Let G be a group and x,y€G,order of x=5,xy=y^-1x If y is not equal to ...
Question:
Let G be a group and x, y ∈ G. If the order of x is 5 and xy = y^(-1)x, what is the order of y? Explain in detail.
Answer:
Introduction:
In this question, we are given a group G and two elements x and y in G. We are also given that the order of x is 5, and the equation xy = y^(-1)x holds. Our aim is to determine the order of y.
Properties of Group Elements:
Before we proceed, let's revisit some properties of group elements:
1.
Order of an Element: The order of an element x in a group G is the smallest positive integer n such that x^n = e, where e is the identity element of G.
2.
Inverse of an Element: For every element x in a group G, there exists an inverse element x^(-1) such that xx^(-1) = x^(-1)x = e, where e is the identity element of G.
Proof:
To find the order of y, we need to determine the smallest positive integer n such that y^n = e, where e is the identity element of G.
Given that xy = y^(-1)x, we can rewrite this equation as x = y^(-1)xy.
Using this equation, we can raise both sides to the power of 5 to get x^5 = (y^(-1)xy)^5.
Using the associativity property of groups, we can expand the right-hand side as follows:
x^5 = (y^(-1)xy)(y^(-1)xy)(y^(-1)xy)(y^(-1)xy)(y^(-1)xy)
Now, let's simplify this expression step by step:
1. Rearranging the terms:
x^5 = y^(-1)x(yy^(-1))xy(yy^(-1))xy(yy^(-1))x
2. Using the property xy = y^(-1)x:
x^5 = y^(-1)x(y^(-1)x)(y^(-1)x)(y^(-1)x)(y^(-1)x)
3. Simplifying:
x^5 = y^(-1)x^2y^(-1)x^2y^(-1)x^2y^(-1)x^2
4. Applying the property xy = y^(-1)x:
x^5 = y^(-1)y^(-1)x^2y^(-1)x^2y^(-1)x^2y^(-1)x^2
5. Simplifying:
x^5 = y^(-2)x^2y^(-2)x^2y^(-2)x^2y^(-2)x^2
6. Repeating steps 4 and 5:
x^5 = y^(-4)x^2y^(-4)x^2
7. Applying the property xy = y^(-1)x:
x^5 = y^(-4)y^(-4)x^2
8. Simplifying: