Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-algebra-analysis-and-differential-equations-2-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2004/3/iii/solution
Past exam of the algebra, analysis and differential equations II course of the University of Oxford 2004 3 iii Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-31
The inverse image is an ideal, by preservation of differences and multiplication. It is proper since . If , then ; primality of gives or , hence or . Therefore the inverse image is prime.
For maximality, take the inclusion and . This is a maximal ideal of the field , but its inverse image is in , strictly contained in the proper ideal , so it is not maximal. Preservation of identity matters for proper inverse images: without it the zero homomorphism could pull a proper ideal back to the whole ring.
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