Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2019/ii/paper-4/18f/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 ii Paper 4 18F Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-03
The existence and uniqueness of splitting fields says that any two splitting fields of a polynomial are isomorphic by an isomorphism fixing pointwise. Inside a chosen algebraic closure, the subfield generated by all roots is unique.
For a polynomial with distinct roots, let be its splitting field. Its Galois group of a polynomial isthe group of field automorphisms of fixing . It acts faithfully on the roots.
If is irreducible and are roots, the embedding taking to extends, because is normal and separable, to an element of the Galois group. Thus the action is transitive. Conversely, the roots belonging to one orbit have a product polynomial invariant under the whole Galois group, hence lying in . If there were more than one orbit, these orbit polynomials would give a nontrivial factorization of . Therefore
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