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The order of a finite group $G$ is its number of elements. Lagrange's theorem states that for a subgroup $K\le G$,so $|K|$ divides $|G|$. In particular the order of a group element divides $|G|$, because it is the order of its generated cyclic subgroup.

For $|G|=4$, if some element has order four it generates the whole group, which is therefore the cyclic group $C_4$. Otherwise every nonidentity element has order two. Choose two distinct ones $a,b$ and put $c=ab$. Cancellation shows $c\notin \{e,a,b\}$, so $c$ is the remaining element. Since $c^{-1}=c$,The other products follow: $ac=ca=b$, $bc=cb=a$, and $a^2=b^2=c^2=e$. Thus the second possibility is the Klein four-group. The two groups are not isomorphic because only $C_4$ has an element of order four. This proves the order-four case of the classification of groups of order p squared.

A group homomorphism $\Phi :G\to H$ obeys $\Phi (gh)=\Phi (g)\Phi (h)$. It maps identity to identity and inverses to inverses. Its group kernel $K=\{g:\Phi (g)=e_H\}$ contains $e_G$ and is closed under $a{b}^{-1}$, so the subgroup test makes it a subgroup. For $k\in K$ and $g\in G$,Thus $gK{g}^{-1}\subseteq K$; applying the same argument to $g^{-1}$ gives equality. Hence $K$ is a normal subgroup.

Define $\overline{\Phi }:G/K\to H$ by $\overline{\Phi }(gK)=\Phi (g)$. If $gK=hK$, then $h^{-1}g\in K$, giving $\Phi (g)=\Phi (h)$, so this is well-defined. Coset multiplication shows it is a group homomorphism. Its kernel is just the identity coset, since $\Phi (g)=e_H$ means $g\in K$. It is therefore injective, and the assumed surjectivity of $\Phi$ makes it surjective as well. This proves the first isomorphism theorem here:

In the quaternion group, the element $-1=i^2=j^2=k^2$ commutes with each of $i,j,k$, because an element commutes with its square. It then commutes with their negatives too, and with $\pm 1$. The set $N=\{1,-1\}$ is a subgroup because $(-1{)}^2=1$, and it is central, hence a normal subgroup.

The four quotient cosets are $N,iN,jN,kN$. They square to $N$, and $(iN)(jN)=kN$. Reversed products have the same coset: for example $(ij{)}^{-1}=k^{-1}=-k$, while $j^{-1}{i}^{-1}=(-j)(-i)=ji$, so $ji=-k$. The same calculation gives $kj=-i$ and $ik=-j$. After signs are identified, these are precisely the products in the Klein four-group. DefineThis preserves all products, is surjective, and has kernel exactly $N$. The first isomorphism theorem therefore givesThis is the quaternion group modulo its centre: the reverse-product relations also show that none of $\pm i,\pm j,\pm k$ is central, so $Z(Q_8)=N$.

Two elements are conjugate group elements if $h=xg{x}^{-1}$ for some $x\in G$. The conjugacy class of $g$ is $\{xg{x}^{-1}:x\in G\}$. Conjugacy is an equivalence relation: it is reflexive using $x=e$, symmetric by replacing $x$ with $x^{-1}$, and transitive becauseThus the classes partition the group: every element belongs to its own class, and any two classes that intersect are equal. This proves that every element belongs to exactly one class.

If $G$ is Abelian, then $xg{x}^{-1}=g$, so every class is a singleton. In general the elements whose classes are singletons are precisely those commuting with every group element. Thus the center of a group isIt contains $e$. If $a,b\in Z(G)$, then $a{b}^{-1}$ commutes with every $g$, since $b^{-1}$ does and $a$ does. The subgroup test therefore proves that $Z(G)$ is a subgroup. Any two of its elements commute with each other, so it is an abelian subgroup.

For the square centred at the origin with vertices $(\pm 1,\pm 1)$, putThe dihedral group $D_4$ consists of $R^j$ and $R^{j}S$, $j=0,1,2,3$. Its eight actions and their matrices areThese exhaust the symmetries: the image of one vertex has four choices and the image of an adjacent vertex has two choices, determining the entire square. For an explicit pair of nonconjugate elements take $R^2$ and $S$. Both have order two, but their determinants are $+1$ and $-1$. A similarity transformation preserves the determinant, so $R^2$ and $S$ are not conjugate.

To find the centre, use $SR=R^{-1}S$. A rotation $R^j$ commutes with $S$ exactly when $R^j=R^{-j}$, so $j$ is even. No reflection $R^{j}S$ commutes with $R$, since $(R^{j}S)R=R^{j-1}S$ while $R(R^{j}S)=R^{j+1}S$, and $R^2\ne I$. Therefore

The intersection $H\cap K$ contains the identity element. If $a,b\in H\cap K$, then $a{b}^{-1}$ belongs to both $H$ and $K$, so it belongs to their intersection. The subgroup test proves that $H\cap K$ is a subgroup of $G$, with the inherited operation. Explicitly, closure and inverses come from this test, and associativity is inherited from $G$.

Label the vertices of the equilateral triangle $1,2,3$ counterclockwise. For the dihedral group of order six, let $r=(123)$ be the counterclockwise rotation by $120^{\circ }$, and let $s=(23)$ be reflection in the line through vertex 1 and the opposite side's midpoint. ChooseThen $B$ rotates by $240^{\circ }$. The three Euclidean reflections $C,D,E$ fix vertices $1,3,2$ respectively. Products act on a vertex from right to left. The relations $r^3=s^2=e$ and $sr=r^{-1}s$ givewhere exponents of $r$ are reduced modulo three and those of $s$ modulo two. This constructs the entire Cayley table:For example $AC=D$ whereas $CA=E$, so the group is nonabelian.

A subgroup of order two is generated by its unique nonidentity element, which must have order two. The rotations $A,B$ have order three, and each reflection has order two. Thus there are exactlyNone is a normal subgroup. Conjugation by $A$ sends the reflection $r^{j}s$ to $r^{j+2}s$, cycling the three reflections. For example $AC{A}^{-1}=E\notin ⟨C⟩$. Each of the other two subgroups fails the same conjugation test.

Finally, take two distinct such subgroups. For instance their union is $⟨C⟩\cup ⟨D⟩=\{I,C,D\}$, but $CD=B$ lies outside it. Thus it is not closed under the inherited group operation and is not a group. The distinctness is necessary: the union of a subgroup with itself is that subgroup.

The image of a group homomorphism contains $e_{G_2}=\varphi (e_{G_1})$. If $u=\varphi (g)$ and $v=\varphi (h)$ lie in the image, then $u{v}^{-1}=\varphi (g{h}^{-1})$ also lies there. The subgroup test proves $\mathrm{im}\varphi \le G_2$.

The kernel of a group homomorphism is $K=\{g:\varphi (g)=e_{G_2}\}$. It is nonempty and closed under $k{h}^{-1}$ for $k,h\in K$, so it is a subgroup. For any $g\in G_1$ and $k\in K$,Thus $gK{g}^{-1}\subseteq K$. Replacing $g$ by $g^{-1}$ gives the reverse inclusion, provingFinally, if $K=\{e\}$ and $\varphi (g)=\varphi (h)$, then $\varphi (h^{-1}g)=e$. Thus $h^{-1}g\in K$ forces $g=h$, establishing injectivity. Conversely an injective homomorphism has trivial kernel, soNone of these arguments requires either group to be finite.

The identity commutes with every group element, so it lies in the center of a group. If $z,w$ are central and $g\in G$, then $gw=wg$ implies $g{w}^{-1}=w^{-1}g$. ConsequentlyThus $z{w}^{-1}$ is central. The subgroup test provesEquivalently, the centre is nonempty, closed under products, and closed under inverses. This proof does not require finiteness. In fact the centre is an Abelian subgroup, and it is normal because $gz{g}^{-1}=z$ for each central element.

The kernel of a group homomorphism isThe homomorphism sends identity to identity and inverses to inverses. Thus $e_G\in K$, and if $k_1,k_2\in K$, then $\Phi (k_1{k}_2^{-1})=e_{G^{\prime }}$, so $K$ is a subgroup by the subgroup test.

For any $g\in G$ and $k\in K$,Hence $gK{g}^{-1}\subseteq K$. Applying the same inclusion with $g^{-1}$ gives equality, provingThis normality argument does not require either group to be finite.

Let $T$ be the set of torsion elements of the given Abelian group. It contains the identity element, which has order one. If $g,h\in T$ have orders $m,n$, set $\ell =\mathrm{lcm}(m,n)$. Commutativity permits powers of the product to split:Hence $g{h}^{-1}$ has finite order, dividing $\ell$, and lies in $T$. The nonempty set $T$ therefore satisfies the subgroup test and is a subgroup:This is the torsion subgroup. The proof uses commutativity exactly when rearranging the factors in $(g{h}^{-1}{)}^{\ell }$; one cannot use that step in an arbitrary noncommutative group. The subgroup need not itself be a finite set.