❖ GROUP THEORY

[CSIR JUNE 2011]

1. Which of the following matrices is an element of (0)
(a) 2Γ + 2Γ (1)
(b) Γ (0) + 3Γ (1)
the group 𝑆𝑈(2) ? [CSIR JUNE 2011] (c) Γ (0) + Γ (1) + Γ (2) (d) 2Γ (2)
1 + i −1
1 1 √3 √3 4. Let 𝛼 and 𝛽 be complex numbers. Which of the
(a) ( ) (b)
0 1 1 1−i following sets of matrices forms a group under
matrix multiplication? [CSIR DEC 2014]
(√3 √3 )
𝛼 𝛽
(a) ( )
0 0
1 √3 1 𝛼
(b) ( ), where 𝛼𝛽 ≠ 1
2+𝑖 𝑖 𝛽 1
(c) ( ) (d) 2 2 𝛼 𝛼 ∗
3 1+𝑖 √3 1 (c) ( ), where 𝛼𝛽 ∗ is real
𝛽 𝛽∗
(2 2)
(d) ( ∗
𝛼 𝛽
), where |𝛼|2 + |𝛽|2 = 1
−𝛽 𝛼 ∗
2. The character table of C3 , the group of
symmetries of an equilateral triangle is given 5. A part of the group multiplication table for a six
below element group 𝐺 = {𝑒, 𝑎, 𝑏, 𝑐, 𝑑, 𝑓} is shown
below. (In the following 𝑒 is the identity
𝜒 (0) 𝜒 (1) 𝜒 (2) element of 𝐺 ). [CSIR JUNE 2016]
s. 𝑒 𝑎 𝑏 𝑐 𝑑 𝑓⃗
1Γ1 1 1 b
𝑒 𝑒 𝑎 𝑏 𝑐 𝑑 𝑓
3Γ2 1 a c
𝑎 𝑎 𝑏 𝑒 𝑑
2Γ3 1 1 d
𝑏 𝑏 𝑒 𝑥 𝑓 𝑦 𝑧
In the above 𝐶1 , 𝐶2 , 𝐶3 denotes the three classes
of C3𝑣 , containing 1,3 and 2 elements 𝑐 c
respectively, and 𝜒 (0) , 𝜒 (1) and 𝜒 (2) are the
𝑑 𝑑
characters of the three irreducible
representations Γ (0) , Γ (1) and Γ (2) of C3v. 𝑓 𝑓
[CSIR JUNE 2011] The entries 𝑥, 𝑦 and 𝑧 should be
(A) The entries a, b, c and 𝑑 in this table are, (a) 𝑥 = 𝑎, 𝑦 = 𝑑 and 𝑧 = 𝑐
respectively (b) 𝑥 = 𝑐, 𝑦 = 𝑎 and 𝑧 = 𝑑
(a) 2,1, −1,0 (b) −1,2,0, −1 (c) 𝑥 = 𝑐, 𝑦 = 𝑑 and 𝑧 = 𝑎
(c) −1,1,0, −1 (d) −1,1,1, −1 (d) 𝑥 = 𝑎, 𝑦 = 𝑐 and 𝑧 = 𝑑

3. The reducible representation Γ of C3v with 6. The 2 × 2 identity matrix 𝐼 and the Pauli
character 𝜒 = (4,0,1) decomposes into its matrices 𝜎 𝑥 , 𝜎 𝑦 , 𝜎 𝑧 do not form a group under
matrix multiplication. The minimum number of
irreducible representations Γ (0) , Γ (1) , Γ (2) as
2 × 2 matrices, which includes these four
matrices, and form a group (under matrix
 multiplication) is [CSIR DEC 2016] (d) reflection in the 𝑥𝑧-plane, then rotation by
(a) 20 (b) 8 −𝜋/2 about 𝑧-direction
(c) 12 (d) 16
10. Which of the following operations will
7. Which of the following sets of 3 × 3 matrices (in transform a tetrahedron 𝐴𝐵𝐶𝐷 with vertices as
which 𝑎 and 𝑏 are real numbers) form a group listed below
under matrix multiplication?
[CSIR JUNE 2017] 𝑥 𝑦 𝑧
1 0 𝑎
(a) {(0 A 0 0 0
1 0) : 𝑎, 𝑏 ∈ ℝ}
𝑏 0 1 B 1 0 0
1 𝑎 0
(b) {(0 1 𝑏) : 𝑎, 𝑏 ∈ ℝ} C 0 1 0
0 0 1
1 0 𝑎
D 0 0 2
(c) {(0 1 𝑏 ) : 𝑎, 𝑏 ∈ ℝ}
0 0 1
1 𝑎 0
(d) {(𝑏 1 0) : 𝑎, 𝑏 ∈ ℝ}
0 0 1

8. The regular representation of two nonidentity

elements of the group of order 3 are given by
into a tetrahedron ABCD with vertices as listed
[CSIR DEC 2023]
0 1 0 0 0 1 below
(a)(1 0 0) , (0 1 0) 𝑥 𝑦 𝑧
0 0 1 1 0 0
1 0 0 0 1 0 A 0 0 0
(b)(0 0 1) , (1 0 0) B 0 1 0
0 1 0 0 0 1
0 0 1 0 1 0 C 0 0 1
(c)(1 0 0) , (0 0 1)
D 2 0 0
0 1 0 1 0 0
0 0 1 0 0 1
(d) (0 1 0) , (1 0 0)
1 0 0 0 1 0

9.

up to suitable translation? [TIFR 2019]

(a) A rotation about 𝑥 axis by 𝜋/2, then a
rotation about 𝑧 axis by 𝜋/2
(b) A reflection in the xy plane, then a rotation
about 𝑥 axis by 𝜋/2
Refer to the figure above. If the 𝑧-axis points out (c) A reflection in the yz plane, then a reflection
of the plane of the paper towards you, the in the 𝑥𝑦 plane
triangle marked ' 𝐴 ' can be transformed (and (d) A rotation about 𝑦 axis by 𝜋/2, then a
suitably re-positioned) to the triangle marked reflection in the 𝑥𝑧 plane
'B' by [TIFR 2018]
(a)rotation about 𝑥-direction by 𝜋/2, then 11. Consider a square which can undergo rotations
rotation by −𝜋/2 in the 𝑦𝑧-plane and reflections about its centre, where making
(b) rotation about 𝑧-direction by 𝜋/2, then no transformation at all is counted as a rotation
reflection in the 𝑦𝑧-plane by 00 . The total number of such distinct
(c) reflection in the 𝑦𝑧-plane, then rotation by rotations and reflections which will keep the
𝜋/2 about 𝑧-direction square unchanged is [TIFR 2022]
 (a) 8 (b) 4
(c) 16 (d) 32

12. If an abelian group is constructed with two

distinct elements 𝑎 and 𝑏 such that 𝑎2 = 𝑏 2 = 𝐼,
where 𝐼 is the group identity. What is the order
of the smallest abelian group containing a, b and
I? [JEST 2018]
0004
13. 𝐺 = {𝑒, 𝑎, 𝑎2 , 𝑏, 𝑏𝑎, 𝑏𝑎2 } is a group of order
6. 𝑒 is the identity element and 𝑎 is of order
3 . What could be the order of the element 𝑏
? [JEST 2022]
(a) 2
(b) 3
(c) 1
(d) Can't be determined

14. Let (𝐺,∘) be a discrete group of order 4

where the group operation ' 𝑜 ' among the
various elements of 𝐺 = {𝑒, 𝑎, 𝑏, 𝑐} is given
by the following multiplication table:

𝑒 𝑎 𝑏 𝑐

𝑒 𝑒 𝑎 𝑏 𝑐

𝑎 𝑎 𝑒 𝑐 𝑏

𝑏 𝑏 𝑐 𝑒 𝑎

𝑐 𝑐 𝑏 𝑎 𝑒
Which of the following is correct ?
[JEST 2024]
(a) (𝐺,∘) is cyclic and abelian.
(b) (𝐺,∘) is non-cyclic and abelian.
(c) (𝐺,∘) is cyclic and non-abelian.
(d) (𝐺,∘) is non-cyclic and non-abelian.

ANSWER KEY
1. b 2. b 3. c 4. d 5. d 6. d
7. c 8. c 9. - 10. a 11. a 12. 0004
13. a 14. b