Definition:Cyclic Group/Definition 2

From ProofWiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Definition

The group $G$ is cyclic if and only if it is generated by one element $g \in G$:

$G = \gen g$


Notation

A cyclic group with $n$ elements is often denoted $C_n$.

Some sources use the notation $\sqbrk g$ or $\gen g$ to denote the cyclic group generated by $g$.


From Integers Modulo m under Addition form Cyclic Group, $\struct {\Z_m, +_m}$ is a cyclic group.

Thus $\struct {\Z_m, +_m}$ often taken as the archetypal example of a cyclic group, and the notation $\Z_m$ is used.

This is justified as, from Cyclic Groups of Same Order are Isomorphic, $\Z_m$ is isomorphic to $C_m$.

In certain contexts $\Z_m$ is particularly useful, as it allows results about cyclic groups to be demonstrated using number theoretical techniques.


Also see

  • Results about cyclic groups can be found here.


Sources

Retrieved from "https://proofwiki.org/w/index.php?title=Definition:Cyclic_Group/Definition_2&oldid=732630"