Topics in Combinatorial Group Theory
Topics in Combinatorial Group Theory Preface I gave a course on Combinatorial Group Theory at ETH, Zurich, in the Winter term of 1987/88. The notes of that course have been reproduced here, essentially without change. I have made no attempt to improve on those notes, nor have I made any real attempt to provide a complete list of references. I have, however, included some general references which should make it possible for the interested reader to obtain easy access to any one of the topics treated here. In notes of this kind, it may happen that an idea or a theorem that is due to someone other than the author, has inadvertently been improperly acknowledged, if at all. If indeed that is the case here, I trust that I will be forgiven in view of the informal nature of these notes. Acknowledgements I would like to thank R. Suter for taking notes of the course and for his many comments and corrections and M. Schunemann for a superb job of “TEX-ing” the manuscript. I would also like to acknowledge the help and insightful comments of Urs Stammbach. In addition, I would like to take this opportunity to express my thanks and appreciation to him and his wife Irene, for their friendship and their hospitality over many years, and to him, in particular, for all of the work that he has done on my behalf, making it possible for me to spend so many pleasurable months in Zurich. Combinatorial Group Theory iii CONTENTS Chapter I History 1. Introduction ..................................................................1 2.
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