Uniqueness of inverses

Each element of a group has a unique two-sided inverse
Uniqueness of inverses

Proposition (Uniqueness of inverses). Let GG be a . For gGg\in G, an element xGx\in G is an inverse of gg if xg=exg=e and gx=egx=e, where ee is the identity element of GG. If xx and yy are both inverses of gg, then x=yx=y.

Context. This justifies writing g1g^{-1} for the inverse of gg.

Proof sketch. Using associativity and the defining equations,

x=xe=x(gy)=(xg)y=ey=y. x = xe = x(gy) = (xg)y = ey = y.

(Here ee denotes the identity in GG.)