# Solvable group

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In mathematics, more specifically in the field of group theory, a solvable group (or soluble group) is a group that can be constructed from abelian groups using extensions. That is, a solvable group is a group whose derived series terminates in the trivial subgroup.

Historically, the word "solvable" arose from Galois theory and the proof of the general unsolvability of quintic equation. Specifically, a polynomial equation is solvable by radicals if and only if the corresponding Galois group is solvable.

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### Definition

A group G is called solvable if it has a subnormal series whose factor groups are all abelian, that is, if there are subgroups $\{1\}=G_0\leq G_1\leq\cdots\leq G_k=G$ such that Gj − 1 is normal in Gj, and Gj / Gj − 1 is an abelian group, for $j=1,2,\dots,k$.

Or equivalently, if its derived series, the descending normal series

where every subgroup is the commutator subgroup of the previous one, eventually reaches the trivial subgroup {1} of G. These two definitions are equivalent, since for every group H and every normal subgroup N of H, the quotient H/N is abelian if and only if N includes H(1). The least n such that G(n) = {1} is called the derived length of the solvable group G.

For finite groups, an equivalent definition is that a solvable group is a group with a composition series all of whose factors are cyclic groups of prime order. This is equivalent because a finite abelian group has finite composition length, and every finite simple abelian group is cyclic of prime order. The Jordan–Hölder theorem guarantees that if one composition series has this property, then all composition series will have this property as well. For the Galois group of a polynomial, these cyclic groups correspond to nth roots (radicals) over some field. The equivalence does not necessarily hold for infinite groups: for example, since every nontrivial subgroup of the group Z of integers under addition is isomorphic to Z itself, it has no composition series, but the normal series {0,Z}, with its only factor group isomorphic to Z, proves that it is in fact solvable.