Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-short-options-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2014/2/b/solution

Let be the given length-two composition series. Thus and are simple groups. Let be any proper nontrivial normal subgroup of , such as the penultimate term of another composition series.
If , its two factors are already the given ones. Suppose . Since is normal in the simple group , it is either or . The latter would mean , but then would be a proper nontrivial normal subgroup of , impossible. Thus .
Also cannot be contained in , since it would then be a nontrivial normal subgroup of distinct from . The product is a normal subgroup of , strictly containing . Simplicity of therefore forces . The second isomorphism theorem for groups gives
In particular is simple. Every other composition series has such an as its last proper term, and no nontrivial refinement inside a simple is possible. Hence every composition series has length two.
The general Jordan–Hölder theorem states that any two composition series of a finite group have the same length and the same composition factors up to group isomorphism and permutation. The argument above proves both assertions in this length-two case: another series either uses itself or has factors isomorphic to the original pair in the opposite order. No general uniqueness theorem was used to prove this special case.

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