Talk:Subgroup

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[edit] Proper subgroup

Is a trivial subgroup a proper subgroup? The article says so but my text says otherwise. -- Taku 23:07, 8 October 2005 (UTC)

I think it is the same as with a set. A proper subset Y of X is a subset Y which does not equal X. So, unless the group is trivial to start with, its trivial subgroup must be proper. No? Oleg Alexandrov (talk) 00:09, 9 October 2005 (UTC)

I think I have seen both, but what Oleg writes is what I would guess is the most common. It needs a survey of recent literature. People write "non-trivial proper subgroup" when they want to make sure there is no misunderstanding. --Zero 11:07, 10 October 2005 (UTC)