Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2008/ii/paper-2/20g/a/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 ii Paper 2 20G a Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
Put . Since , the ring of integers is and its field discriminant is . All three primes ramify:For example and both ideals have norm , proving equality. The Minkowski bound for ideal classes is . Thus the ideal class group is generated by the classes of these prime ideals; an ideal of norm four contributes only the already principal .
The elements and have norms and . Their ideal factorizations give and . This also explains the printed hint: , a fraction, not the integer . Therefore and , leaving at most two ideal classes. The class of is nontrivial: a principal generator would have norm , but would require or , impossible. Hence
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