Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-year-2-of-the-natural-sciences-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2013/paper-2/8/iii/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2013 Paper 2 8 iii Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-18
The order of a group element is the least positive integer such that , or infinity if there is no such integer. In a finite group such a exists, because two powers among must coincide.
The powers are distinct: a repetition with exponents differing by less than would contradict its minimality. Division of any exponent by shows that these are all the elements of the cyclic subgroup . Thus . Applying Lagrange's theorem givesIn particular the identity has order one, and every nonidentity element has order greater than one. The divisibility assertion here concerns finite group order.
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