Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2015/prelims/mathematics-i/5/a/iii/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Oxford 2015 Prelims Mathematics I 5 a iii Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-25
The order of a group element is the smallest positive integer with . Such an integer exists in a finite group: two powers in must agree, and cancellation gives a positive power equal to .
By minimality, are distinct. Every integer power of is one of them, by division of its exponent by . They form the cyclic subgroupApplying Lagrange's theorem to this subgroup gives
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