Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-algebra-2-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2015/3/a/solution

For a nonzero polynomial , its polynomial content is the positive greatest common divisor of its coefficients:
For nonzero , choose a positive integer with and define its rational polynomial content by
To check independence of the denominator, write with and . Then , while multiplication of all coefficients by a positive integer gives
Dividing by proves , as required.
For multiplication, write . The integer-coefficient content identity permitted in the source gives
Thus
We will also use the normalization , with content one: if , then . It is a primitive polynomial. For a nonzero rational constant , the same definition gives .

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