 Solution

The group order of a finite group is its number of elements, $|G|$. The order of a group element $g$ is the least positive integer $r$ with $g^r=e$. Such an $r$ exists in a finite group because two powers must coincide, and cancellation then gives a positive power equal to the identity element.

For the direct product of groups, the componentwise operation is closed because each factor is closed. Associativity holds in each coordinate:The identity element is $(e_1,e_2)$, and the inverse element of $(g,h)$ is $(g^{-1},h^{-1})$. Thus all group axioms hold. For finite factors, the multiplication principle gives

For ${\mathbb{Z}}_2\times {\mathbb{Z}}_2$, write $E=(e,e)$, $u=(w,e)$, $v=(e,w)$, $z=(w,w)$, with $w^2=e$. Its Cayley table, with the row element multiplying the column element, isThis is the Klein four-group: every nonidentity element has order two.

In the cyclic group ${\mathbb{Z}}_4=⟨a⟩$, the set $\{e,a^2\}$ is closed because $(a^2{)}^2=e$, and both elements have inverses in the set. It is therefore a proper subgroup of order two. By Lagrange's theorem, a proper subgroup has order one or two. An order-two subgroup must be generated by an element of order two. Neither $a$ nor $a^3$ has order two, whereas $a^2$ does. HenceThe PDF's claim needs “nontrivial”: $\{e,a^2\}$ is the only nontrivial proper subgroup, but $\{e\}$ is also a proper subgroup under the usual definition.

A group isomorphism preserves element orders: $\varphi (g{)}^r=e$ if and only if $g^r=e$, using the homomorphism property and injectivity. Since ${\mathbb{Z}}_4$ has elements of order four and the Klein four-group does not,