Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-algebra-and-analysis-ii-for-mathematics-and-philosophy-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2013/1/c/solution

Since and are coprime, Bézout's identity for polynomials gives with . For every ,
The first summand belongs to : applying gives . The second belongs to by the same calculation. Here all polynomials in commute, and . Thus .
If , both terms on the right of the identity vanish, so . Therefore
Finally, whenever ; hence . Replacing by proves . These are invariant subspaces; this is the coprime-factor case of the primary decomposition theorem for linear maps.

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