Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-options-ii-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2011/a/a2/b/solution

The cubic has no root in , since its values at and are both . A cubic over a field is irreducible precisely when it has no root. Consequently
is a field extension of degree , with eight elements. The Frobenius endomorphism takes a root of a polynomial over to another root, so the roots are . They are distinct: equality between any two would make the Frobenius endomorphism orbit have length less than , contradicting the minimal polynomial of . They all lie in , and one of them generates . Hence

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