Talk:List of finite simple groups

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Note that this page uses italic for group of Lie type A, but roman for the alternating groups.

If we are referring to groups of Lie type by their Dynkin diagrams (i.e. PSL(2,7) is A₁(7)), then it would be better not to call the alternating groups A_n. I've sometimes seen a Gothic A to make it clearer, and some authors use Alt_n. Otherwise people might think A_n(q) is related to A_n, which they're not. The difference between roman and italic is not enough to make it obvious imho. --Huppybanny 14:56, 18 October 2005 (UTC)

Unfortunately A_n is by far the most common notation for alternating groups, so it is probably best to stick to it. Using unusual notation like Alt_n may also confuse people used to the standard notation, and gothic letters probably dont work on all browsers. Maybe the best solution is to change it to boldface A_n. R.e.b. 16:11, 18 October 2005 (UTC)