Cycle Graph (algebra) - Properties

Properties

As an example of a group cycle graph, consider the dihedral group Dih4. The multiplication table for this group is shown on the left, and the cycle graph is shown on the right with e specifying the identity element.

o e b a a2 a3 ab a2b a3b
e e b a a2 a3 ab a2b a3b
b b e a3b a2b ab a3 a2 a
a a ab a2 a3 e a2b a3b b
a2 a2 a2b a3 e a a3b b ab
a3 a3 a3b e a a2 b ab a2b
ab ab a b a3b a2b e a3 a2
a2b a2b a2 ab b a3b a e a3
a3b a3b a3 a2b ab b a2 a e

Notice the cycle e, a, a², a³ . It can be seen from the multiplication table that successive powers of a in fact behave this way. The reverse case is also true. In other words: (a³)²=a², (a³)³=a and (a³)4=e . This behavior is true for any cycle in any group - a cycle may be traversed in either direction.

Cycles that contain a non-prime number of elements implicitly have cycles that are not connected in the graph. For the group Dih4 above, we might want to draw a line between a² and e since (a²)²=e but since a² is part of a larger cycle, this is not done.

There can be ambiguity when two cycles share an element that is not the identity element. Consider for example, the simple quaternion group, whose cycle graph is shown on the right. Each of the elements in the middle row when multiplied by itself gives -1 (where 1 is the identity element). In this case we may use different colors to keep track of the cycles, although symmetry considerations will work as well.

As above, the 2-element cycles should be connected by two lines, but this is usually abbreviated by a single line.

Two distinct groups may have cycle graphs that have the same structure, and can only be distinguished by the product table, or by labeling the elements in the graph in terms of the group's basic elements. The lowest order for which this problem can occur is order 16 in the case of Z2 x Z8 and the modular group, as shown below. (Note - the cycles with common elements are distinguished by symmetry in these graphs.)


The multiplication table of Z2 x Z8 is shown below:

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
1 0 3 2 5 4 7 6 9 8 11 10 13 12 15 14
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 0 1
3 2 5 4 7 6 9 8 11 10 13 12 15 14 1 0
4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 0 1 2 3
5 4 7 6 9 8 11 10 13 12 15 14 1 0 3 2
6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 0 1 2 3 4 5
7 6 9 8 11 10 13 12 15 14 1 0 3 2 5 4
8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
9 8 11 10 13 12 15 14 1 0 3 2 5 4 7 6
10 11 12 13 14 15 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
11 10 13 12 15 14 1 0 3 2 5 4 7 6 9 8
12 13 14 15 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
13 12 15 14 1 0 3 2 5 4 7 6 9 8 11 10
14 15 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
15 14 1 0 3 2 5 4 7 6 9 8 11 10 13 12

Read more about this topic:  Cycle Graph (algebra)

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