Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-algebra-2-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2014/1/c/solution
Past exam of the algebra 2 course of the University of Oxford 2014 1 c Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-31
Take a reduced fraction , with . Since , Bézout's identity supplies integers with . As the subring contains all integers,Thus a denominator appearing in a reduced fraction in is automatically a unit of .
Now let . Because , the principal ideal is contained in . For the reverse inclusion, take and write in lowest terms. Multiplying by gives , so for some integer . The preceding result gives , whenceThereforeThis includes : the same argument forces every to be zero. This is the ideals of subrings of the rational numbers property; every such ring is a principal ideal domain.
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