Burnside’s Lemma necklace with a clasp

abstract-algebracombinatoricsgroup-theorynecklace-and-braceletssolution-verification

How many necklaces with clasps can be made with 6 beads in one colour, 4 in second and 3 in the third?

Use Burnside's Lemma I've got:

Let $X=\{\text{necklaces of length 13 beads = 6 white, 4 black and 3 blue}\}$, $|X|=\frac{13!}{6!4!3!}=60060$.
Now G in my case is $|G|=id + \text{symmetry}=2$

So I apply Burnside's Lemma with specified number of beads.

Count fixed points for each $g\in G$:

Identity $g_{id}$ sends any bead back to itself $|fix(g_{id})|=|X|=60060$

Then I can consider flipping the necklace.
There is only 1 flip with axis through the centre – the middle bead. Permutation that represents it has 6 orbits of size 2 (vertices on both sizes of symmetry axis) and 1 orbit of size 1 (vertex that is immutable):
$$s \rightarrow (1\,13)(2\,12)(3\,11)(4\,10)(5\,9)(6\,8) $$ last, $(7\,7)$, has to stay immutable so was omitted.
To make such colouring with fixed vertex being in the colour of uneven order (blue) and assigning all 3 colours to rest of them: there is 1 way of choosing middle bead (only blue) 20 ways of choosing 3 out of 6 monochromatic pairs(first let's choose white) and 3 ways of choosing 2 out of 3 pairs(this time black), the last one can be chosen in 1 way(2 blue beads). So $20\cdot 3\cdot1^2=60$.

Since $|G|=2$ we get:

$$N=\frac{1}{\left|G\right|}\sum_{g\in G} \left|fix(g)\right|$$
here it would be
$\frac{1}{2}\sum_{g\in G} \left |fix(g)\right|=\frac{1}{2}\cdot(60060+20\cdot 3) = 30060$

Best Answer

Well done! I presume you wanted this use of Burnside checked and it is very good.

One could quibble that for an example where there is only one relevant symmetry, applying Burnside seems overly sophisticated. You could just say:

There are $\frac{13!}{6!4!3!}=60060$ arrangements in total, of which $\frac{6!}{3!2!1!}=60$ are symmetrical.

The number of necklaces is therefore $60 + 30000=30060$.

However, as a test of understanding Burnside it was a good easy example to use.