Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2018/ib/paper-3/11g/b/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 ib Paper 3 11G b Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
Eisenstein criterion states that ifhas a prime number such that , for every , and , then is irreducible over .
After dividing out the polynomial content, suppose for contradiction that the resulting primitive polynomial factors as with positive-degree , using Gauss lemma for polynomials. Reduction modulo gives , so in the polynomial ring both and are monomials. Because both factors have positive degree, their constant coefficients are divisible by . Their product is then divisible by , a contradiction.
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