TY - BOOK AU - Clay, Matt AU - Margalit, Dan TI - Office hours with a geometric group theorist SN - 9780691158662 U1 - 512.2 PY - 2017/// CY - New Jersey PB - Princeton University Press KW - Geometric group theory KW - Mathematics - Algebra - Intermediate KW - Mathematics - Geometry - General N1 - Machine generated contents note: pt. 1 GROUPS AND SPACES 1.Groups /​ Dan Margalit 1.1.Groups 1.2.Infinite groups 1.3.Homomorphisms and normal subgroups 1.4.Group presentations 2.... and Spaces /​ Dan Margalit 2.1.Graphs 2.2.Metric spaces 2.3.Geometric group theory: groups and their spaces pt. 2 FREE GROUPS 3.Groups Acting on Trees /​ Dan Margalit 3.1.The Farey tree 3.2.Free actions on trees 3.3.Non-free actions on trees 4.Free Groups and Folding /​ Matt Clay 4.1.Topological model for the free group 4.2.Subgroups via graphs 4.3.Applications of folding 5.The Ping-Pong Lemma /​ Johanna Mangahas 5.1.Statement, proof, and first examples using ping-pong 5.2.Ping-pong with Mobius transformations 5.3.Hyperbolic geometry 5.4.Final remarks 6.Automorphisms of Free Groups /​ Matt Clay 6.1.Automorphisms of groups: first examples 6.2.Automorphisms of free groups: a first look 6.3.Train tracks Contents note continued: pt. 3 LARGE SCALE GEOMETRY 7.Quasi-isometries /​ Anne Thomas 7.1.Example: the integers 7.2.Bi-Lipschitz equivalence of word metrics 7.3.Quasi-isometric equivalence of Cayley graphs 7.4.Quasi-isometries between groups and spaces 7.5.Quasi-isometric rigidity 8.Dehn Functions /​ Timothy Riley 8.1.Jigsaw puzzles reimagined 8.2.A complexity measure for the word problem 8.3.Isoperimetry 8.4.A large-scale geometric invariant 8.5.The Dehn function landscape 9.Hyperbolic Groups /​ Moon Duchin 9.1.Definition of hyperbolicity 9.2.Examples and nonexamples 9.3.Surface groups 9.4.Geometric properties 9.5.Hyperbolic groups have solvable word problem 10.Ends of Groups /​ John Meier 10.1.An example 10.2.The number of ends of a group 10.3.Semidirect products 10.4.Calculating the number of ends of the braid groups 10.5.Moving beyond counting 11.Asymptotic Dimension /​ Greg Bell 11.1.Dimension Contents note continued: 11.2.Motivating examples 11.3.Large-scale geometry 11.4.Topology and dimension 11.5.Large-scale dimension 11.6.Motivating examples revisited 11.7.Three questions 11.8.Other examples 12.Growth of Groups /​ Eric Freden 12.1.Growth series 12.2.Cone types 12.3.Formal languages and context-free grammars 12.4.The DSV method pt. 4 EXAMPLES 13.Coxeter Groups /​ Adam Piggott 13.1.Groups generated by reflections 13.2.Discrete groups generated by reflections 13.3.Relations in finite groups generated by reflections 13.4.Coxeter groups 14.Right-Angled Artin Groups /​ Matt Clay 14.1.Right-angled Artin groups as subgroups 14.2.Connections with other classes of groups 14.3.Subgroups of right-angled Artin groups 14.4.The word problem for right-angled Artin groups 15.Lamplighter Groups /​ Jennifer Taback 15.1.Generators and relators 15.2.Computing word length 15.3.Dead end elements Contents note continued: 15.4.Geometry of the Cayley graph 15.5.Generalizations 16.Thompson's Group /​ Sean Cleary 16.1.Analytic definition and basic properties 16.2.Combinatorial definition 16.3.Presentations 16.4.Algebraic structure 16.5.Geometric properties 17.Mapping Class Groups /​ Dan Margalit 17.1.A brief user's guide to surfaces 17.2.Homeomorphisms of surfaces 17.3.Mapping class groups 17.4.Dehn twists in the mapping class group 17.5.Generating the mapping class group by Dehn twists 18.Braids /​ Aaron Abrams 18.1.Getting started 18.2.Some group theory 18.3.Some topology: configuration spaces 18.4.More topology: punctured disks 18.5.Connection: knot theory 18.6.Connection: robotics 18.7.Connection: hyperplane arrangements 18.8.A stylish and practical finale N2 - Geometric group theory is the study of the interplay between groups and the spaces they act on, and has its roots in the works of Henri Poincaré, Felix Klein, J.H.C. Whitehead, and Max Dehn. Office Hours with a Geometric Group Theorist brings together leading experts who provide one-on-one instruction on key topics in this exciting and relatively new field of mathematics. It’s like having office hours with your most trusted math professors. An essential primer for undergraduates making the leap to graduate work, the book begins with free groups—actions of free groups on trees, algorithmic questions about free groups, the ping-pong lemma, and automorphisms of free groups. It goes on to cover several large-scale geometric invariants of groups, including quasi-isometry groups, Dehn functions, Gromov hyperbolicity, and asymptotic dimension. It also delves into important examples of groups, such as Coxeter groups, Thompson’s groups, right-angled Artin groups, lamplighter groups, mapping class groups, and braid groups. The tone is conversational throughout, and the instruction is driven by examples. Accessible to students who have taken a first course in abstract algebra, Office Hours with a Geometric Group Theorist also features numerous exercises and in-depth projects designed to engage readers and provide jumping-off points for research projects. https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691158662/office-hours-with-a-geometric-group-theorist ER -