Subgroups of cyclic groups are cyclic
Every subgroup of a cyclic group is cyclic, with an explicit generator
Subgroups of cyclic groups are cyclic
Proposition (Subgroups of cyclic groups are cyclic). Let be a group that is cyclic, meaning for some (so is a cyclic group ). Let be a subgroup .
- If is infinite cyclic (isomorphic to ), then either or there exists a unique integer such that .
- If , then there exists a divisor such that , and moreover .
Context. This result gives a complete classification of subgroups of cyclic groups: they are completely controlled by divisibility (finite case) or by a single positive integer (infinite case). It is frequently paired with Lagrange's theorem in finite group computations.