Subgroup test

In abstract algebra, the one-step subgroup test is a theorem that states that for any group, a nonempty subset of that group is itself a group if the inverse of any element in the subset multiplied with any other element in the subset is also in the subset. The two-step subgroup test is a similar theorem which requires the subset to be closed under the operation and taking of inverses.

Two-step subgroup test

A corollary of this theorem is the two-step subgroup test which states that a nonempty subset of a group is itself a group if the subset is closed under the operation as well as under the taking of inverses.