Ranks of \(p\)-groups. (Q2846731)

For a finite \(p\)-group \(P\), the \(p\)-rank of \(P\), \(m_p(P)=r\), where \(p^r\) is the maximal order of elementary Abelian subgroups of \(P\).NEWLINENEWLINE The following results are proved. Let \(P\) be a \(2\)-group of class at most \(2\) and exponent \(4\) and let \(n=m_2(P/\Phi(P))\), \(l=m_2(\Phi(P))\). Then \(m_2(P)=\left[\frac n{l+1}\right]+l-1\).NEWLINENEWLINE If \(P\) is a \(p\)-group of class at most \(2\) and exponent \(p>2\), then, with the same notation as in Theorem 1.2 (but with replacing \(2\) by \(p\)), one has \(m_p(P)=\left[\frac n{l+1}\right]+l\).NEWLINENEWLINE Both estimates for \(m_p(P)\) cannot be improved. It is interesting to treat in detail the case when \(P\) is special (especially, for \(l=2\)).