Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2009/ii/paper-3/18h/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2009 ii Paper 3 18H Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
The Artin fixed-field theorem says that for a finite group of distinct automorphisms of a field , the extension is Galois extension and has degree . Here is invariant under translations because for . Hence . Also is a root of , so . The fixed-field theorem gives , forcing . The extension is separable; explicitly the derivative of is .
For the affine substitutions, transforms to , since and . Therefore is fixed by all substitutions. The polynomial has as a root and degree . Apply the same degree comparison and the Artin fixed-field theorem to obtainMoreover , so the minimal polynomial of is . It splits as , and its derivative is nonzero at every root. Thus is a Galois extension with group , acting by .
There is a harmless convention issue in labeling the substitutions: composes in the reverse order to the displayed affine matrices. It is naturally a right action on functions, or a left action after inserting inverses. The set of automorphisms and all the fixed fields just computed are unchanged by that convention.
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