Is every proper subgroup of $(\mathbb{Z}/n\mathbb{Z})^\times$ cyclic

abelian-groupsabstract-algebracyclic-groupsgroup-theory

I know that $(\mathbb{Z}/n\mathbb{Z})^\times$ is not necessarily cyclic. But is it true that all of its proper subgroups are cyclic? If not, for which $n$ is it true?

Best Answer

No. But it would be true if you take an $n$ for which $(\Bbb Z/n\Bbb Z)^\times$ is cyclic. That would be, it turns out, any $n=1,2,4,p^k$ or $2p^k$ for $p$ an odd prime.

Those are the only $n$ that work, with the exception, that is, of $n=8$, as @ArturoMagidin points out. Because if a finite abelian group is not cyclic, or of order $p^2$, it contains a proper subgroup of the form $\Bbb Z_p\times\Bbb Z_p$ for some $p$.

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