Exercise · ZW-NORMAL-SUBGROUP-004 · ★☆☆ Basic

If \(N\) is a subgroup of \(G\) with \([G:N]=2\), what can be said?

Choose one option.

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  • A. \(N\) is normal in \(G\)

Explanation

With index 2 there are only two left cosets and two right cosets, and the one that is not \(N\) is the rest of \(G\): \(gN=G\setminus N=Ng\) when \(g\notin N\). Hence \(gN=Ng\) always and \(N\) is normal; nothing more follows (in \(S_3\), \(A_3\) has index 2 and \(S_3\) is not abelian).

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Review the concept: Normal subgroup

A normal subgroup is a subgroup \(N\) of a group \(G\) that equals all of its conjugates by elements \(g\in G\).

\[gNg^{-1}=N\ \ \forall g\in G\]

More practice problems: normal subgroup

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