Exercise · ZW-GENERATED-SUBGROUP-008 · ★★★ Advanced
What is the subgroup \(\langle\varnothing\rangle\) generated by the empty set in a group \(G\)?
Choose one option.
A The empty set \(\varnothing\) B The whole group \(G\) C \(\{e\}\) D It does not exist
Show answer
← Back to the question
Explanation Every subgroup contains the identity , and \(\{e\}\) is a subgroup; hence it is the smallest subgroup containing the empty set . The empty set is not a subgroup.
The subgroup generated by a subset \(S\) of a group \(G\) is the smallest subgroup \(H\) of \(G\) containing \(S\); it is denoted \(\langle S\rangle\) and \(S\) is called a generating set .
\[\langle S\rangle=\bigcap_{S\subseteq H\le G}H\]
More practice problems: generated subgroup ZW-GENERATED-SUBGROUP-001 In the group (ℤ,+), what is the subgroup generated by 4?ZW-GENERATED-SUBGROUP-002 How many elements does langle 8rangle have in (ℤ_12,+)?ZW-GENERATED-SUBGROUP-003 How many elements does langle 4,6rangle have in (ℤ_12,+)?ZW-GENERATED-SUBGROUP-004 In (ℤ,+), what is the subgroup langle 6,15rangle?ZW-GENERATED-SUBGROUP-005 How many elements does the subgroup of S_3 generated by the 3-cycle (1\ 2\ 3) have?ZW-GENERATED-SUBGROUP-006 How many elements does langle (1\ 2),(2\ 3)rangle have in S_3?ZW-GENERATED-SUBGROUP-007 How many elements does langle (1\ 2),(3\ 4)rangle have in S_4?ZW-GENERATED-SUBGROUP-009 In (ℤ_18,+), which of the following elements generates the same subgroup as 4?