SMS scnews item created by David Easdown at Sat 19 Sep 2015 2149
Type: Seminar
Distribution: World
Expiry: 23 Sep 2015
Calendar1: 23 Sep 2015 1530-1630
CalLoc1: Western Sydney Parramatta Campus
CalTitle1: Western Sydney Colloquium
Auth: de@c27-253-111-96.carlnfd2.nsw.optusnet.com.au (deas8489) in SMS-WASM

# Minimal faithful permutation representations of groups

### Easdown

###### Speaker:

David Easdown (University of Sydney)

###### Title:

Minimal faithful permutation representations of groups

###### Abstract:

The minimal faithful degree mu(G) of a finite group G is the least nonnegative integer n such that G embeds in the symmetric group on n letters. We sketch a proof of what appears to be the nontrivial fact that mu(G x G)= mu(G) if and only if G is trivial. The proof relies on a theorem of Wright that mu(G x H)=mu(G)+mu(H) if G x H is nilpotent. We also construct a finite group G that does not decompose nontrivially as a direct product, but such that mu(G x H) = mu(G) for an arbitrarily large direct product H of elementary abelian groups (with mixed primes). A simplification of the construction depends on the existence of infinitely many primes that do not have the Mersenne property, which itself appears to be nontrivial, and a consequence of the Green-Tao theorem. (A prime p is Mersenne with respect to an integer q if p = 1+q+...+q^k for some k.)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A campus map may be found here.

Actions: