# Math Help - group theory abstract algebra

1. ## group theory abstract algebra

consider all the rationals except 1 with the binary operation a*b=a+b-ab for any a,b elements in Q\ {1}.
show that this is a group.
why is 1 excluded

2. Verify that $\left\langle\mathbb Q\setminus\{1\},\star\right\rangle$ satisfies all the group axioms. (Do you know what the group axioms are?) Hint for identity: $a\star0=0\star a=\ldots\,?$

This group is isomorphic to $\left\langle\mathbb Q\setminus\{0\},\times\right\rangle$ (the group of nonzero rationals under ordinary multiplication) via the mapping $a\mapsto\frac1{1-a}$ for $a\in\mathbb Q\setminus\{1\}.$

3. Originally Posted by bettywhit
consider all the rationals except 1 with the binary operation a*b=a+b-ab for any a,b elements in Q\ {1}.
show that this is a group.
why is 1 excluded
thanks i figured out how to show it is a group but i am not sure why 1 is excluded

4. Originally Posted by bettywhit
thanks i figured out how to show it is a group but i am not sure why 1 is excluded

The group's unit is 0, since $a*0=a+0-a \cdot 0=a$. If 1 were an element of this group, then you'd get $a*1=a+1-a\cdot 1=a+1-1=a$ and you have ANOTHER unit, which cannot be in a group.

Tonio

5. Something is wrong here.

$a\star1\ =\ a+1-a\cdot1=a+1-\color{red}a\color{black}=\color{red}1$

You just cannot have two identities, even in a semigroup! Including $1$ would make $\left\langle\mathbb Q,\star\right\rangle$ a semigroup rather than a group (the element $1$ will not have an inverse). If a semigroup has an identity, then that identity is always unique.

6. If 1 was included, the inverse would also be undefined,