Element orders in coverings of symmetric and alternating groups

We prove that if the factor group H=G/N of a finite group G is isomorphic to a symmetric or alternating group of degree m, where m≥5 and N≠1, then G has an element whose order is distinct from any element’s order in H. Supported by RFFR grant No. 96-01-01893. Translated fromAlgebra i Logika, Vol. 38, No. 3, pp. 296–315, May–June, 1999.