Consider the operation $ * $ on $ \mathbb{R} $ defined as $ x*y=x\sqrt{1+y^2}+y\sqrt{1+x^2} . $ Prove that the real numbers form a group under this operation and it's isomorphic with the additive group of real numbers.

Let $ 0\neq\varrho\in\text{Hom}\left( \mathbb{Z}_4,\mathbb{Z}_2\right) ,$ $ \text{id}\neq\iota\in\text{Aut}\left( \mathbb{Z}_4\right) ,$ $ G:=\left\{ (x,y)\in\mathbb{Z}_4^2\big|x-y\in\ker\varrho\right\} , $ and $ \rho_1,\rho_2, $ the canonic projections of $ G $ into $ \mathbb{Z}_4. $ Prove that there exists an unique $ \nu\in\text{Hom}\left( \mathbb{Z}_4,G\right) $ such that $ \rho_1\circ\nu=\text{id} $ and $ \rho_2\circ\nu =\iota . $ Determine numerically this morphism.

Show that a finite group can not be the union of two of its proper subgroups. Does the statement remain true if "two' is replaced by "three'?

[b]6.[/b] Let $a$ be a positive integer and $p$ a prime divisor of $a^3-3a+1$, with $p \neq 3$. Prove that $p$ is of the form $9k+1$ or $9k-1$, where $k$ is integer.

Let be three positive real numbers $ x,y,z. $ Prove that there is a group of real numbers that contain the elements $ x+y/z $ and $ x+z/y $ and in which these two elements are inverses to each other. [i]D.M. Bătinețu[/i]

We say that the abelian group $ G $ has property [i](P)[/i] if, for any commutative group $ H, $ any $ H’\le H $ and any momorphism $ \mu’:H\longrightarrow G, $ there exists a morphism $ \mu :H\longrightarrow G $ such that $ \mu\bigg|_{H’} =\mu’ . $ Show that: [b]a)[/b] the group $ \left( \mathbb{Q}^*,\cdot \right) $ hasn’t property [i](P).[/i] [b]b)[/b] the group $ \left( \mathbb{Q}, +\right) $ has property [i](P).[/i]

Let $(A,+,\cdot)$ be a finite unit ring, with $n\geq 3$ elements in which there exist [b]exactly[/b] $\dfrac {n+1}2$ perfect squares (e.g. a number $b\in A$ is called a perfect square if and only if there exists an $a\in A$ such that $b=a^2$). Prove that a) $1+1$ is invertible; b) $(A,+,\cdot)$ is a field. [i]Proposed by Marian Andronache[/i]

A regular dodecahedron is a convex polyhedra that its faces are regular pentagons. The regular dodecahedron has twenty vertices and there are three edges connected to each vertex. Suppose that we have marked ten vertices of the regular dodecahedron. [b]a)[/b] prove that we can rotate the dodecahedron in such a way that at most four marked vertices go to a place that there was a marked vertex before. [b]b)[/b] prove that the number four in previous part can't be replaced with three. [i]proposed by Kasra Alishahi[/i]

Is there a finite abelian group $ G$ such that the product of the orders of all its elements is $ 2^{2009}?$

Under composition, let be a group of linear polynomials that admit a fixed point . Show that all polynomials of this group have the same fixed point. [i]Vasile Pop[/i]

Each rational number is painted either white or red. Call such a coloring of the rationals [i]sanferminera[/i] if for any distinct rationals numbers $x$ and $y$ satisfying one of the following three conditions: [list=1][*]$xy=1$, [*]$x+y=0$, [*]$x+y=1$,[/list]we have $x$ and $y$ painted different colors. How many sanferminera colorings are there?

[b]a)[/b] Let $ a,b,c $ be three complex numbers. Prove that the element $ \begin{pmatrix} a & a-b & a-b \\ 0 & b & b-c \\ 0 & 0 & c \end{pmatrix} $ has finite order in the multiplicative group of $ 3\times 3 $ complex matrices if and only if $ a,b,c $ have finite orders in the multiplicative group of complex numbers. [b]b)[/b] Prove that a $ 3\times 3 $ real matrix $ M $ has positive determinant if there exists a real number $ \lambda\in\left( 0,\sqrt[3]{4} \right) $ such that $ A^3=\lambda A+I. $ [i]Cristinel Mortici[/i]

In the questions below: $G$ is a finite group; $H \leq G$ a subgroup of $G; |G : H |$ the index of $H$ in $G; |X |$ the number of elements of $X \subseteq G; Z (G)$ the center of $G; G'$ the commutator subgroup of $G; N_{G}(H )$ the normalizer of $H$ in $G; C_{G}(H )$ the centralizer of $H$ in $G$; and $S_{n}$ the $n$-th symmetric group. Show that every element of $S_{n}$ is a product of $2$-cycles.

$G$ is a set of non-constant functions $f$. Each $f$ is defined on the real line and has the form $f(x)=ax+b$ for some real $a,b$. If $f$ and $g$ are in $G$, then so is $fg$, where $fg$ is defined by $fg(x)=f(g(x))$. If $f$ is in $G$, then so is the inverse $f^{-1}$. If $f(x)=ax+b$, then $f^{-1}(x)= \frac{x-b}{a}$. Every $f$ in $G$ has a fixed point (in other words we can find $x_f$ such that $f(x_f)=x_f$. Prove that all the functions in $G$ have a common fixed point.

Consider the additive group $\mathbb{Z}^{2}$. Let $H$ be the smallest subgroup containing $(3,8), (4,-1)$ and $(5,4)$. Let $H_{xy}$ be the smallest subgroup containing $(0,x)$ and $(1,y)$. Find some pair $(x,y)$ with $x>0$ such that $H=H_{xy}$.

Let $n$ and $k$ be two positive integers. Consider a group of $k$ people such that, for each group of $n$ people, there is a $(n+1)$-th person that knows them all (if $A$ knows $B$ then $B$ knows $A$). 1) If $k=2n+1$, prove that there exists a person who knows all others. 2) If $k=2n+2$, give an example of such a group in which no-one knows all others.

Prove that any permutation group of an order equal to a power of $ 2 $ contains a commutative subgroup whose order is the square of the exponent of the order of the group.

Let $G$ be a group with $m$ elements and let $H$ be a proper subgroup of $G$ with $n$ elements. For each $x\in G$ we denote $H^x = \{ xhx^{-1} \mid h \in H \}$ and we suppose that $H^x \cap H = \{e\}$, for all $x\in G - H$ (where by $e$ we denoted the neutral element of the group $G$). a) Prove that $H^x=H^y$ if and only if $x^{-1}y \in H$; b) Find the number of elements of the set $\bigcup_{x\in G} H^x$ as a function of $m$ and $n$. [i]Calin Popescu[/i]

Let $(K,+,\cdot)$ be a field with the property $-x=x^{-1},\forall x\in K,x\ne0$. Prove that: $$(K,+,\cdot)\simeq(\mathbb Z_2,+,\cdot)$$ [i]Proposed by Ovidiu Pop[/i]

Let $c \ge 1$ be a real number. Let $G$ be an Abelian group and let $A \subset G$ be a finite set satisfying $|A+A| \le c|A|$, where $X+Y:= \{x+y| x \in X, y \in Y\}$ and $|Z|$ denotes the cardinality of $Z$. Prove that \[|\underbrace{A+A+\dots+A}_k| \le c^k |A|\] for every positive integer $k$. [i]Proposed by Przemyslaw Mazur, Jagiellonian University.[/i]

In the questions below: $G$ is a finite group; $H \leq G$ a subgroup of $G; |G : H |$ the index of $H$ in $G; |X |$ the number of elements of $X \subseteq G; Z (G)$ the center of $G; G'$ the commutator subgroup of $G; N_{G}(H )$ the normalizer of $H$ in $G; C_{G}(H )$ the centralizer of $H$ in $G$; and $S_{n}$ the $n$-th symmetric group. Let $a, b \in G.$ Suppose that $ab^{2}= b^{3}a$ and $ba^{2}= a^{3}b.$ Prove that $a = b = 1.$

Let $ A$ and $ B$ be two Abelian groups, and define the sum of two homomorphisms $ \eta$ and $ \chi$ from $ A$ to $ B$ by \[ a( \eta\plus{}\chi)\equal{}a\eta\plus{}a\chi \;\textrm{for all}\ \;a \in A\ .\] With this addition, the set of homomorphisms from $ A$ to $ B$ forms an Abelian group $ H$. Suppose now that $ A$ is a $ p$-group ( $ p$ a prime number). Prove that in this case $ H$ becomes a topological group under the topology defined by taking the subgroups $ p^kH \;(k\equal{}1,2,...)$ as a neighborhood base of $ 0$. Prove that $ H$ is complete in this topology and that every connected component of $ H$ consists of a single element. When is $ H$ compact in this topology? [L. Fuchs]

[b]3.[/b]Let $G$ be an arbitrary group, $H_1,\dots ,H_n$ some (not necessarily distinet) subgroup of $G$ and $g_1, \dots , g_n$ elements of $G$ such that each element of $G$ belongs at least to one of the right cosets $H_1 g_1, \dots , H_n g_n$. Show that if, for any $k$, the set-union of the cosets $H_i g_i (i=1, \dots , k-1, k+1, \dots , n)$ differs from $G$, then every $H_k (k=1, \dots , n)$ is of finite index in $G$. [b](A. 15)[/b]

Let $ \mathcal G$ be the set of all finite groups with at least two elements. a) Prove that if $ G\in \mathcal G$, then the number of morphisms $ f: G\to G$ is at most $ \sqrt [p]{n^n}$, where $ p$ is the largest prime divisor of $ n$, and $ n$ is the number of elements in $ G$. b) Find all the groups in $ \mathcal G$ for which the inequality at point a) is an equality.

Let $ G$ be a group such that if $ a,b\in \mathbb{G}$ and $ a^2b\equal{}ba^2$, then $ ab\equal{}ba$. i)If $ G$ has $ 2^n$ elements, prove that $ G$ is abelian. ii) Give an example of a non-abelian group with $ G$'s property from the enounce.