Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2019/ib/paper-3/1g/solution

Write and . The map
is a surjective ring homomorphism: in , the image of is and . Its kernel is exactly . Indeed, both generators lie in the kernel; conversely, if is even, then
and is even. Hence and the index of a subgroup is .
If were a principal ideal, multiplication by would identify its additive lattice with a sublattice of index
Thus principality would require . This Diophantine equation has no integer solution: would give , while makes the left side at least . Therefore

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