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TheoremStatement: Literature-sourcedProof: AI-adaptedprecheck passjudge pass (deepseek-v4-pro + gpt-5.6-terra)audited 2026-08-26
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For each prime there are exactly two nonabelian groups of order p3 up to isomorphism

Statement

For every prime p there are exactly two nonabelian groups of order p3 up to isomorphism. For odd p they are the Heisenberg group Hp, of exponent p, and the modular group Mp, of exponent p2. For p=2 they are Dih⁡(C4) and Q8.

Facts & Assumptions

Given: A prime p and a nonabelian group P with ∣P∣=p3.

[F1]

The Heisenberg group of order p3 is the set Hp of triples over Z/p with (a,b,c)(a′,b′,c′):=(a+a′, b+b′, c+c′+ab′) (The Heisenberg group of order p3 over Z/p).

[F2]

The modular group of order p3 is Mp=A⋊αB with A=⟨a⟩ of order p2, B=⟨s⟩ of order p and sas−1=a1+p (The modular group of order p3 as a semidirect product Cp2⋊Cp).

[F3]

Z(G):={z∈G:zg=gz for every g∈G} (The center Z(G) of a group).

[F4]

For g,h∈G the commutator is [g,h]:=ghg−1h−1 (Commutators [g,h]=ghg−1h−1 and the commutator subgroup [G,G]).

[F5]

For a finite group G, exp⁡(G)=min⁡{n∈N:n>0 and gn=e for every g∈G} (The exponent of a finite group).

[F8]

For a group G and a prime p, Gp=⟨gp:g∈G⟩ (The pth-power subgroup Gp).

[L1]

A nonabelian group of order p3 is extraspecial, with Z(P)=[P,P]=Φ(P) of order p and P/Z(P) elementary abelian of order p2 (A nonabelian group of order p3 is extraspecial).

[L2]

For a finite p-group P the following are equivalent: P is extraspecial; P is nonabelian, ∣Z(P)∣=p and P/Z(P) is elementary abelian; P is nonabelian and Z(P)=P′=Φ(P) has order p (Three equivalent descriptions of an extraspecial p-group).

[L3]

For every finite p-group P, Φ(P)=P′Pp (Φ(P)=P′Pp for a finite p-group).

[L4]

If [x,y]≠e in an extraspecial p-group P, then ⟨x,y⟩ contains Z(P), has order p3, is nonabelian, and is extraspecial with centre Z(P) (Two elements of an extraspecial p-group with nontrivial commutator generate an extraspecial subgroup of order p3).

[L5]

If [G,G]≤Z(G) then [xy,w]=[x,w][y,w], [x,yw]=[x,y][x,w], and [xn,y]=[x,y]n=[x,yn] for every integer n (Commutator identities in a group whose derived subgroup is central).

[L6]

For an odd prime p and a finite group G with [G,G]≤Z(G) of exponent dividing p, (xy)p=xpyp for all x,y (For an odd prime p, the p-th power map is a homomorphism on a finite group whose derived subgroup is central of exponent dividing p).

[L7]

Z(Hp)=[Hp,Hp] is the third coordinate axis, of order p; Hp is extraspecial; and for odd p its exponent is p (The Heisenberg group of order p3 is extraspecial, and for odd p it has exponent p).

[L8]

The Heisenberg multiplication is a group law with identity (0,0,0) and inverse (a,b,c)−1=(−a,−b,−c+ab), the group is nonabelian of order p3, and (1,0,0)a=(a,0,0), (0,1,0)b=(0,b,0), (0,0,1)c=(0,0,c) (The Heisenberg multiplication is a group law, nonabelian, on a set of p3 elements).

[L9]

Mp is nonabelian of order p3, extraspecial of exponent p2, with Z(Mp)=[Mp,Mp]=⟨ap⟩; at p=2 it is Dih⁡(C4) (The modular group of order p3 is extraspecial, of exponent p2 when p is odd).

[L10]

Dih⁡(C4) and Q8 are extraspecial of order 8, with exactly six and exactly two solutions of x2=1 respectively (Dih⁡(C4) and Q8 are extraspecial of order 8, with six and two solutions of x2=1 respectively).

[L11]

The conditions N⊴G, G=NH, N∩H={1} hold if and only if conjugation restricts to an action α:H→Aut⁡(N) and (n,h)↦nh is an isomorphism N⋊αH→G carrying the canonical factors onto N and H ( Recognition theorem: G=NH with N⊴G, N∩H=1 exactly realises an external semidirect product).

[L12]

For n≥1, Dih⁡(Cn)=Cn⋊C2 with rn=s2=1 and srs−1=r−1, of order 2n ( Dih⁡(Cn)=Cn⋊C2 with inversion action has order 2n and the dihedral relations).

[L14]

∣Q8∣=8, the element −1 is its only element of order two, and each of ±i,±j,±k has order four (Q8 is a subgroup of H× with eight elements, and −1 is its only element of order 2).

[L15]

For a finite group G and H≤G, ∣G∣=[G:H] ∣H∣ (Lagrange's theorem: ∣G∣=[G:H]∣H∣ for every subgroup H of a finite group G).

[L17]

A cyclic group with a generator of finite order n is isomorphic to (Z/n,+) (Every cyclic group is isomorphic to (Z,+) or to (Z/n,+) for its finite order n≥1).

Proof

technique · cases
1.1F3F4L1L2

P is extraspecial: Z(P)=[P,P]=Φ(P)=⟨z⟩ has order p, and V=P/Z(P) is elementary abelian of order p2.

1.2F8L1L3

Since Φ(P)=[P,P]Pp contains Pp, every g∈P has gp∈Z(P).

1.3F5F6F7L15L16

Every element order divides p3; an element of order p3 would generate P and make it abelian, so every element has order dividing p2 and exp⁡(P) is p or p2.

1.4F5L7L8L9

For odd p the groups Hp and Mp are nonabelian of order p3 with exponents p and p2, so they are not isomorphic.

1.5L10

The groups Dih⁡(C4) and Q8 are nonabelian of order eight and have six and two solutions of x2=1, so they are not isomorphic.

1.6F7L16assume-case expp

First case: suppose gp=e for every g∈P. At p=2 this makes P abelian, since gh=(gh)−1=h−1g−1=hg; so p is odd here.

1.7F6F7L15L16assume-case exppsq

Second case: suppose instead that P has an element a of order p2. Then ⟨a⟩ has order p2 and index p, and ap is a nonidentity element of Z(P), so Z(P)=⟨ap⟩.

2.1F4F6L4step 1.1step 1.6

In the first case, nonabelianness gives x,y with [x,y]≠e; then z:=[x,y] generates Z(P) and ⟨x,y⟩ has order p3, so P=⟨x,y⟩.

2.2F4F6L15step 1.7

In the second case, choose b∉⟨a⟩; then ⟨a,b⟩ properly contains a subgroup of index p and so equals P, and [b,a]≠e since otherwise P would be abelian.

3.1F3F6L1L15step 2.1

In the first case every element of P is uniquely xuyvzw with u,v,w in {0,…,p−1}: the images xˉ,yˉ generate V, so the products xuyv meet every coset of Z(P)={zw}, and there are exactly p3 such triples of exponents.

3.2F4L5L16step 1.2step 1.7step 2.2

In the second case [b,a] lies in ⟨ap⟩ and is not the identity, so [b,a]=apk with p∤k; choosing k′ with kk′≡1(modp) and replacing b by bk′, which still lies outside ⟨a⟩ because its image in V is nontrivial, gives [b,a]=ap, that is bab−1=a1+p. Moreover bp∈Z(P)=⟨ap⟩, say bp=apm.

4.1F4L5L16step 1.6step 3.1

In the first case the class-two identities give yvxu′=[yv,xu′]xu′yv=z−u′vxu′yv, so (xuyvzw)(xu′yv′zw′)=xu+u′yv+v′zw+w′−u′v, all exponents read modulo p because xp=yp=zp=e.

4.2L6L16step 3.2assume-case odd

In the second case with p odd, the p-th power map is a homomorphism, so c=ba−m has cp=bp(a−m)p=e; also c∉⟨a⟩, and cac−1=bab−1=a1+p.

4.3L16step 3.2assume-case two

In the second case with p=2, the element b2 lies in {e,a2}, and the relation reads bab−1=a3=a−1.

5.1F1F4L4L7L8step 3.1step 4.1

In Hp put X=(1,0,0), Y=(0,1,0) and W=(0,0,1). Then XY=(1,1,1), YX=(1,1,0) and (YX)−1=(−1,−1,1), so [X,Y]=(XY)(YX)−1=(0,0,1)=W, which generates Z(Hp); for odd p every element of Hp has p-th power the identity, so steps 3.1 and 4.1 hold verbatim in Hp with X,Y,W in place of x,y,z.

5.2F2F6L11L15L17step 4.2

In the second case with p odd, ⟨a⟩ is normal because c conjugates it into itself and a normalises it, ⟨a⟩∩⟨c⟩ is trivial because c∉⟨a⟩ and ⟨c⟩ has prime order, and ∣⟨a⟩∣∣⟨c⟩∣=p3, so P=⟨a⟩⟨c⟩ is an internal semidirect product whose conjugation action sends a to a1+p; hence P≅Mp.

5.3F6L11L12L15L17step 4.3

In the second case with p=2 and b2=e: ⟨a⟩ is normal of index two, ⟨a⟩∩⟨b⟩ is trivial, and b acts on ⟨a⟩ by inversion, so P is the internal semidirect product of a cyclic group of order four by a cyclic group of order two acting by inversion, that is P≅Dih⁡(C4).

5.4F6L13L14L15L16step 4.3

In the second case with p=2 and b2=a2: the eight elements aubv with 0≤u<4 and v∈{0,1} are distinct and exhaust P, and the relations a4=e, b2=a2 and ba=a−1b determine every product of two of them. The quaternion group satisfies the same three relations with i for a and j for b, since i4=1, j2=−1=i2 and ji=−k=i−1j, and j∉⟨i⟩, so its eight elements have the same normal form; matching normal forms is therefore an isomorphism and P≅Q8.

6.1step 3.1step 4.1step 5.1

In the first case, matching normal forms gives a bijection Hp→P carrying XuYvWw to xuyvzw, and both products are computed by the same rule, so it is an isomorphism and P≅Hp.

7.1step 1.3step 1.4step 1.5step 5.2step 5.3step 5.4step 6.1cases-exhaustive∎

The two cases are exhaustive, and within the second the two parities are exhaustive; so for odd p every nonabelian group of order p3 is isomorphic to Hp or to Mp, and for p=2 to Dih⁡(C4) or to Q8. With the two non-isomorphy statements this gives exactly two isomorphism classes at every prime.

Remarks

The parity of p enters twice and in opposite directions. It rules out the exponent-p case at p=2, where it forces commutativity; and it is what allows the correction of the second generator in the exponent-p2 case, since that correction is made with the p-th power homomorphism, which is available only for odd p. At p=2 the correction is not available and the two possible values of b2 produce the two groups of order eight.

Depends on

Used by

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Sources