Subject : MATHEMATICS

Paper 1 : ABSTRACT ALGEBRA

Chapter 3 : Sylow Theorems

Module 2 : Sylow’s first theorem

Anjan Kumar Bhuniya

Department of Mathematics
Visva-Bharati; Santiniketan
West Bengal

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 Sylow’s first theorem

Learning outcomes: 1. Sylow’s first theorem.

2. Sylow p-subgroups.
The French mathematician M. L. Sylow proved three results on the structure of finite groups,
which are applied to characterize simple groups. It is interesting to note that these results were
proved first by M. L. Sylow for permutation groups. It is the Cayley’s theorem which influenced
George Frobenious to prove the Sylow Theorems in the general setting.
Here we use techniques of group action to prove the Sylow Theorems. For this, first of all we
need to prove the following two results on group action.
Lemma 0.1. Let G be a group of order pn , p be a prime and S be a finite G-set. If S0 = {a ∈
S|ga = a for all g ∈ G}, then
|S| ≡ |S0 |(mod p).
Proof. Let a ∈ S. Then a ∈ S0 if and only if the orbit [a] = {a}, equivalently |[a]| = 1. Hence
S can be written as a disjoint union S = S0 ∪ [a1 ] ∪ [a2 ] ∪ · · · ∪ [ak ], where [a1 ], [a2 ], · · · , [ak ] are
distinct orbits of G on S and disjoint with S0 . Then |S| = |S0 | + |[a1 ]| + · · · + |[ak ]|.
Since ai ∈ / S0 , so there is g ∈ G such that gai 6= ai which implies that g ∈ / Gai and so
|G|
|Gai | < |G|. Thus |[ai ]| > |Ga | > 1. Then |[ai ]| > 1 and |[ai ]| = [G : Gai ] | |G| = pn imply that that
i

p | |[ai ]| for all 1 ≤ i ≤ k. Hence p | ki=1 |[ai ]| and it follows that |S| ≡ |S0 |(mod p).
P

Recall that if every element of a group G has order pn ; n ≥ 0 for some fixed prime p, then G
is called a p-group. With the help of Cauchy’s Theorem we have proved that a finite group G is a
p-group if and only if |G| = pn for some n ≥ 0.
We call a subgroup H of a group G a p-subgroup if H is a p-group. In particular, for every
prime p, {e} is a p-subgroup of every group G, since |{e}| = 1 = p0 .
Lemma 0.2. If H is a p-subgroup of a finite group G, then [NG (H) : H] ≡ [G : H](mod p).
Proof. Let S be the set of all left cosets of H in G. Then H × S 7−→ S given by (g, aH) 7−→ (ga)H
is an action of H on S. Since H is a p-group, |S| ≡ |S0 |(mod p).
Here |S| = [G : H]. Now for a ∈ G,
aH ∈ S0 ⇔ gaH = aH for all g ∈ G,
⇔ a−1 ga ∈ H for all g ∈ G,
⇔ a−1 Ha ⊆ H
⇔ a ∈ NG (H).

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shows that S0 is the set of all left cosets aH such that a ∈ NG (H), that is |S0 | = [NG (H) : H].
Hence [G : H] ≡ [NG (H) : H](mod p).

Corollary 0.3. Let p be a prime and H be a p-subgroup of a finite group G. If p | [G : H], then
NG (H) 6= H.

Proof. Since G is a finite group and H is a p-subgroup of G, so

[G : H] ≡ [NG (H) : H](mod p).
Then p | [G : H] implies that p | [NG (H) : H]. Since [NG (H) : H] 6= 0 it follows that
[NG (H) : H] ≥ p and the result follows.

Theorem 0.4. (Sylow’s First Theorem) Let G be a finite group of order pn m, where p is a prime
, n > 0 and gcd(p, m) = 1. Then G has a subgroup of order pi for every 1 ≤ i ≤ n. Moreover, for
every subgroup of order pi , i < n, there is a subgroup K of order pi+1 such that H is normal in K.

Proof. We prove that G has a subgroup H of order pi for all 1 ≤ i ≤ n by induction on i. Since
n > 0, p | |G| and it follows from the Cauchy’s Theorem that G has a subgroup H of order p.
Assume that H is a subgroup of order pi , where 1 ≤ i < n. Since H is a subgroup of order pi , so
[G : H] ≡ [N (H) : H](mod p). Then p | [G : H] implies that p | [N (H) : H] = |N (H)/H|, and
it follows from the Cauchy’s Theorem that the quotient group N (H)/H has a subgroup K/H of
order p. Thus G has a subgroup K such that |K| = |K/H| · |H| = pi+1 . Hence, by the principle
of mathematical induction, G has a subgroup of order pi for every 1 ≤ i ≤ n. Finally, K ⊆ N (H)
shows that H is normal in K.

As an immediate consequence we have following extension of Cauchy’s Theorem:

Corollary 0.5. Let G be a finite group and p be a prime. If pn | |G|, then G has a subgroup H of
order pn .

The second part of the Sylow’s first theorem motivates us to introduce the notion of maximal
p-subgroups.

Definition 0.6. Let p be a prime, then a subgroup P of G is called a Sylow p-subgroup if it is a

maximal p-subgroup of G, that is, if H is a p-subgroup of G and P ⊆ H ⊆ G then P = H.

If G is a finite group then G can have only finitely many subgroups and a maximal p-subgroup.
If G is infinite then, also G has a maximal p-subgroup, by the Zorn’s Lemma. Thus, for every prime
p every group G has a Sylow p-subgroup, though they may be trivial.
We have following equivalent characterization of Sylow p-subgroups.

Theorem 0.7. Let G be a finite group of order pn m, n > 0 and gcd(p, m) = 1. Then a subgroup H
is a Sylow p-subgroup of G if and only if |H| = pn .

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Proof. First assume that H is a subgroup of G such that |H| = pn . Let K be a p-subgroup of G
such that H ⊆ K. Since K is a p-subgroup, so |K| = pr for some r ≥ 0. Now by the Lagrange’s
Theorem, |K| | |G| i.e. pr 6= pn m and gcd(p, m) = 1 together implies that r ≤ n. Also H ⊆ K
implies that n ≤ r. Thus r = n and |H| = |K| = pn . Hence H = K and H is a maximal p-subgroup.
Conversely, suppose that H is a Sylow p-subgroup. Then |H| = pr for some r ≥ 0. Now, by
the Lagrange’s Theorem, |H| | |G|, that is pr | pn m and gcd(n, m) = 1 implies that r ≤ n. If r < n
then, the Sylow’s first theorem implies that H is contained in a subgroup K of order pr+1 which
contradicts that H is a maximal p-subgroup of G. Thus r = n and |H| = pn .

Following result has an important role to characterize the nilpotent groups.

Theorem 0.8. Let G be a finite group. If every Sylow subgroup of G is normal, then G is a direct
product of its Sylow subgroups.

Proof. Let |G| = pn1 1 pn2 2 · · · pnk k , where pi are distinct primes. Since each Sylow subgroups of G is
normal, so G has unique Sylow pi -subgroup for every pi , say Pi . Let ai ∈ Pi and aj ∈ Pj , where
i 6= j. Since both Pi and Pj are normal, so ai aj a−1 −1
i aj ∈ Pi ∩ Pj . Now gcd(|Pi |, |Pj |) = 1 implies,
by the Lagrange’s Theorem, that |Pi ∩ Pj | = 1 and so Pi ∩ Pj = {e}. Thus ai aj = aj ai . Now let
a ∈ Pr ∩ (P1 · · · Pr−1 Pr+1 · · · Pk ). Then

a = a1 · · · ar−1 ar+1 · · · ak ,

where ai ∈ Pi . Now o(ai ) | |Pi |, that is o(ai ) | pni i . Thus o(a) | pnr r and ai aj = aj ai for all
nr−1 nr+1 nr−1 nr+1
i 6= j implies that o(a) | pn1 1 · · · pr−1 pr+1 · · · pnk k . Since gcd(pnr r , pn1 1 · · · pr−1 pr+1 · · · pnk k ) = 1, so
o(a) = 1 and a = e. Thus Pr ∩ (P1 · · · Pr−1 Pr+1 · · · Pk ) = {e} which implies that |P1 P2 · · · Pk | =
|P1 ||P2 | · · · |Pk | = pn1 1 pn2 2 · · · pnk k = |G|. Hence G = P1 P2 · · · Pk and G is an internal direct product
of the Sylow subgroups P1 , P2 , · · · , Pk .

1 Summary
• Let G be a group of order pn , p be a prime and S be a finite G-set. If S0 = {a ∈ S|ga = a for
all g ∈ G}, then

|S| ≡ |S0 |(mod p).

• If H is a p-subgroup of a finite group G, then [NG (H) : H] ≡ [G : H](mod p). Thus, if

p | [G : H], then NG (H) 6= H.

• (Sylow’s First Theorem) Let G be a finite group of order pn m, where p is a prime , n > 0 and
gcd(p, m) = 1. Then G has a subgroup of order pi for every 1 ≤ i ≤ n. Moreover, for every
subgroup of order pi , i < n, there is a subgroup K of order pi+1 such that H is normal in K.

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• Let G be a finite group and p be a prime. If pn | |G|, then G has a subgroup H of order pn .

• Let p be a prime, then a subgroup P of G is called a Sylow p-subgroup if it is a maximal

p-subgroup of G, that is, if H is a p-subgroup of G and P ⊆ H ⊆ G then P = H.

• Let G be a finite group of order pn m, n > 0 and gcd(p, m) = 1. Then a subgroup H is a Sylow
p-subgroup of G if and only if |H| = pn .

• Let G be a finite group. If every Sylow subgroup of G is normal, then G is a direct product
of its Sylow subgroups.