 35

20 Continue the proof χ 1,...,χ k Ĝ = χ 1,...,χ k Ĝ χ 1 (a1 1 ) χ k(a 1 ) det(χ i(a j )) 1 i,j k k χ 1 (a1 1 ) χ k(a 1 ) k ε(π) χ i (a π(i) ) π S k = k ε(π) χ 1,...,χ k Ĝ π S k i=1 = k ε(π) π S k =ε(i ) i=1 χ i Ĝ k χ i (a π(i) a 1 i ) χ i (a π(i) a 1 i ) k ( G 1) = ( G 1) k 0, i=1 where I is the identity permutation in S k. i=1 20 / 35

21 Another Lemma Lemma 2 (Feng-Sun-Xiang). Let a 1,..., a k, b 1,..., b k G and χ 1,..., χ k Ĝ. If det(χ i (a j )) 1 i,j k ) and per(χ i (b j )) 1 i,j k ) are nonzero, then for some π S k the products a 1 b π(1),..., a k b π(k) are distinct. Proof. By Lemma 1 it suffice to show that det(χ i (a j b π(j) )) 1 i,j k 0 for some π S k. Note that det(χ i (a j b π(j) )) 1 i,j k π S k = k ε(σ) χ i (a σ(i) b π(σ(i)) ) π S k σ S k i=1 = k ε(σ) χ i (a σ(i) ) k χ i (b πσ(i) ) σ S k i=1 π S k i=1 = det(χ i (a j )) 1 i,j k per(χ i (b j )) 1 i,j k / 35

22 One more lemma Lemma 3 (Z. W. Sun, Trans. AMS 1996; Combinatorica, 2003) Let λ 1,..., λ k be complex nth roots of unity. Suppose that c 1 λ c k λ k = 0, where c 1,..., c k are nonnegative integers. Then c c k can be written in the form p n px p, where the sum is over all prime divisors of n and the x p are nonnegative integers. Tools for the proof. Galois group of cyclotomic extension, Newton s identity for symmetric functions. Corollary. Let p be a prime and let a Z +. If λ 1,... λ k are p a th roots of unity with λ λ k = 0, then k 0 (mod p). 22 / 35

23 Proof of the DKSS conjecture for abelian p-groups Let G be an abelian p-group with G = p a > 1 and let a 1,..., a k be distinct elements of G with k < p. Let b 1,..., b k be a sequence of (not necessarily distinct) elements of G. Let Ĝ be the group of all complex-valued characters of G. As a 1,..., a k are distinct, by Lemma 1 there are χ 1,..., χ k Ĝ such that det(χ i (a j )) 1 i,j k 0. Since all those χ i (b j ) are p a th roots of unity and S k = k! 0 (mod p), by Lemma 3 we have per(χ i (b j )) 1 i,j k = π S k k χ i (b π(i) ) 0. Applying Lemma 2 we see that for some π S k the products a 1 b π(1),..., a k b π(k) are distinct! i=1 23 / 35

24 Open Problem How to prove the DKSS conjecture for general finite abelian groups? In particular, how to prove the DKSS conjecture for the cyclic group Z/nZ? 24 / 35

25 A conjecture implying Snevily s conjecture Conjecture (Feng, Sun and Xiang, 2009) Let G be a finite abelian group, and let A = {a 1,..., a k } and B = {b 1,..., b k } be two k-subsets of G. Let K be any field containing an element of multiplicative order G, and let Ĝ be the character group of all group homomorphisms from G to K = K \ {0}. Then there are χ 1,..., χ k Ĝ such that det(χ i(a j )) 1 i,j k and det(χ i (b j )) 1 i,j k are both nonzero. Remark. When G is cyclic, we may take χ i = χ i for i = 1,..., k, where χ is a generator of Ĝ. Then the two determinants det(χ i (a j )) 1 i,j k and det(χ i (b j )) 1 i,j k in the above conjecture are both nonzero since they are Vandermonde determinants. Therefore the conjecture is true for cyclic groups. 25 / 35

26 A Result of Feng, Sun and Xiang Theorem (FSX) (i) The conjecture of FSX implies Snevily s conjecture. (ii) Let G, A, B, Ĝ be as in the conjecture of FSX. Assume that there is a π S k such that C = {a 1 b π(1),..., a k b π(k) } is a k-set with {a 1 b τ(1),..., a k b τ(k) } C for all τ S k \ {π}. Then there are χ 1,..., χ k Ĝ such that det(χ i (a j )) 1 i,j k det(χ i (b j )) 1 i,j k 0. Also, there are χ 1,..., χ k Ĝ such that det(χ i (a j )) 1 i,j k per(χ i (b j )) 1 i,j k 0, and there are ψ 1,..., ψ k Ĝ such that per(ψ i (a j )) 1 i,j k per(ψ i (b j )) 1 i,j k / 35

27 Arsovski solved the Snevily conjecture In 2010 B. Arsovski [Israel J. Math. 182(2011)] proved Snevily s conjecture fully! A key lemma is closely related to the conditions in part (ii) of the above result of FSX. Combinatorial Lemma of Arsovski. Let A = {a 1,..., a k } and B = {b 1,..., b k } be k-subsets of an arbitrary abelian group G. Then, there exists a permutation π S k such that for any permutation σ S k \ {π}, the multisets {a 1 b π(1),..., a k b π(k) } and {a 1 b σ(1),..., a k b σ(k) } are different. Motivated by Arsovski s solution to Snevily s conjecture, G. Harcos, G. Károlyi, G. Kós [arxiv: ] confirmed the conjecture of FSX. 27 / 35

28 Proof of Arsovski s Combinatorial Lemma The lemma is trivial for k = 1. For k = 2 we may just let π be the identity of S k = S 2 since the multi-sets {a 1 b 1, a 2 b 2 } and {a 1 b 2, a 2 b 1 } are different. Now let k > 2 and assume that the lemma holds for smaller values of k. Take g = a 1 b 1, and set I = {1 i k : a i b j = g for some 1 j k} and I = {1,..., k} \ I. For each i I, let π(i) be the unique j {1,..., k} with a i b j = g. Clearly, all those π(i) with i I are distinct. If I = {1,..., k}, then a 1 b π(1) =... = a k b π(k) = g and the two multi-sets {a i b σ(i) : i = 1,..., k} and {a i b π(i) : i = 1,..., k} are different for any σ S k \ {π}. 28 / 35

29 Proof of Arsovski s Combinatorial Lemma (continued) Now let I. By the induction hypothesis to the (k I )-subsets A = {a i : i Ī } and B = {b j : j {1,..., k} \ {π(i) : i I }}, there is a permutation π on I such that for any other permutation σ on I the multi-sets {a i b π (i) : i I } and {a i b σ (i) : i Ī } are different. Let π(i) = π (i) for all i I. Then π S k. Suppose that σ is a permutation in S k with the two multi-sets {a 1 b π(1),..., a k b π(k) } and {a 1 b σ(1),..., a k b σ(k) } equal. As g appears in the first multi-set exactly I times, it also appears in the second multi-set exactly I times. So σ(i) = π(i) for all i I. Since the muti-sets {a i b π (i) : i I } and {a i b σ(i) : i I } are equal, σ(i) = π (i) for all i I. Therefore σ = π. This concludes the proof. 29 / 35

30 Arsovski s proof of Snevily s conjecture Let F be a field of characteristic 2 containing an element of multiplicative order m = G and consider its purely transcendental extension K = F (t 1,..., t m ). The character group Ĝ = {χ : G K \ {0} χ(ab) = χ(a)χ(b) for all a, b G} is isomorphic to G, and the characters in Ĝ form a basis of the vector space V := {maps from G to K} over the field K. Write G = {g 1,..., g m } and define f (g i ) = t i for i = 1,..., m. By Arsovski s combinatorial lemma, there is a permutation π S k such that for any σ S k \ {π} the two multi-sets {a i b π(i) : i = 1,..., k} and {a i b σ(i) : i = 1,..., k} are different. Suppose that each g j (1 j m) occurs in the multi-set {a i b π(i) : i = 1,..., k} exactly k j times. Then D =: det(f (a i b j )) 1 i,j n 0 since its expansion contains the monomial t k tkm m only once. 30 / 35

31 Arsovski s proof of Snevily s conjecture (continued) Write Ĝ = {χ 1,..., χ m } and f = c 1 χ c m χ m with c 1,..., c m K. Then D = det(σ m s=1c s χ s (a i b j )) = = = = = 1 s 1,...,s k m distinct 1 s 1 <...<s k m m... s 1 =1 det(c si χ si (a i b j )) 1 s 1 <...<s k m σ S k 1 s 1 <...<s k m m det(c si χ si (a i b j )) s k =1 σ S k det(c sσ(i) χ sσ(i) (a i b j )) τ S k ε(τ) k c sσ(i) χ sσ(i) (a i b τ(i) ) i=1 c s1 c sk ε(τ) τ S k σ S k i=1 k χ sσ(i) (a i b τ(i) ). 31 / 35

32 Arsovski s proof of Snevily s conjecture (continued) Recall that K is of characteristic 2. Thus D = 1 s 1 <...<s k m c s1 c sk τ S k det(χ sj (a i b τ(i) ). Since D 0, for some 1 s 1 <... < s k m and τ S k we have det(χ sj (a i b τ(i) ) 0 and hence a 1 b τ(1),..., a k b τ(k) are distinct. Comments from a book of D. J. Grynkiewicz: Snevily s conjecture was finally solved by Arsovski, aided by the preparatory work of Feng, Sun and Xiang who had already shown that Snevily s conjecture could be deduced from a weakened version of Theorem 18.2, which remained a conjecture at the time. 32 / 35

33 Two conjectures implying Snevily s conjecture Conjecture 1 (Z.-W. Sun, 2017). Let G be any additive abelian group, and let b 1,..., b n be distinct elements of G with odd order. If A 1,..., A n are subsets of G with cardinality n, then there are distinct a 1 A 1,..., a n A n such that a 1 + b 1,..., a n + b n are pairwise distinct. Remark. By my work in [JCTA 2003] and [Math. Res. Lett. 2008], this conjecture holds for cyclic groups. Conjecture 2 (Z.-W. Sun, 2017). Let G be any additive abelian group, and let A and B be two subsets of G with A = B = n Z + then we can write A = {a 1,..., a n } and B = {b 1,..., b n } such that either a 1 + 2b 1,..., a n + 2b n are pairwise distinct or 2a 1 + b 1,..., 2a n + b n are pairwise distinct. Remark. By the author s work in arxiv: , this conjecture holds if G is torsion-free and A is equal to B. When G is odd, Conjecture 2 is equivalent to Snevily s conjecture which has been confirmed. 33 / 35

34 A conjecture for general abelian groups Conjecture (Sun, ). Let G be any abelian group, and let A be a finite subset of G with A = n > 3. Then there is a numbering a 1,..., a n of all the n elements of A such that a 1 +a 2 +a 3, a 2 +a 3 +a 4,..., a n 2 +a n 1 +a n, a n 1 +a n +a 1, a n +a 1 +a 2 are pairwise distinct. Remark. For a finite abelian group G = {a 1, a 2,..., a n }, it is easy to see that 2(a a n ) = 0. Theorem (Sun, ). The conjecture holds for any torsion-free abelian group G. Remark. (1) I became too tired and ill immediately after I spent the whole day to finish the proof of this theorem. (2) The conjecture is even open for cyclic groups of prime orders. I d like to offer a prize of 500 US dollars for the first complete proof of the conjecture. 34 / 35

35 Thank you! 35 / 35

Problems and Results in Additive Combinatorics

Problems and Results in Additive Combinatorics Problems and Results in Additive Combinatorics Zhi-Wei Sun Nanjing University Nanjing 210093, P. R. China zwsun@nju.edu.cn http://math.nju.edu.cn/ zwsun August 2, 2010 While in the past many of the basic

More information

J. Combin. Theory Ser. A 116(2009), no. 8, A NEW EXTENSION OF THE ERDŐS-HEILBRONN CONJECTURE

J. Combin. Theory Ser. A 116(2009), no. 8, A NEW EXTENSION OF THE ERDŐS-HEILBRONN CONJECTURE J. Combin. Theory Ser. A 116(2009), no. 8, 1374 1381. A NEW EXTENSION OF THE ERDŐS-HEILBRONN CONJECTURE Hao Pan and Zhi-Wei Sun Department of Mathematics, Naning University Naning 210093, People s Republic

More information

arxiv:math.gr/ v1 12 Nov 2004

arxiv:math.gr/ v1 12 Nov 2004 A talk given at the Institute of Math. Science, Nanjing Univ. on Oct. 8, 2004. GROUPS AND COMBINATORIAL NUMBER THEORY arxiv:math.gr/0411289 v1 12 Nov 2004 Zhi-Wei Sun Department of Mathematics Nanjing

More information

A talk given at the University of California at Irvine on Jan. 19, 2006.

A talk given at the University of California at Irvine on Jan. 19, 2006. A talk given at the University of California at Irvine on Jan. 19, 2006. A SURVEY OF ZERO-SUM PROBLEMS ON ABELIAN GROUPS Zhi-Wei Sun Department of Mathematics Nanjing University Nanjing 210093 People s

More information

Additive Latin Transversals

Additive Latin Transversals Additive Latin Transversals Noga Alon Abstract We prove that for every odd prime p, every k p and every two subsets A = {a 1,..., a k } and B = {b 1,..., b k } of cardinality k each of Z p, there is a

More information

Combinatorial Number Theory in China

Combinatorial Number Theory in China Combinatorial Number Theory in China Zhi-Wei Sun Nanjing University Nanjing 210093, P. R. China zwsun@nju.edu.cn http://math.nju.edu.cn/ zwsun Nov. 6, 2009 While in the past many of the basic combinatorial

More information

Acta Arith., 140(2009), no. 4, ON BIALOSTOCKI S CONJECTURE FOR ZERO-SUM SEQUENCES. 1. Introduction

Acta Arith., 140(2009), no. 4, ON BIALOSTOCKI S CONJECTURE FOR ZERO-SUM SEQUENCES. 1. Introduction Acta Arith., 140(009), no. 4, 39 334. ON BIALOSTOCKI S CONJECTURE FOR ZERO-SUM SEQUENCES SONG GUO AND ZHI-WEI SUN* arxiv:081.174v3 [math.co] 16 Dec 009 Abstract. Let n be a positive even integer, and let

More information

A talk given at the Institute of Mathematics (Beijing, June 29, 2008)

A talk given at the Institute of Mathematics (Beijing, June 29, 2008) A talk given at the Institute of Mathematics (Beijing, June 29, 2008) STUDY COVERS OF GROUPS VIA CHARACTERS AND NUMBER THEORY Zhi-Wei Sun Department of Mathematics Nanjing University Nanjing 210093, P.

More information

A talk given at Suzhou Univ. (June 19) and Nankai Univ. (June 25, 2008) Zhi-Wei Sun

A talk given at Suzhou Univ. (June 19) and Nankai Univ. (June 25, 2008) Zhi-Wei Sun A talk given at Suzhou Univ. (June 19) and Nankai Univ. (June 25, 2008) AN EXTREMAL PROBLEM ON COVERS OF ABELIAN GROUPS Zhi-Wei Sun Department of Mathematics Nanjing University Nanjing 210093, P. R. China

More information

UNIFICATION OF ZERO-SUM PROBLEMS, SUBSET SUMS AND COVERS OF Z

UNIFICATION OF ZERO-SUM PROBLEMS, SUBSET SUMS AND COVERS OF Z ELECTRONIC RESEARCH ANNOUNCEMENTS OF THE AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY Volume 9, Pages 51 60 (July 10, 2003) S 1079-6762(03)00111-2 UNIFICATION OF ZERO-SUM PROBLEMS, SUBSET SUMS AND COVERS OF Z ZHI-WEI

More information

Zhi-Wei Sun Department of Mathematics, Nanjing University Nanjing , People s Republic of China. Received 8 July 2005; accepted 2 February 2006

Zhi-Wei Sun Department of Mathematics, Nanjing University Nanjing , People s Republic of China. Received 8 July 2005; accepted 2 February 2006 Adv in Appl Math 382007, no 2, 267 274 A CONNECTION BETWEEN COVERS OF THE INTEGERS AND UNIT FRACTIONS Zhi-Wei Sun Department of Mathematics, Nanjing University Nanjing 20093, People s Republic of China

More information

Some new representation problems involving primes

Some new representation problems involving primes A talk given at Hong Kong Univ. (May 3, 2013) and 2013 ECNU q-series Workshop (Shanghai, July 30) Some new representation problems involving primes Zhi-Wei Sun Nanjing University Nanjing 210093, P. R.

More information

Spectra of Semidirect Products of Cyclic Groups

Spectra of Semidirect Products of Cyclic Groups Spectra of Semidirect Products of Cyclic Groups Nathan Fox 1 University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Abstract The spectrum of a graph is the set of eigenvalues of its adjacency matrix A group, together with

More information

Weighted Sequences in Finite Cyclic Groups

Weighted Sequences in Finite Cyclic Groups Weighted Sequences in Finite Cyclic Groups David J. Grynkiewicz and Jujuan Zhuang December 11, 008 Abstract Let p > 7 be a prime, let G = Z/pZ, and let S 1 = p gi and S = p hi be two sequences with terms

More information

CSIR - Algebra Problems

CSIR - Algebra Problems CSIR - Algebra Problems N. Annamalai DST - INSPIRE Fellow (SRF) Department of Mathematics Bharathidasan University Tiruchirappalli -620024 E-mail: algebra.annamalai@gmail.com Website: https://annamalaimaths.wordpress.com

More information

The group (Z/nZ) February 17, In these notes we figure out the structure of the unit group (Z/nZ) where n > 1 is an integer.

The group (Z/nZ) February 17, In these notes we figure out the structure of the unit group (Z/nZ) where n > 1 is an integer. The group (Z/nZ) February 17, 2016 1 Introduction In these notes we figure out the structure of the unit group (Z/nZ) where n > 1 is an integer. If we factor n = p e 1 1 pe, where the p i s are distinct

More information

Introduction to Lucas Sequences

Introduction to Lucas Sequences A talk given at Liaoning Normal Univ. (Dec. 14, 017) Introduction to Lucas Sequences Zhi-Wei Sun Nanjing University Nanjing 10093, P. R. China zwsun@nju.edu.cn http://math.nju.edu.cn/ zwsun Dec. 14, 017

More information

On the grasshopper problem with signed jumps

On the grasshopper problem with signed jumps On the grasshopper problem with signed jumps Géza Kós Abstract arxiv:1008.2936v3 [math.co] 15 Aug 2011 The 6th problem of the 50th International Mathematical Olympiad IMO), held in Germany, 2009, was the

More information

Smith theory. Andrew Putman. Abstract

Smith theory. Andrew Putman. Abstract Smith theory Andrew Putman Abstract We discuss theorems of P. Smith and Floyd connecting the cohomology of a simplicial complex equipped with an action of a finite p-group to the cohomology of its fixed

More information

Some New Diophantine Problems

Some New Diophantine Problems A talk given at the Confer. on Diophantine Analysis and Related Topics (Wuhan, March 10-13, 2016) Some New Diophantine Problems Zhi-Wei Sun Nanjing University Nanjing 210093, P. R. China zwsun@nju.edu.cn

More information

Definitions. Notations. Injective, Surjective and Bijective. Divides. Cartesian Product. Relations. Equivalence Relations

Definitions. Notations. Injective, Surjective and Bijective. Divides. Cartesian Product. Relations. Equivalence Relations Page 1 Definitions Tuesday, May 8, 2018 12:23 AM Notations " " means "equals, by definition" the set of all real numbers the set of integers Denote a function from a set to a set by Denote the image of

More information

Integer Sequences Avoiding Prime Pairwise Sums

Integer Sequences Avoiding Prime Pairwise Sums 1 3 47 6 3 11 Journal of Integer Sequences, Vol. 11 (008), Article 08.5.6 Integer Sequences Avoiding Prime Pairwise Sums Yong-Gao Chen 1 Department of Mathematics Nanjing Normal University Nanjing 10097

More information

NOTES ON FINITE FIELDS

NOTES ON FINITE FIELDS NOTES ON FINITE FIELDS AARON LANDESMAN CONTENTS 1. Introduction to finite fields 2 2. Definition and constructions of fields 3 2.1. The definition of a field 3 2.2. Constructing field extensions by adjoining

More information

A SHARP RESULT ON m-covers. Hao Pan and Zhi-Wei Sun

A SHARP RESULT ON m-covers. Hao Pan and Zhi-Wei Sun Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 35(2007), no., 355 3520. A SHARP RESULT ON m-covers Hao Pan and Zhi-Wei Sun Abstract. Let A = a s + Z k s= be a finite system of arithmetic sequences which forms an m-cover of Z

More information

A lattice point problem and additive number theory

A lattice point problem and additive number theory A lattice point problem and additive number theory Noga Alon and Moshe Dubiner Department of Mathematics Raymond and Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel Abstract

More information

D-MATH Algebra II FS18 Prof. Marc Burger. Solution 26. Cyclotomic extensions.

D-MATH Algebra II FS18 Prof. Marc Burger. Solution 26. Cyclotomic extensions. D-MAH Algebra II FS18 Prof. Marc Burger Solution 26 Cyclotomic extensions. In the following, ϕ : Z 1 Z 0 is the Euler function ϕ(n = card ((Z/nZ. For each integer n 1, we consider the n-th cyclotomic polynomial

More information

Polygonal Numbers, Primes and Ternary Quadratic Forms

Polygonal Numbers, Primes and Ternary Quadratic Forms Polygonal Numbers, Primes and Ternary Quadratic Forms Zhi-Wei Sun Nanjing University Nanjing 210093, P. R. China zwsun@nju.edu.cn http://math.nju.edu.cn/ zwsun August 26, 2009 Modern number theory has

More information

On Arithmetic Properties of Bell Numbers, Delannoy Numbers and Schröder Numbers

On Arithmetic Properties of Bell Numbers, Delannoy Numbers and Schröder Numbers A tal given at the Institute of Mathematics, Academia Sinica (Taiwan (Taipei; July 6, 2011 On Arithmetic Properties of Bell Numbers, Delannoy Numbers and Schröder Numbers Zhi-Wei Sun Nanjing University

More information

ON MATCHINGS IN GROUPS

ON MATCHINGS IN GROUPS ON MATCHINGS IN GROUPS JOZSEF LOSONCZY Abstract. A matching property conceived for lattices is examined in the context of an arbitrary abelian group. The Dyson e-transform and the Cauchy Davenport inequality

More information

FIELD THEORY. Contents

FIELD THEORY. Contents FIELD THEORY MATH 552 Contents 1. Algebraic Extensions 1 1.1. Finite and Algebraic Extensions 1 1.2. Algebraic Closure 5 1.3. Splitting Fields 7 1.4. Separable Extensions 8 1.5. Inseparable Extensions

More information

The Riddle of Primes

The Riddle of Primes A talk given at Dalian Univ. of Technology (Nov. 16, 2012) and Nankai University (Dec. 1, 2012) The Riddle of Primes Zhi-Wei Sun Nanjing University Nanjing 210093, P. R. China zwsun@nju.edu.cn http://math.nju.edu.cn/

More information

On Systems of Diagonal Forms II

On Systems of Diagonal Forms II On Systems of Diagonal Forms II Michael P Knapp 1 Introduction In a recent paper [8], we considered the system F of homogeneous additive forms F 1 (x) = a 11 x k 1 1 + + a 1s x k 1 s F R (x) = a R1 x k

More information

(n = 0, 1, 2,... ). (2)

(n = 0, 1, 2,... ). (2) Bull. Austral. Math. Soc. 84(2011), no. 1, 153 158. ON A CURIOUS PROPERTY OF BELL NUMBERS Zhi-Wei Sun and Don Zagier Abstract. In this paper we derive congruences expressing Bell numbers and derangement

More information

AUTOMORPHISM GROUPS AND SPECTRA OF CIRCULANT GRAPHS

AUTOMORPHISM GROUPS AND SPECTRA OF CIRCULANT GRAPHS AUTOMORPHISM GROUPS AND SPECTRA OF CIRCULANT GRAPHS MAX GOLDBERG Abstract. We explore ways to concisely describe circulant graphs, highly symmetric graphs with properties that are easier to generalize

More information

Algebra SEP Solutions

Algebra SEP Solutions Algebra SEP Solutions 17 July 2017 1. (January 2017 problem 1) For example: (a) G = Z/4Z, N = Z/2Z. More generally, G = Z/p n Z, N = Z/pZ, p any prime number, n 2. Also G = Z, N = nz for any n 2, since

More information

MATH 101A: ALGEBRA I, PART D: GALOIS THEORY 11

MATH 101A: ALGEBRA I, PART D: GALOIS THEORY 11 MATH 101A: ALGEBRA I, PART D: GALOIS THEORY 11 3. Examples I did some examples and explained the theory at the same time. 3.1. roots of unity. Let L = Q(ζ) where ζ = e 2πi/5 is a primitive 5th root of

More information

Latin square determinants and permanents Ken Johnson Penn State Abington College (Joint work with D. Donovan and I. Wanless)

Latin square determinants and permanents Ken Johnson Penn State Abington College (Joint work with D. Donovan and I. Wanless) Latin square determinants and permanents Ken Johnson Penn State Abington College (Joint work with D. Donovan and I. Wanless) Outline 1)The basic idea 2) Motivation 3) Summary of the group case 4) Results

More information

Name: Solutions Final Exam

Name: Solutions Final Exam Instructions. Answer each of the questions on your own paper. Be sure to show your work so that partial credit can be adequately assessed. Put your name on each page of your paper. 1. [10 Points] All of

More information

Roots of Polynomials in Subgroups of F p and Applications to Congruences

Roots of Polynomials in Subgroups of F p and Applications to Congruences Roots of Polynomials in Subgroups of F p and Applications to Congruences Enrico Bombieri, Jean Bourgain, Sergei Konyagin IAS, Princeton, IAS Princeton, Moscow State University The decimation problem Let

More information

Math 429/581 (Advanced) Group Theory. Summary of Definitions, Examples, and Theorems by Stefan Gille

Math 429/581 (Advanced) Group Theory. Summary of Definitions, Examples, and Theorems by Stefan Gille Math 429/581 (Advanced) Group Theory Summary of Definitions, Examples, and Theorems by Stefan Gille 1 2 0. Group Operations 0.1. Definition. Let G be a group and X a set. A (left) operation of G on X is

More information

CYCLICITY OF (Z/(p))

CYCLICITY OF (Z/(p)) CYCLICITY OF (Z/(p)) KEITH CONRAD 1. Introduction For each prime p, the group (Z/(p)) is cyclic. We will give seven proofs of this fundamental result. A common feature of the proofs that (Z/(p)) is cyclic

More information

Zero-sum sets of prescribed size

Zero-sum sets of prescribed size Zero-sum sets of prescribed size Noga Alon and Moshe Dubiner Department of Mathematics Raymond and Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel Abstract Erdős, Ginzburg

More information

Congruent Number Problem and Elliptic curves

Congruent Number Problem and Elliptic curves Congruent Number Problem and Elliptic curves December 12, 2010 Contents 1 Congruent Number problem 2 1.1 1 is not a congruent number.................................. 2 2 Certain Elliptic Curves 4 3 Using

More information

GRE Subject test preparation Spring 2016 Topic: Abstract Algebra, Linear Algebra, Number Theory.

GRE Subject test preparation Spring 2016 Topic: Abstract Algebra, Linear Algebra, Number Theory. GRE Subject test preparation Spring 2016 Topic: Abstract Algebra, Linear Algebra, Number Theory. Linear Algebra Standard matrix manipulation to compute the kernel, intersection of subspaces, column spaces,

More information

Counting bases of representable matroids

Counting bases of representable matroids Counting bases of representable matroids Michael Snook School of Mathematics, Statistics and Operations Research Victoria University of Wellington Wellington, New Zealand michael.snook@msor.vuw.ac.nz Submitted:

More information

Zhi-Wei Sun Department of Mathematics, Nanjing University Nanjing , People s Republic of China

Zhi-Wei Sun Department of Mathematics, Nanjing University Nanjing , People s Republic of China J. Number Theory 16(016), 190 11. A RESULT SIMILAR TO LAGRANGE S THEOREM Zhi-Wei Sun Department of Mathematics, Nanjing University Nanjing 10093, People s Republic of China zwsun@nju.edu.cn http://math.nju.edu.cn/

More information

Contradiction. Theorem 1.9. (Artin) Let G be a finite group of automorphisms of E and F = E G the fixed field of G. Then [E : F ] G.

Contradiction. Theorem 1.9. (Artin) Let G be a finite group of automorphisms of E and F = E G the fixed field of G. Then [E : F ] G. 1. Galois Theory 1.1. A homomorphism of fields F F is simply a homomorphism of rings. Such a homomorphism is always injective, because its kernel is a proper ideal (it doesnt contain 1), which must therefore

More information

On the singular elements of a semisimple Lie algebra and the generalized Amitsur-Levitski Theorem

On the singular elements of a semisimple Lie algebra and the generalized Amitsur-Levitski Theorem On the singular elements of a semisimple Lie algebra and the generalized Amitsur-Levitski Theorem Bertram Kostant, MIT Conference on Representations of Reductive Groups Salt Lake City, Utah July 10, 2013

More information

ON PERMUTATION POLYNOMIALS OF PRESCRIBED SHAPE

ON PERMUTATION POLYNOMIALS OF PRESCRIBED SHAPE ON PERMUTATION POLYNOMIALS OF PRESCRIBED SHAPE AMIR AKBARY, DRAGOS GHIOCA, AND QIANG WANG Abstract. We count permutation polynomials of F q which are sums of m + 2 monomials of prescribed degrees. This

More information

ON VALUES OF CYCLOTOMIC POLYNOMIALS. V

ON VALUES OF CYCLOTOMIC POLYNOMIALS. V Math. J. Okayama Univ. 45 (2003), 29 36 ON VALUES OF CYCLOTOMIC POLYNOMIALS. V Dedicated to emeritus professor Kazuo Kishimoto on his seventieth birthday Kaoru MOTOSE In this paper, using properties of

More information

A LOWER BOUND FOR THE SIZE OF A MINKOWSKI SUM OF DILATES. 1. Introduction

A LOWER BOUND FOR THE SIZE OF A MINKOWSKI SUM OF DILATES. 1. Introduction A LOWER BOUND FOR THE SIZE OF A MINKOWSKI SUM OF DILATES Y. O. HAMIDOUNE AND J. RUÉ Abstract. Let A be a finite nonempty set of integers. An asymptotic estimate of several dilates sum size was obtained

More information

MATH 3030, Abstract Algebra FALL 2012 Toby Kenney Midyear Examination Friday 7th December: 7:00-10:00 PM

MATH 3030, Abstract Algebra FALL 2012 Toby Kenney Midyear Examination Friday 7th December: 7:00-10:00 PM MATH 3030, Abstract Algebra FALL 2012 Toby Kenney Midyear Examination Friday 7th December: 7:00-10:00 PM Basic Questions 1. Compute the factor group Z 3 Z 9 / (1, 6). The subgroup generated by (1, 6) is

More information

The primitive root theorem

The primitive root theorem The primitive root theorem Mar Steinberger First recall that if R is a ring, then a R is a unit if there exists b R with ab = ba = 1. The collection of all units in R is denoted R and forms a group under

More information

Simple groups and the classification of finite groups

Simple groups and the classification of finite groups Simple groups and the classification of finite groups 1 Finite groups of small order How can we describe all finite groups? Before we address this question, let s write down a list of all the finite groups

More information

Maximal Class Numbers of CM Number Fields

Maximal Class Numbers of CM Number Fields Maximal Class Numbers of CM Number Fields R. C. Daileda R. Krishnamoorthy A. Malyshev Abstract Fix a totally real number field F of degree at least 2. Under the assumptions of the generalized Riemann hypothesis

More information

Zero sum partition of Abelian groups into sets of the same order and its applications

Zero sum partition of Abelian groups into sets of the same order and its applications Zero sum partition of Abelian groups into sets of the same order and its applications Sylwia Cichacz Faculty of Applied Mathematics AGH University of Science and Technology Al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Kraków,

More information

NOTES FOR DRAGOS: MATH 210 CLASS 12, THURS. FEB. 22

NOTES FOR DRAGOS: MATH 210 CLASS 12, THURS. FEB. 22 NOTES FOR DRAGOS: MATH 210 CLASS 12, THURS. FEB. 22 RAVI VAKIL Hi Dragos The class is in 381-T, 1:15 2:30. This is the very end of Galois theory; you ll also start commutative ring theory. Tell them: midterm

More information

DISCRIMINANTS, SYMMETRIZED GRAPH MONOMIALS, AND SUMS OF SQUARES

DISCRIMINANTS, SYMMETRIZED GRAPH MONOMIALS, AND SUMS OF SQUARES DISCRIMINANTS, SYMMETRIZED GRAPH MONOMIALS, AND SUMS OF SQUARES PER ALEXANDERSSON AND BORIS SHAPIRO Abstract. Motivated by the necessities of the invariant theory of binary forms J. J. Sylvester constructed

More information

k 2r n k n n k) k 2r+1 k 2r (1.1)

k 2r n k n n k) k 2r+1 k 2r (1.1) J. Number Theory 130(010, no. 1, 701 706. ON -ADIC ORDERS OF SOME BINOMIAL SUMS Hao Pan and Zhi-Wei Sun Abstract. We prove that for any nonnegative integers n and r the binomial sum ( n k r is divisible

More information

A talk given at University of Wisconsin at Madison (April 6, 2006). Zhi-Wei Sun

A talk given at University of Wisconsin at Madison (April 6, 2006). Zhi-Wei Sun A tal given at University of Wisconsin at Madison April 6, 2006. RECENT PROGRESS ON CONGRUENCES INVOLVING BINOMIAL COEFFICIENTS Zhi-Wei Sun Department of Mathematics Nanjing University Nanjing 210093,

More information

On the size of autotopism groups of Latin squares.

On the size of autotopism groups of Latin squares. On the size of autotopism groups of Latin squares. Douglas Stones and Ian M. Wanless School of Mathematical Sciences Monash University VIC 3800 Australia {douglas.stones, ian.wanless}@sci.monash.edu.au

More information

Lemma 1.1. The field K embeds as a subfield of Q(ζ D ).

Lemma 1.1. The field K embeds as a subfield of Q(ζ D ). Math 248A. Quadratic characters associated to quadratic fields The aim of this handout is to describe the quadratic Dirichlet character naturally associated to a quadratic field, and to express it in terms

More information

arxiv: v2 [math.nt] 9 Oct 2018

arxiv: v2 [math.nt] 9 Oct 2018 ON AN EXTENSION OF ZOLOTAREV S LEMMA AND SOME PERMUTATIONS LI-YUAN WANG AND HAI-LIANG WU arxiv:1810.03006v [math.nt] 9 Oct 018 Abstract. Let be an odd rime, for each integer a with a, the famous Zolotarev

More information

New Negative Latin Square Type Partial Difference Sets in Nonelementary Abelian 2-groups and 3-groups

New Negative Latin Square Type Partial Difference Sets in Nonelementary Abelian 2-groups and 3-groups New Negative Latin Square Type Partial Difference Sets in Nonelementary Abelian 2-groups and 3-groups John Polhill Department of Mathematics, Computer Science, and Statistics Bloomsburg University Bloomsburg,

More information

NONABELIAN GROUPS WITH PERFECT ORDER SUBSETS

NONABELIAN GROUPS WITH PERFECT ORDER SUBSETS NONABELIAN GROUPS WITH PERFECT ORDER SUBSETS CARRIE E. FINCH AND LENNY JONES Abstract. Let G be a finite group and let x G. Define the order subset of G determined by x to be the set of all elements in

More information

Math 120 HW 9 Solutions

Math 120 HW 9 Solutions Math 120 HW 9 Solutions June 8, 2018 Question 1 Write down a ring homomorphism (no proof required) f from R = Z[ 11] = {a + b 11 a, b Z} to S = Z/35Z. The main difficulty is to find an element x Z/35Z

More information

Math 430 Exam 2, Fall 2008

Math 430 Exam 2, Fall 2008 Do not distribute. IIT Dept. Applied Mathematics, February 16, 2009 1 PRINT Last name: Signature: First name: Student ID: Math 430 Exam 2, Fall 2008 These theorems may be cited at any time during the test

More information

= 1 2x. x 2 a ) 0 (mod p n ), (x 2 + 2a + a2. x a ) 2

= 1 2x. x 2 a ) 0 (mod p n ), (x 2 + 2a + a2. x a ) 2 8. p-adic numbers 8.1. Motivation: Solving x 2 a (mod p n ). Take an odd prime p, and ( an) integer a coprime to p. Then, as we know, x 2 a (mod p) has a solution x Z iff = 1. In this case we can suppose

More information

Zero estimates for polynomials inspired by Hilbert s seventh problem

Zero estimates for polynomials inspired by Hilbert s seventh problem Radboud University Faculty of Science Institute for Mathematics, Astrophysics and Particle Physics Zero estimates for polynomials inspired by Hilbert s seventh problem Author: Janet Flikkema s4457242 Supervisor:

More information

Math 3121, A Summary of Sections 0,1,2,4,5,6,7,8,9

Math 3121, A Summary of Sections 0,1,2,4,5,6,7,8,9 Math 3121, A Summary of Sections 0,1,2,4,5,6,7,8,9 Section 0. Sets and Relations Subset of a set, B A, B A (Definition 0.1). Cartesian product of sets A B ( Defintion 0.4). Relation (Defintion 0.7). Function,

More information

On non-hamiltonian circulant digraphs of outdegree three

On non-hamiltonian circulant digraphs of outdegree three On non-hamiltonian circulant digraphs of outdegree three Stephen C. Locke DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES, FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY, BOCA RATON, FL 33431 Dave Witte DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS, OKLAHOMA

More information

Math 121 Homework 5: Notes on Selected Problems

Math 121 Homework 5: Notes on Selected Problems Math 121 Homework 5: Notes on Selected Problems 12.1.2. Let M be a module over the integral domain R. (a) Assume that M has rank n and that x 1,..., x n is any maximal set of linearly independent elements

More information

Real representations

Real representations Real representations 1 Definition of a real representation Definition 1.1. Let V R be a finite dimensional real vector space. A real representation of a group G is a homomorphism ρ VR : G Aut V R, where

More information

Factorization in Polynomial Rings

Factorization in Polynomial Rings Factorization in Polynomial Rings Throughout these notes, F denotes a field. 1 Long division with remainder We begin with some basic definitions. Definition 1.1. Let f, g F [x]. We say that f divides g,

More information

Math 2070BC Term 2 Weeks 1 13 Lecture Notes

Math 2070BC Term 2 Weeks 1 13 Lecture Notes Math 2070BC 2017 18 Term 2 Weeks 1 13 Lecture Notes Keywords: group operation multiplication associative identity element inverse commutative abelian group Special Linear Group order infinite order cyclic

More information

9 - The Combinatorial Nullstellensatz

9 - The Combinatorial Nullstellensatz 9 - The Combinatorial Nullstellensatz Jacques Verstraëte jacques@ucsd.edu Hilbert s nullstellensatz says that if F is an algebraically closed field and f and g 1, g 2,..., g m are polynomials in F[x 1,

More information

Chapter 4. Characters and Gauss sums. 4.1 Characters on finite abelian groups

Chapter 4. Characters and Gauss sums. 4.1 Characters on finite abelian groups Chapter 4 Characters and Gauss sums 4.1 Characters on finite abelian groups In what follows, abelian groups are multiplicatively written, and the unit element of an abelian group A is denoted by 1 or 1

More information

arxiv: v5 [math.co] 26 Apr 2013

arxiv: v5 [math.co] 26 Apr 2013 A WEAK VERSION OF ROTA S BASIS CONJECTURE FOR ODD DIMENSIONS arxiv:0.830v5 [math.co] 26 Apr 203 RON AHARONI Department of Mathematics, Technion, Haifa 32000, Israel DANIEL KOTLAR Computer Science Department,

More information

Math 201C Homework. Edward Burkard. g 1 (u) v + f 2(u) g 2 (u) v2 + + f n(u) a 2,k u k v a 1,k u k v + k=0. k=0 d

Math 201C Homework. Edward Burkard. g 1 (u) v + f 2(u) g 2 (u) v2 + + f n(u) a 2,k u k v a 1,k u k v + k=0. k=0 d Math 201C Homework Edward Burkard 5.1. Field Extensions. 5. Fields and Galois Theory Exercise 5.1.7. If v is algebraic over K(u) for some u F and v is transcendental over K, then u is algebraic over K(v).

More information

An Additive Characterization of Fibers of Characters on F p

An Additive Characterization of Fibers of Characters on F p An Additive Characterization of Fibers of Characters on F p Chris Monico Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX c.monico@ttu.edu Michele Elia Politecnico di Torino Torino, Italy elia@polito.it January 30, 2009

More information

Balanced subgroups of the multiplicative group

Balanced subgroups of the multiplicative group Balanced subgroups of the multiplicative group Carl Pomerance, Dartmouth College Hanover, New Hampshire, USA Based on joint work with D. Ulmer To motivate the topic, let s begin with elliptic curves. If

More information

How many units can a commutative ring have?

How many units can a commutative ring have? How many units can a commutative ring have? Sunil K. Chebolu and Keir Locridge Abstract. László Fuchs posed the following problem in 960, which remains open: classify the abelian groups occurring as the

More information

To hand in: (a) Prove that a group G is abelian (= commutative) if and only if (xy) 2 = x 2 y 2 for all x, y G.

To hand in: (a) Prove that a group G is abelian (= commutative) if and only if (xy) 2 = x 2 y 2 for all x, y G. Homework #6. Due Thursday, October 14th Reading: For this homework assignment: Sections 3.3 and 3.4 (up to page 167) Before the class next Thursday: Sections 3.5 and 3.4 (pp. 168-171). Also review the

More information

The Erdős-Heilbronn Problem for Finite Groups

The Erdős-Heilbronn Problem for Finite Groups The Erdős-Heilbronn Problem for Finite Groups Paul Balister Department of Mathematical Sciences, the University of Memphis Memphis, TN 38152, USA pbalistr@memphis.edu Jeffrey Paul Wheeler Department of

More information

GALOIS THEORY. Contents

GALOIS THEORY. Contents GALOIS THEORY MARIUS VAN DER PUT & JAAP TOP Contents 1. Basic definitions 1 1.1. Exercises 2 2. Solving polynomial equations 2 2.1. Exercises 4 3. Galois extensions and examples 4 3.1. Exercises. 6 4.

More information

Profinite Groups. Hendrik Lenstra. 1. Introduction

Profinite Groups. Hendrik Lenstra. 1. Introduction Profinite Groups Hendrik Lenstra 1. Introduction We begin informally with a motivation, relating profinite groups to the p-adic numbers. Let p be a prime number, and let Z p denote the ring of p-adic integers,

More information

Noetherian property of infinite EI categories

Noetherian property of infinite EI categories Noetherian property of infinite EI categories Wee Liang Gan and Liping Li Abstract. It is known that finitely generated FI-modules over a field of characteristic 0 are Noetherian. We generalize this result

More information

Various new observations about primes

Various new observations about primes A talk given at Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (August 28, 2012) and the 6th National Number Theory Confer. (October 20, 2012) and the China-Korea Number Theory Seminar (October 27, 2012) Various

More information

Classifying Camina groups: A theorem of Dark and Scoppola

Classifying Camina groups: A theorem of Dark and Scoppola Classifying Camina groups: A theorem of Dark and Scoppola arxiv:0807.0167v5 [math.gr] 28 Sep 2011 Mark L. Lewis Department of Mathematical Sciences, Kent State University Kent, Ohio 44242 E-mail: lewis@math.kent.edu

More information

Maximal non-commuting subsets of groups

Maximal non-commuting subsets of groups Maximal non-commuting subsets of groups Umut Işık March 29, 2005 Abstract Given a finite group G, we consider the problem of finding the maximal size nc(g) of subsets of G that have the property that no

More information

On zero-sum partitions and anti-magic trees

On zero-sum partitions and anti-magic trees Discrete Mathematics 09 (009) 010 014 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Discrete Mathematics journal homepage: wwwelseviercom/locate/disc On zero-sum partitions and anti-magic trees Gil Kaplan,

More information

CHARACTER THEORY OF FINITE GROUPS. Chapter 1: REPRESENTATIONS

CHARACTER THEORY OF FINITE GROUPS. Chapter 1: REPRESENTATIONS CHARACTER THEORY OF FINITE GROUPS Chapter 1: REPRESENTATIONS G is a finite group and K is a field. A K-representation of G is a homomorphism X : G! GL(n, K), where GL(n, K) is the group of invertible n

More information

Zero-Sum Flows in Regular Graphs

Zero-Sum Flows in Regular Graphs Zero-Sum Flows in Regular Graphs S. Akbari,5, A. Daemi 2, O. Hatami, A. Javanmard 3, A. Mehrabian 4 Department of Mathematical Sciences Sharif University of Technology Tehran, Iran 2 Department of Mathematics

More information

Some zero-sum constants with weights

Some zero-sum constants with weights Proc. Indian Acad. Sci. (Math. Sci.) Vol. 118, No. 2, May 2008, pp. 183 188. Printed in India Some zero-sum constants with weights S D ADHIKARI 1, R BALASUBRAMANIAN 2, F PAPPALARDI 3 andprath 2 1 Harish-Chandra

More information

MULTIPLICITIES OF MONOMIAL IDEALS

MULTIPLICITIES OF MONOMIAL IDEALS MULTIPLICITIES OF MONOMIAL IDEALS JÜRGEN HERZOG AND HEMA SRINIVASAN Introduction Let S = K[x 1 x n ] be a polynomial ring over a field K with standard grading, I S a graded ideal. The multiplicity of S/I

More information

AVOIDING ZERO-SUM SUBSEQUENCES OF PRESCRIBED LENGTH OVER THE INTEGERS

AVOIDING ZERO-SUM SUBSEQUENCES OF PRESCRIBED LENGTH OVER THE INTEGERS AVOIDING ZERO-SUM SUBSEQUENCES OF PRESCRIBED LENGTH OVER THE INTEGERS C. AUGSPURGER, M. MINTER, K. SHOUKRY, P. SISSOKHO, AND K. VOSS MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENT, ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY NORMAL, IL 61790 4520,

More information

Introduction to Arithmetic Geometry Fall 2013 Lecture #24 12/03/2013

Introduction to Arithmetic Geometry Fall 2013 Lecture #24 12/03/2013 18.78 Introduction to Arithmetic Geometry Fall 013 Lecture #4 1/03/013 4.1 Isogenies of elliptic curves Definition 4.1. Let E 1 /k and E /k be elliptic curves with distinguished rational points O 1 and

More information

GENERALIZATIONS OF SOME ZERO-SUM THEOREMS. Sukumar Das Adhikari Harish-Chandra Research Institute, Chhatnag Road, Jhusi, Allahabad , INDIA

GENERALIZATIONS OF SOME ZERO-SUM THEOREMS. Sukumar Das Adhikari Harish-Chandra Research Institute, Chhatnag Road, Jhusi, Allahabad , INDIA INTEGERS: ELECTRONIC JOURNAL OF COMBINATORIAL NUMBER THEORY 8 (2008), #A52 GENERALIZATIONS OF SOME ZERO-SUM THEOREMS Sukumar Das Adhikari Harish-Chandra Research Institute, Chhatnag Road, Jhusi, Allahabad

More information

DONG QUAN NGOC NGUYEN

DONG QUAN NGOC NGUYEN REPRESENTATION OF UNITS IN CYCLOTOMIC FUNCTION FIELDS DONG QUAN NGOC NGUYEN Contents 1 Introduction 1 2 Some basic notions 3 21 The Galois group Gal(K /k) 3 22 Representation of integers in O, and the

More information

φ(xy) = (xy) n = x n y n = φ(x)φ(y)

φ(xy) = (xy) n = x n y n = φ(x)φ(y) Groups 1. (Algebra Comp S03) Let A, B and C be normal subgroups of a group G with A B. If A C = B C and AC = BC then prove that A = B. Let b B. Since b = b1 BC = AC, there are a A and c C such that b =

More information