Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-algebra-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2011/3/a/ii/solution

Apply the decomposition to the module on which acts as . On put and use the ordered basis
Multiplication by has diagonal entries and superdiagonal entries , so its matrix is the Jordan block . Concatenating the bases of the direct sum gives a basis of in which
This proves existence of Jordan normal form; uniqueness of the primary cyclic decomposition also proves uniqueness of its blocks up to order.

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