Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2016 / ib / Paper 2 / 11E / a / Solution

Write $|G|=p^{r}m$ with $p$ prime and $p\nmid m$. The Sylow theorems assert that a subgroup of order $p^r$ exists; every p-group subgroup is contained in a conjugate of a Sylow subgroup; all Sylow subgroups are conjugate; and their number $n_p$ satisfies $n_p\equiv 1(\mathrm{mod}p)$ and $n_p\mid m$.

For the containment and conjugacy assertions, fix a Sylow subgroup $P$ and let any p-group subgroup $Q$ act by left multiplication on the $m$ left cosets $G/P$. By the orbit-stabilizer theorem, every orbit has size a power of $p$. Since $p\nmid m$, at least one orbit has size one. If $gP$ is such a fixed point, then $qgP=gP$ for all $q\in Q$, equivalently $g^{-1}Qg\subseteq P$. Thus $Q\subseteq gP{g}^{-1}$. If $Q$ too has order $p^r$, this inclusion is equality, proving conjugacy. This is Sylow containment from a coset fixed point.