Definition

Let be a group that acts on a set , and let . Then is called invariant if

Relation to orbits

For a group that acts on a set , a subset is -invariant if and only if U is the union of orbits of the action of , i.e.

Proof

Let be a union of orbits, and let . Then for some and . Note

so is -invariant.

Next, let be -invariant. For every , since . Then by invariance, , so