The Class Equation of GL2(Fq)

Abstract

In this thesis, we discuss the conjugacy classes of the general linear group of 2 x 2 matrices over a prime field. We find the number of conjugacy classes and the class equation for GL_2 (F_q) for general prime q. We then look at some applications of the class equation, which includes finding the number of orbits when GL_2 (F_q) acts on (GL_2 (F_q))^s by conjugation. Included in this thesis is the Maple Code for generating the class equation for any prime.