Equivariant division

Prajeet Bajpai, Peter G. Doyle

Published 2017-04-13Version 1

Let C be a non-empty finite set, and Gamma a subgroup of the symmetric group S(C). Given a bijection f:A cross C to B cross C, the problem of Gamma-equivariant division is to find a quotient bijection h:A to B respecting whatever symmetries f may have under the action of S(A) cross S(B) cross Gamma. Say that Gamma is fully cancelling if this is possible for any f, and finitely cancelling if it is possible providing A,B are finite. Feldman and Propp showed that a permutation group is finitely cancelling just if it has a globally fixed point. We show here that a permutation group is fully cancelling just if it is trivial. This sheds light on the fact that all known division algorithms that eschew the Axiom of Choice depend on fixing an ordering for the elements of C.