Trivial representation - Definition and Overview

In mathematics, in particular group representation theory, a group representation of the group G is called a trivial representation if (i) it is defined on a one-dimensional vector space V over a field K and (ii) all elements g of G act on V as the identity mapping. Given any such V, this representation always exists, and any two such representations over K are equivalent.

Although the trivial representation is constructed in such a way as to make its properties seem tautologous, it is a fundamental object of the theory. A subrepresentation is equivalent to a trivial representation, for example, if it consists of invariant vectors; so that searching for such subrepresentations is the whole topic of invariant theory.