The (CO)homology of groups given by presentations in which each defining relator involves at most two types of generators

Abstract

AbstractOur set-up will consist of the following: (i) a graph with vertex set V and edge set E; (ii) for each vertex ∈ V a non-trivial group Gv given by a presentation (xν; rν); (iii) for each edge e = {u, ν} ∈ E a group Ge given by a presentation (xu, xv; re) where re consists of the elements of ru ∪ rv, together with some further words on xu ∪ xv. We let G = (x; r) where x = ∪v∈v xv, r = ∪e∈E re. Ouraim is to try to describe the structure of G in terms of the groups Gv, (v ∈ V), Ge (e ∈ E). Under suitable conditions the natural homomorphisms Gv, → G (ν ∈ V), Ge → Ge (e ε E) are injective; and there is a short exact sequence (where, for any group H, IH is the augmentation ideal). Some (co)homological consequences of these resultsare derived.