Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-probability-statistics-and-options-i-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2010/a/1/2/solution

The intended hypothesis must be a proper monic factor, with . Without that restriction the printed deduction is false: every polynomial has the displayed trivial factorization with , even when it has no root in .
By part 1, the roots in a splitting field are distinct and have the form . The degree- monic factor is the product of corresponding linear factors. Comparing the coefficient of using Vieta's formulas gives
Both and the sum of prime-field elements lie in . Since , the scalar is nonzero and invertible in . Therefore , and part 1 proves the polynomial splits into distinct linear factors over . In particular an Artin–Schreier polynomial of prime degree is either irreducible or splits completely.

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