Factor group

Groupe facteur (Fr); Faktorgruppe (Ge); Grupo cociente (Ge); Gruppo fattore (It).

Definition

Let N be a normal subgroup of a group G. The factor group or quotient group G/N is the set of all left cosets of N in G, i.e.:

[math]G/N = \{ aN : a \isin G \}.[/math]

For each aN and bN in G/N, the product of aN and bN is (aN)(bN), which is still a left coset. In fact, because N is normal:

(aN)(bN) = a(Nb)N = a(bN)N = (ab)NN = (ab)N.

The inverse of an element aN of G/N is a^-1N.

Example

The factor group G/T of a space group G and its translation subgroup is the point group corresponding to G.

See also

Chapter 8 in the International Tables of Crystallography, Volume A