Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2001/iii/paper-74/4/i/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2001 iii Paper 74 4 i Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Use , the valuation ring of the completion of a number field at a prime ideal, with uniformizer and residue field . This completeness is essential for coprime-factor Hensel lifting. Normalize the two residue factors to be monic first; if the original factors have reciprocal leading units, undo the normalization by multiplying the eventual factors by reciprocal lifts of those units.
Let the two monic residue degrees be . Start with monic lifts satisfying . Suppose monic lifts of these degrees satisfy . Put , of degree less than . Over , the linear mapis injective: a zero image makes divide , by coprimality, forcing by its degree bound, and then . The dimensions agree, so this map is a bijection. Choose lifts whose image is , and setTheir product agrees with modulo ; the new cross term has factor and . The degree bounds preserve monicity. Each coefficient is a Cauchy sequence in the complete discrete valuation ring , so the limits satisfyIf were interpreted only as an ordinary localization rather than the completed valuation ring, the assertion would be false. For example splits modulo seven but is irreducible over . The completion notation in the next part provides the intended local-field interpretation.
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