14. Cyclic Groups
This chapter focuses on the concept of cyclic groups within the broader study of groups in discrete mathematics. It covers the uniqueness of the identity and inverse elements in groups, introduces group exponentiation, and explains how the property of cyclicity can be exploited through a generator to obtain all elements of a group. Key properties of cyclic groups, including their order and examples of finite and infinite cyclic groups, are thoroughly examined.
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What we have learnt
- Every group has a unique identity element.
- Every element in a group has a unique inverse element.
- A cyclic group can be generated by a single element and can have multiple generators.
- The order of a generator in a cyclic group is equal to the number of elements in the group.
- Both finite and infinite cyclic groups exist, with integers under addition forming an infinite cyclic group.
Key Concepts
- -- Identity Element
- The unique element in a group which, when combined with any group element, results in that same element.
- -- Inverse Element
- For a given element in a group, the inverse is another element that combines with the original to produce the identity element.
- -- Group Exponentiation
- The operation of combining a group element with itself multiple times using the group operation, analogous to exponentiation in arithmetic.
- -- Cyclic Group
- A group that can be generated by a single element, which means every other element of the group can be expressed as a power of this generator.
- -- Order of an Element
- The smallest positive integer such that raising the element to that power results in the identity element.
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