Almost identities in groups (Q6573384)

Let \(G\) be a finitely generated group with finite generating set \(S\) and let Let \(B_{G,S}(r)\) be the ball of radius \(r\) centered at the unit element of the Cayley graph of \(G\) with respect to \(S\). Let \(w=w(x_{1},\ldots, x_{t})\) be an arbitrary word in the free group \(F_{t}\) of rank \(t\) and let \(d_{r}(w)\) be the number of all \((g_{1}, \ldots, g_{t}) \in G^{t}\) with \(g_{i} \in B_{G,S}(r)\) for which \(w(g_{1}, \ldots,g_{t})=1\) in \(G\). Then the number \(d_{r}(w) \big / (\gamma_{G}(r))^{t}\) is the probability of the identity \(w=1\) being satisfied in the ball \(B_{G,S}(r)\).\N\NThe main result of the paper under review is Theorem 1: For any sufficiently large odd number \(n\) there is a \(4\)-generated group \(G\) in which the identity \(x^{n}=1\) does not hold and we have \(d_{r}(x) \big / \gamma_{G}(r) \rightarrow 1\) as \(r \rightarrow \infty\).\N\NFurthermore, the authors prove that the group \(G\) as in Theorem 1 generates the variety of all groups.