What Determines the Normalizer of a Sylow p-Subgroup in Sym(p)?

In summary, the normalizer of the Sylow p-subgroup in the symmetric group Sym(p) generated by the element (1,2,...,p) where p is a prime number has order p(p-1) and includes elements that map the p-cycles to other p-cycles. There are p*(p-1) such elements, characterized by the placement of 1 and 2 in the cycle, which gives enough information to determine the forms of the elements in the normalizer.
  • #1
MarkovMarakov
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Homework Statement


What is the normalizer of the Sylow p-subgroup in the symmetric group Sym(p) generated by the element (1,2,...,p) where p is a prime number?
Thanks

Homework Equations


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The Attempt at a Solution


I know that the normalizer has order p(p-1). And I know that it has to include the group generated by (1,2,...,p). I know there must be elements outside <(1,2,...,p)> that conjugates (1,2,...,p) to (1,2,...,p)^n but what are their forms?
Your help will be greatly appreciated.
 
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  • #2
Try writing out the p elements of the subgroup in question:

(1 2 3 ... p)
(1 3 5 ... )
etc.
p-1 of these are p-cycles and the final element is the identity map. The identity map is normalized by any element of Sym(P), so we need only consider which elements of Sym(P) map one of the p-cycles to another.

Each p-cycle can be written in one of p equivalent ways, by choosing where to write 1 in the cycle.

Furthermore, each cycle is completely characterized by, for example, the distance between 1 and 2 in the cycle.

Conjugation of a p-cycle by any element of Sym(p) simply relabels the elements and results in another p-cycle. How many of these relabelings will result in one of the powers of (1 2 ... p)?

It's clear that there are p choices for where to place 1, and p-1 choices for where to place 2. These two choices completely characterize the cycle if it is to be a power of (1 2 ... p). This gives you your p*(p-1) for the size of the normalizer.

This analysis should give you enough info to work out what the elements of the normalizer must look like.
 
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FAQ: What Determines the Normalizer of a Sylow p-Subgroup in Sym(p)?

1. What is a symmetric group?

A symmetric group is a group of permutations, or rearrangements, of a set of elements. It is denoted by the letter "S" followed by the number of elements in the set. For example, S4 represents the symmetric group of permutations on a set of 4 elements.

2. What is the order of a symmetric group?

The order of a symmetric group is the number of elements in the group. For a symmetric group of n elements, the order is given by n!, or n factorial. For example, the order of S4 is 4! = 24.

3. What is a normalizer in a symmetric group?

In a symmetric group, the normalizer is the subgroup that consists of all permutations that commute with a given permutation. In other words, it is the set of elements that leave the given permutation unchanged when multiplied by it. The normalizer is denoted by NG(H), where G is the symmetric group and H is the given permutation.

4. How do normalizers relate to subgroups in a symmetric group?

Normalizers play an important role in determining subgroups in a symmetric group. A subgroup of a symmetric group is called a normal subgroup if it is invariant under conjugation by all elements in the group. This means that the normal subgroup is also its own normalizer. In other words, the normalizer of a subgroup is the largest normal subgroup contained in the subgroup.

5. What is the significance of normalizers in group theory?

Normalizers are important in group theory because they help to identify and classify subgroups of a given group. They also provide a way to study the structure and properties of a group by understanding the behavior of its normalizers. Additionally, normalizers have applications in other areas of mathematics, such as algebraic geometry and number theory.

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