The expected number of random elements to generate a finite Abelian group
type: Item
instance of: scholarly article
title: The expected number of random elements to generate a finite Abelian group
zbMATH Open document ID: 0980.20079
DOI: 10.1023/A:1015250102792
author: Carl Pomerance
published in: Periodica Mathematica Hungarica
publication date: 2001-11-05T00:00:00Z
review text: For a finite group \(G\), let \(r(G)\) denote the minimal number of generators of \(G\). Also let \(E(G)\) denote the expected number of elements from \(G\), independently chosen with the uniform distribution, to generate \(G\). Clearly, \(E(G)\geq r(G)\). Let \(e(G)=E(G)-r(G)\), the excess of \(G\). For the symmetric group \(S_n\) and the alternating group \(A_n\), the results of \textit{J. D. Dixon} [Math. Z. 110, 199-205 (1969; Zbl 0176.29901)] yield that \(E(S_n)=2.5+o(1)\) and \(E(A_n)=2+o(1)\) as \(n\to\infty\). From the results of \textit{W. M. Kantor} and \textit{A. Lubotzky} [Geom. Dedicata 36, No. 1, 67-87 (1990; Zbl 0718.20011)] and \textit{M. W. Liebeck} and \textit{A. Shalev} [Geom. Dedicata 56, No. 1, 103-113 (1995; Zbl 0836.20068)], the numbers \(e(G)\) are unbounded in general but the relation \(E(G)=2+o(1)\) holds for any finite nonabelian simple group \(G\) as \(|G|\to\infty\). In the paper under review the author computes the excess \(e(G)\) for any finite Abelian group \(G\). Corollary 2 states that \(\sup\{e(G):G\text{ a finite Abelian group }\}=2.118456563\dots\). Thus the numbers \(e(G)\) remain uniformly bounded for finite Abelian groups, for finite simple groups, for the symmetric groups, and -- by the remarks at the end of the paper -- for finite nilpotent groups.
reviewed by: Mihály Szalay
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 20P05
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 20K01
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 20F05
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 11N45
zbMATH DE Number: 1668885
zbMATH Keywords: finite Abelian groups
zbMATH Keywords: numbers of generators
MaRDI profile type: MaRDI publication profile
full work available at URL: a:1015250102792
OpenAlex ID: W1736900933
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description: scientific article; zbMATH DE number 1668885