Schreier Refinement Theorem. Let GG be a . Consider two finite

G=G0G1Gn={e},G=H0H1Hm={e}.G = G_0 \triangleright G_1 \triangleright \cdots \triangleright G_n=\{e\}, \qquad G = H_0 \triangleright H_1 \triangleright \cdots \triangleright H_m=\{e\}.

Then the two series have refinements, obtained by inserting intermediate subgroups, whose successive are pairwise after a permutation. In particular, the refined series have the same length.

Remarks

Schreier refinement is the main structural comparison tool for normal series. It is the standard input for .