Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-rings-and-modules-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2023/3/a/i/solution

Since , its minimal polynomial divides . The polynomial is an irreducible polynomial over the rational numbers: a reducible quadratic would have a rational root, whereas for every .
Because , the constant polynomial one evaluates to the nonzero identity matrix , so . Both and are monic polynomials; hence the only remaining divisor is

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