Normal Forms, Factorability and Cohomology of HV-groups

A factorability structure on a group G is a specification of normal forms

of group elements as words over a fixed generating set. There is a chain

complex computing the (co)homology of G. In contrast to the well-known bar

resolution, there are much less generators in each dimension of the chain

complex. Although it is often difficult to understand the differential,

there are examples where the differential is particularly simple, allowing

computations by hand. This leads to the cohomology ring of hv-groups,

which I define at the end of the talk in terms of so called "horizontal"

and "vertical" generators.