A finite nonabelian simple group cannot be a p-group: a nontrivial finite p-group has nontrivial centre of a group, since its class equation makes every noncentral conjugacy class size divisible by , and hence makes the centre size a positive multiple of . That centre is a normal subgroup, so must be the whole group if is a simple group, making it abelian; an abelian simple group has prime order. Therefore every Sylow subgroup here is nontrivial and proper. It cannot be normal, so .
To obtain a simple group embedding from Sylow conjugation, the conjugation action on Sylow subgroups gives a group homomorphism . This group action is transitive by the Sylow theorems and is nontrivial since . Its kernel of a group homomorphism is a normal subgroup, so the defining property of a simple group makes the kernel of a group homomorphism trivial: is an embedding. Now compose with the sign of a permutation . A nontrivial composite would again be injective because is a simple group, embedding in a group of order two, impossible for a nonabelian group. Thus lies in the alternating group . By Lagrange's theorem,
The argument only invokes the factorial formula once ; the impossible case itself is also excluded by the embedding.