Group Theory – Prove a Finite Cancellative Semigroup is a Group

abstract-algebrafinite-groupsgroup-theorymagmasemigroups

Let $G$ be a finite, nonempty set with an operation $*$ such that

  1. $G$ is closed under $*$ and $*$ is associative
  2. Given $a,b,c \in G$ with $a*b=a*c$, then $b=c$.
  3. Given $a,b,c \in G$ with $b*a=c*a$, then $b=c$.

I want to prove that $G$ is a group, but I don't know how to show that there exists an identity $e\in G$ such that $e*x=x$ and $x*e=x$ $\forall x \in G$. I also don't know how to show that $\forall$ x $\in G$ there exists a $y \in G$ such that $y*x=e$ and $x*y=e$. How do I do this?

Best Answer

We write $xy$ for $x*y$.

Let $a$ be an element of $G$, and consider the function $f:G \to G$, $f(g)=ag$. This is injective by (2), and so (since $G$ is finite) it must also be surjective. Thus there exists an element $e$ of $G$ such that $f(e)=a$, i.e. $a=ae$.

We want to show that $e$ is in fact a two-sided identity for $G$. So let $b$ be an arbitrary element of $G$, and consider $ab=(ae)b=a(eb)$. Thus by (2), $b=eb$ for all $b$, i.e. $e$ is a left identity. To show $e$ is also a right identity, consider $bb=b(eb)=(be)b$, and apply (3) to conclude that $b=be$.

Now we need to show the existence of inverses. As above, for every $a$ in $G$ the function $g \mapsto ag$ is surjective, so there is an element, $a_R$ say, such that $aa_R=e$. Similarly, there is an element $a_L$ such that $a_La=e$. Since $a_L=a_Le=a_L(aa_R)=(a_La)a_R=ea_R=a_R$, we have that $a_L=a_R$ is a two-sided inverse for $a$.