 Solution

The cyclic subgroup $A=⟨a⟩$ has order four and index two. Every index-two subgroup is normal: its complement is both the only nontrivial left coset and the only nontrivial right coset. Thus conjugation by $b$ is an automorphism of $A$. It must send its generator $a$ to another element of order four, namely $a$ or $a^3$. Since $b^{-1}=b$,equivalently $ab=ba$ or $ab=b{a}^3$, as required. Also $b\notin A$, since otherwise $a,b$ could generate at most four elements.

In the commuting case, every word reduces uniquely to $a^j{b}^{\epsilon }$ with $0\le j<4$ and $\epsilon \in \{0,1\}$. The eight expressions are distinct because $A$ and $Ab$ are disjoint. Multiplication is addition of the two exponents modulo four and two, respectively. ThereforeThis gives the multiplication table independently of any other properties of $G$, proving uniqueness up to group isomorphism.

In the inversion case, the relation $ba=a^{-1}b$ gives the same eight unique normal forms, now with multiplicationwith exponents reduced modulo four and two. Thus this case also has a uniquely determined group structure. A faithful geometric realization is the dihedral group of a square, with $a$ a quarter-turn and $b$ a reflection in a line through opposite edge midpoints. For example, on the plane,These preserve the square with vertices $(\pm 1,\pm 1)$ and satisfy $a^4=b^2=I$, $bab=a^{-1}$. They generate eight distinct transformations, so