For all humankind
Academicsubsite
ZixuanZhang
ZixuanZhang
Ponder...

Simplicity of A5

The alternating group is simple.

Theorem 8.29

Proof

A normal subgroup of is a union of conjugacy classes containing the identity. The conjugacy-class sizes are , , , , and . Of the sums containing , only and divide . By Lagrange’s theorem, a normal subgroup therefore has order or , so it is either or .

Related

Stated in