Length function: Difference between revisions

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In the [[mathematics|mathematical]] field of [[geometric group theory]], a '''length function''' is a [[function (mathematics)|function]] that assigns a number to each element of a [[group (mathematics)|group]].

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{{expert-subject|date=November 2008}}

{{unreferenced|date=November 2008}}

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In mathematical field of [[geometric group theory]], a '''length function''' is a function that assigns a number to each element of a group.

==Definition==

A '''length function''' ''L''&nbsp;:&nbsp;''G''&nbsp;&rarr;&nbsp;'''R'''⁺ on a [[group (mathematics)|group]] ''G'' is a function satisfying:<ref>{{citation

| last = Lyndon | first = Roger C.

| doi = 10.7146/math.scand.a-10684

| journal = Mathematica Scandinavica

| jstor = 24489388

| mr = 163947

| pages = 209–234

| title = Length functions in groups

| volume = 12

| year = 1963}}</ref><ref>{{citation

| last = Harrison | first = Nancy

| doi = 10.2307/1996098

| journal = Transactions of the American Mathematical Society

| mr = 308283

| pages = 77–106

| title = Real length functions in groups

| volume = 174

| year = 1972}}</ref><ref>{{citation

| last = Chiswell | first = I. M.

| doi = 10.1017/S0305004100053093

| issue = 3

| journal = Mathematical Proceedings of the Cambridge Philosophical Society

| mr = 427480

| pages = 451–463

| title = Abstract length functions in groups

| volume = 80

| year = 1976}}</ref>

:<math>\begin{align}L(e) &= 0,\\

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\end{align}</math>

Compare with the axioms[[axiom]]s for a [[Metricmetric (mathematics)|metric]] and a [[filtered algebra]].

==Word metric==

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An important example of a length is the [[word metric]]: given a [[presentation of a group]] by generators and relations, the length of an element is the length of the shortest word expressing it.

[[Coxeter group]]s (including the [[symmetric group]]) have combinatorialcombinatorially important length functions, using the simple reflections as generators (thus each simple reflection has length&nbsp;1). See also: [[length of a Weyl group element]].

A [[longest element of a Coxeter group]] is both important and unique up to conjugation (up to different choice of simple reflections).

==Properties==

A group with a length function does ''not'' form a [[filtered group]], meaning that the [[sublevel set]]s <math>S_i := \{g \mid L(g) \leq i\}</math> do not form subgroups[[subgroup]]s in general.

However, the [[group ring|group algebra]] of a group with a length functions forms a [[filtered algebra]]: the axiom <math>L(gh) \leq L(g)+L(h)</math> corresponds to the filtration axiom.

==References==

{{reflist}}

{{PlanetMath attribution|id=4365|title=Length function}}