Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2013/iii/paper-3/1/f/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 iii Paper 3 1 f Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
Use the Sylow theorems. The number divides and is congruent to one modulo . Since , it is either one or . Suppose . Different subgroups of prime order intersect trivially, so their nonidentity elements occupy places, leaving only nonidentity elements of other prime orders.
If neither the Sylow -subgroup nor the Sylow -subgroup is normal, then and . Indeed divides , and its possible divisor cannot satisfy the Sylow congruence; the smallest remaining nontrivial possibility is at least . Likewise any nontrivial divisor of is at least . Their elements would require at leastplaces, since the excess is . Hence some Sylow subgroup of order is normal.
In the quotient by this normal subgroup, the largest prime has a normal Sylow subgroup: for a group of order with its Sylow count divides and so equals one. Pulling back gives a normal subgroup of order . Inside it, the subgroup of order is again the unique Sylow -subgroup. It is characteristic in that normal subgroup and therefore normal in , contradicting . Thus .
Let be this normal Sylow subgroup. In , of order , its subgroup of order is normal by the same argument. Its preimage is a normal Hall -subgroup. The serieshas factors of orders , hence cyclic and abelian. Therefore This establishes solubility before using any Hall-existence conclusion that itself assumes solubility.
New to topics? Read the docs here!