Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2017/ii/paper-3/16i/a/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 3 16I a Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
Write , where since is a finite-dimensional vector space over its prime field. Every nonzero element satisfies by Lagrange theorem, so is exactly the splitting field of over . The derivative is , making it a separable polynomial. Thus the extension is a normal field extension and a separable field extension, hence a Galois extension.
The finite-field Frobenius automorphism fixes and has . If with , all elements would be roots of the degree- polynomial , impossible. It has order , equal to the degree of the Galois extension. Therefore
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