Mediaspace scheduled maintenance: Aug 25, 2026 07:00 - 12:00 AM. During this time, videos will be temporarily unavailable. Check status updates.

Lecture

Group Theory: Combinatorial Approach

In course

MATH-225: Topology II - fundamental groups

On étudie des notions de topologie générale: unions et quotients d'espaces topologiques; on approfondit les notions de revêtements et de groupe fondamental,et d'attachements de cellules et on démontre le Théorème de Seifert-van Kampen. Des exemples de surf ...

Description

This lecture covers the combinatorial approach to group theory, focusing on group presentations, free products, and subgroup generation. Topics include Seifert-van Kampen theorem, free groups, and examples of subgroup generation.

Instructors (2)

Jérôme Scherer

Dimitri Stelio Wyss

Official source

Ontological neighbourhood

Mathematics

Algebra: Representation theory

Related concepts (23)

Free product

In mathematics, specifically group theory, the free product is an operation that takes two groups G and H and constructs a new group G ∗ H. The result contains both G and H as subgroups, is generated by the elements of these subgroups, and is the “universal” group having these properties, in the sense that any two homomorphisms from G and H into a group K factor uniquely through a homomorphism from G ∗ H to K. Unless one of the groups G and H is trivial, the free product is always infinite.

Free group

In mathematics, the free group FS over a given set S consists of all words that can be built from members of S, considering two words to be different unless their equality follows from the group axioms (e.g. st = suu−1t, but s ≠ t−1 for s,t,u ∈ S). The members of S are called generators of FS, and the number of generators is the rank of the free group. An arbitrary group G is called free if it is isomorphic to FS for some subset S of G, that is, if there is a subset S of G such that every element of G can be written in exactly one way as a product of finitely many elements of S and their inverses (disregarding trivial variations such as st = suu−1t).

Group theory

In abstract algebra, group theory studies the algebraic structures known as groups. The concept of a group is central to abstract algebra: other well-known algebraic structures, such as rings, fields, and vector spaces, can all be seen as groups endowed with additional operations and axioms. Groups recur throughout mathematics, and the methods of group theory have influenced many parts of algebra. Linear algebraic groups and Lie groups are two branches of group theory that have experienced advances and have become subject areas in their own right.

Presentation of a group

In mathematics, a presentation is one method of specifying a group. A presentation of a group G comprises a set S of generators—so that every element of the group can be written as a product of powers of some of these generators—and a set R of relations among those generators. We then say G has presentation Informally, G has the above presentation if it is the "freest group" generated by S subject only to the relations R. Formally, the group G is said to have the above presentation if it is isomorphic to the quotient of a free group on S by the normal subgroup generated by the relations R.

Geometric group theory

Geometric group theory is an area in mathematics devoted to the study of finitely generated groups via exploring the connections between algebraic properties of such groups and topological and geometric properties of spaces on which these groups act (that is, when the groups in question are realized as geometric symmetries or continuous transformations of some spaces). Another important idea in geometric group theory is to consider finitely generated groups themselves as geometric objects.

Related lectures (31)

Topology: Free Groups and Their Properties

Discusses the theory of free groups, their properties, and relationships with other algebraic structures.

Combinatorial Group Theory

Introduces combinatorial group theory, emphasizing group presentations, normal subgroups, and group quotients.

Bar Construction: Homology Groups and Classifying Space

Covers the bar construction method, homology groups, classifying space, and the Hopf formula.

Fundamental Groups

Explores fundamental groups, homotopy classes, and coverings in connected manifolds.

Endomorphisms and automorphisms of totally disconnected locally compact groups