Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2005/ib/paper-1/10c/solution

Let act on its left cosets by . This is well-defined and gives a group homomorphism . Its kernel is a normal subgroup. An element lies in this kernel exactly when it fixes every coset, so
This is the normal core of a subgroup. By the first isomorphism theorem, , a subgroup of . The Lagrange theorem therefore gives
In particular has finite index even when is infinite.
Now let be generated by an element of order in a group of order . Then and . The preceding result gives a normal with . Since has prime order, its subgroup is either or all of . The first choice would imply , which is impossible because the prime divides none of the factors of . Therefore , proving that every subgroup generated by an element of order is normal. No classification of groups of order is needed.

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