BIRLA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE,PILANI
Hyderabad Campus
FIRST SEMESTER 2023-2024
ALGEBRA-I (MATH F215)
Tutorial Sheet-1
Topics: Equivalence relations, mappings, integers
1. For the given set and relation below determine which define equivalence relations
(a) S is the set of all people in the world today, a ∼ b if a and b have an ancestor in common.
(b) S is the set of all people in the world today, a ∼ b if a lives within 100 miles of b.
(c) S is the set of all people in the world today, a ∼ b if a and b have the same father.
(d) S is the set of real numbers, a ∼ b if a = ±b.
(e) S is the set of integers, a ∼ b if both a > b and b > a.
(f) S is the set of all straight lines in the plane, a ∼ b if a is parallel to b.
2. (a) Property 2 of an equivalence relation states that if a ∼ b then b ∼ a; property 3 states that if a ∼ b and
b ∼ c then a ∼ c. What is wrong with the following proof that properties 2 and 3 imply property 1 ? Let a ∼ b;
then b ∼ a, whence, by property 3 (using a = c), a ∼ a.
(b) Can you suggest an alternative of property 1 which will insure us that properties 2 and 3 do imply property 1
?
3. In the following, where σ : S → T , determine whether the σ is onto and/or one-to-one and determine the
inverse image of any t ∈ T under σ.
(a) S = set of real numbers, T = set of non-negative real numbers, sσ = s2 .
(b) S = set of non-negative real numbers, T = set of non-negative real numbers, sσ = s2 .
(c) S = set of integers, T = set of integers, sσ = s2 .
(d) S = set of integers, T = set of integers, sσ = 2s.
4. If S and T are nonempty sets, prove that there exists a one-to-one correspondence between S × T and T × S.
5. If S, T and U are nonempty sets, prove that there exists a one-to-one correspondence between
(a) (S × T ) × U and S × (T × U ).
(b) Either set in part (a) and the set of ordered triples (s, t, u) where s ∈ S, t ∈ T, u ∈ U .
6. (a) If there is a one-to-one correspondence between S and T , prove that there exists a one-to-one correspondence
between T and S.
(b) If there is a one-to-one correspondence between S and T and between T and U , prove that there is a one-to-one
correspondence between S and U .
7. If the set S has n elements, prove that A(S) has n! elements, where A(S) is the set of all one-to-one mappings
of S onto itself.
8. If the set S has a finite number of elements, prove the following:
(a) If σ maps S onto S, then σ is one-to-one.
(b) If σ is a one-to-one mapping of S to itself, then σ is onto.
(c) Prove, by example, that both part (a) and part (b) are false if S does not have a finite number of elements.
9. Prove that the converse to both parts of Lemma 1.2.2 are false; namely,
(a) If σ ◦ τ is onto, it need not be that both σ and τ are onto.
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(b) If σ ◦ τ is one-to-one, it need not be that both σ and τ are one-to-one.
10. If a|x and b|x and (a, b) = 1, prove that (ab)|x.
β1 βk
11. If a = p1α1 · · · pα
k and b = p1 · · · pk where the pi are distinct prime numbers and where each αi ≥ 0, βi ≥ 0,
k
prove
(a) (a, b) = pδ11 · · · pδkk where δi = minimum of αi and βi for each i.
(b) [a, b] = pγ11 · · · pγkk where γi = maximum of αi and βi for each i.
12. Use the long division algorithm to calculate
(a) (1128, 33).
(b) (6540, 1206).
13. To check that n is a prime
√ number, prove that it is sufficient to show that it is not divisible by any prime
number p, such that p ≤ n.
14. Show that n > 1 is a prime number if and only if for any a either (a, n) = 1 or n|a.
