Centralizers in symmetric groups
For a group
We say
Suppose
- Prove that
. - Determine whether all
-cycles are conjugate in .
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For a group $G$ and an element $g\in G$, the {\bfseries centralizer} of $g$ in $G$ is the subgroup
\[
C_G(g)=\{h\in G:hgh^{-1}=g\}.
\]
We say $g$ and $gβ$ are {\bfseries conjugate in $G$} if there exists an element $h\in G$ such that $gβ=hgh^{-1}$.
Suppose $S_n$ is a symmetric group with $n\geq 4$, and $\sigma$ is one of the $(n-2)$-cycles in $S_n$. (There are $\frac{n!}{2(n-2)}$ such cycles.)
\begin{enumerate}[label=\alph*)]
\item Prove that $[S_n:C_{S_n}(\sigma)]=[A_n:C_{A_n}(\sigma)]$.
\item Determine whether all $(n-2)$-cycles are conjugate in $A_n$.
\end{enumerate}