TITLE: Show that if $G$ is abelian, and $|G| \equiv2 \mod 4$, then the number of elements of order $2$ in $G$ is $1$.
QUESTION [5 upvotes]: I've tried proving it by contradiction, assuming the number of elements is different than one, which, by Sylows $3$, implies that $|G|=2^xm$ with $m$ odd. With that I managed to show that $m\equiv1\mod4$, but kinda got stuck there...

REPLY [4 votes]: Here's an alternative solution without using Sylow's theorems. 
Note that $|G|\equiv 2 \pmod 4 \Rightarrow |G|=2(2k+1)$ for some $k\in \mathbb{Z}$. 
Since $2$ divides $|G|$, by Cauchy's theorem there exists an element $g\in G$ of order $2$. Now $\langle g\rangle$ is a subgroup of order $2$. Now since $G$ is abelian we have that $\langle g\rangle $ is a normal subgroup, and hence $G/\langle g\rangle $ is a group. Now by Lagrange's theorem $|G/\langle g\rangle | = 2k+1$, which is odd.
Suppose there was another element $h\in G$ with order $2$ and $h\neq g$. Then we have that $ h + \langle g \rangle $ is an element of order $2$ in $G/\langle g\rangle$. Thus $\langle h + \langle g\rangle \rangle $ is a subgroup of $G/\langle g\rangle$ or order $2$. However, this is a contradiction since $|G/\langle g\rangle|$ is odd.