Prime power order implies subgroups of all orders dividing the group order

From Groupprops

This article gives the statement and possibly, proof, of an implication relation between two group properties. That is, it states that every group satisfying the first group property (i.e., group of prime power order) must also satisfy the second group property (i.e., group having subgroups of all orders dividing the group order)
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Statement

Suppose G is a group of prime power order pn. Suppose 0mn. Then, G has a subgroup of order pm.

Related facts

Congruence condition on the number of subgroups

Other related facts

Facts used

  1. Prime power order implies not centerless

Proof

Given: A group G of prime power order pn. An integer m with 0mn.

To prove: G has a subgroup of order pm.

Proof by moving upward on m

Proof: We prove the result by induction on n. The base case, n=0, is trivial. Suppose n1. Note also that if m=0, the trivial subgroup works, so we can consider m1.

  1. G has a normal subgroup N of order p: Since G is nontrivial, fact (1) tells us that its center Z(G) is nontrivial. Pick any non-identity element xZ(P). The order of x is pj, with <mah>1 \le j \le n</math>. Pick y=xpj1. N=y has order p, and since NZ(G), N is normal.
  2. G/N has a subgroup of order pm1: G/N has order pn1, so the induction hypothesis applies to yield that it has a subgroup, say M/N, of order pm1.
  3. The subgroup M has order pm: This is a direct consequence of Lagrange's theorem, and what we know about the orders of N and M/N.

Proof by moving downward on m

Proof: This uses the idea that every maximal subgroup is normal, and has index

p

, hence we can find a subgroup of the required order inside the maximal subgroup. PLACEHOLDER FOR INFORMATION TO BE FILLED IN: [SHOW MORE]