Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 November 2018
If is a variety of groups that can be denned by n-variable laws and (m) is the variety all of whose m-generator groups are in then there corresponds the chain: (1) ≧ (2) ≧ . . . ≧ (n) = . In this paper such chains are investigated to determine which of the inclusions are proper for certain varieties . In particular the inclusions are shown to be all proper for the varieties where is the variety of nilpotent-of-class-c groups, is the abelian variety and is the variety of centre-bymetabelian groups. For the inclusions are likewise proper but for the corresponding chain is: