Let g be arbitrary group and let a,b. Belongs to g be two distinct ele...
Statement:
The statement "The order of ab equals the order of ba" is not necessarily true.
Explanation:
In a group, the order of an element refers to the smallest positive integer n such that a^n = e, where e is the identity element of the group.
Counterexample:
Let's consider a counterexample to demonstrate that the statement is not always true.
Counterexample:
Let g be the group of integers modulo 4 under addition (g = Z4). The elements of this group are {0, 1, 2, 3}.
Consider a = 1 and b = 2. The order of a is 4 because 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 0 (mod 4), and the order of b is also 4 because 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 0 (mod 4).
Now, let's compute the products ab and ba:
ab = 1 + 2 = 3 (mod 4)
ba = 2 + 1 = 3 (mod 4)
Both ab and ba are equal to 3 (mod 4).
Therefore, in this case, the order of ab is 4, but the order of ba is 1, which is not equal.
Conclusion:
Based on the counterexample, we can conclude that the statement "The order of ab equals the order of ba" is not always true for an arbitrary group g and two distinct elements a and b in that group. It is important to consider specific examples and properties of the group to determine the relationship between the orders of ab and ba.