Herstein: Topics in Algebra - Subgroups and A Counting

Principle
by Bret Sherfinski

April 29, 2015

2. Let G be a group such that the intersection of all its subgroups which are different
from (e) is a subgroup different from (e). Prove that every element in G has finite
order.

Proof: Consider all subgroups H ⊆ G and define H ∗ = H. By Herstein 2.5.1, H ∗

T
H6=(e)
is a subgroup and by hypothesis H ∗ is nontrivial so H ∗ 6= (e). Since H ∗ 6= (e) there is a
x 6= e where x ∈ H ∗ . The cyclic group < x >, generated by x, must be contained in H ∗ ,
that is, < x >⊆ H ∗ . As a nontrivial subgroup of G, the cyclic group < x > is involved
in the definition of H ∗ = H. That is, H ∗ ⊆< x >. Hence, we have H ∗ =< x >
T
H6=(e)
or H ∗ is cyclic. Furthermore, H ∗ has finite order because if x2 = e we have nothing to
prove and otherwise we can consider the nontrivial subgroup < x2 >⊆ H ∗ as x2 6= e. The
definition of H ∗ forces the inclusion H ∗ ⊆< x2 > so that H ∗ =< x2 > and hence we
have < x >= H ∗ =< x2 >. Therefore we can conclude x = x2n for some n ∈ N so that
x2n−1 = e and that x must have finite order.
We have established so far that H ∗ is a finite cyclic subgroup of G.
Let g ∈ G and g 6= e then the cyclic group < g >, generated by g, is a nontrivial subgroup
of G and by definition of H ∗ we can conclude that H ∗ ⊆< g >. Hence, < x >⊆< g >
so that x = g j for some j ∈ N. Since x has finite order, say m, we have g jm = xm = e.
Hence, g has finite order as well and g was an arbitrary, non-identity element from G, so
every element from G has finite order.