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• The Trick of a Mathematical Game. The One’s Digit of the Sum of Two Numbers. Decipher the trick of the following mathematical magic.   The Rule of the Game Here is the game. Pick six natural numbers ($1, 2, 3, \dots$) and place them in the yellow discs of the picture below. For example, let's say I have chosen the numbers $7, 5, 3, 2, […]
• True or False. The Intersection of Bases is a Basis of the Intersection of Subspaces Determine whether the following is true or false. If it is true, then give a proof. If it is false, then give a counterexample. Let $W_1$ and $W_2$ be subspaces of the vector space $\R^n$. If $B_1$ and $B_2$ are bases for $W_1$ and $W_2$, respectively, then $B_1\cap B_2$ is a […]
• Example of a Nilpotent Matrix $A$ such that $A^2\neq O$ but $A^3=O$. Find a nonzero $3\times 3$ matrix $A$ such that $A^2\neq O$ and $A^3=O$, where $O$ is the $3\times 3$ zero matrix. (Such a matrix is an example of a nilpotent matrix. See the comment after the solution.)   Solution. For example, let $A$ be the following $3\times […]
• All the Conjugacy Classes of the Dihedral Group $D_8$ of Order 8 Determine all the conjugacy classes of the dihedral group \[D_{8}=\langle r,s \mid r^4=s^2=1, sr=r^{-1}s\rangle\] of order $8$. Hint. You may directly compute the conjugates of each element but we are going to use the following theorem to simplify the […]
• Even Perfect Numbers and Mersenne Prime Numbers Prove that if $2^n-1$ is a Mersenne prime number, then \[N=2^{n-1}(2^n-1)\] is a perfect number. On the other hand, prove that every even perfect number $N$ can be written as $N=2^{n-1}(2^n-1)$ for some Mersenne prime number $2^n-1$.   Definitions. In this post, a […]
• Can We Reduce the Number of Vectors in a Spanning Set? Suppose that a set of vectors $S_1=\{\mathbf{v}_1, \mathbf{v}_2, \mathbf{v}_3\}$ is a spanning set of a subspace $V$ in $\R^3$. Is it possible that $S_2=\{\mathbf{v}_1\}$ is a spanning set for $V$?   Solution. Yes, in general, $S_2$ can be a spanning set. As an […]
• The Normalizer of a Proper Subgroup of a Nilpotent Group is Strictly Bigger Let $G$ be a nilpotent group and let $H$ be a proper subgroup of $G$. Then prove that $H \subsetneq N_G(H)$, where $N_G(H)$ is the normalizer of $H$ in $G$.   Proof. Note that we always have $H \subset N_G(H)$. Hence our goal is to find an element in […]
• Sylow Subgroups of a Group of Order 33 is Normal Subgroups Prove that any $p$-Sylow subgroup of a group $G$ of order $33$ is a normal subgroup of $G$.   Hint. We use Sylow's theorem. Review the basic terminologies and Sylow's theorem. Recall that if there is only one $p$-Sylow subgroup $P$ of $G$ for a fixed prime $p$, then $P$ […]