Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-algebra-2-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2014/3/a/solution

The structure theorem for finitely generated modules over a principal ideal domain applies to a Euclidean domain because every Euclidean domain is a principal ideal domain. In invariant-factor form, every finitely generated module has a decomposition
where , and each is a nonzero nonunit. The rank of a module is unique and the invariant factors of a finitely generated module are unique up to multiplication by units. The zero module is allowed by taking .
Every abelian group is a module over , and a finite abelian group is finitely generated. Since is a Euclidean domain, the theorem applies. A nonzero free module summand would be infinite, so a finite group has . Choosing positive integer representatives gives the finite abelian classification
The ordered integers are uniquely determined. Splitting each into prime powers using the Chinese remainder theorem gives the equivalent elementary-divisor form as a direct sum of cyclic prime-power groups.

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