Slender group


In mathematics, a slender group is a torsion-free abelian group that is "small" in a sense that is made precise in the definition below.

Definition

Let ZN denote the Baer–Specker group, that is, the group of all integer sequences, with termwise addition. For each n in N, let en be the sequence with n-th term equal to 1 and all other terms 0.
A torsion-free abelian group G is said to be slender if every homomorphism from ZN into G maps all but finitely many of the en to the identity element.

Examples

Every free abelian group is slender.
The additive group of rational numbers Q is not slender: any mapping of the en into Q extends to a homomorphism from the free subgroup generated by the en, and as Q is injective this homomorphism extends over the whole of ZN. Therefore, a slender group must be reduced.
Every countable reduced torsion-free abelian group is slender, so every proper subgroup of Q is slender.

Properties