Past exam of the algebra 2 course of the University of Oxford 2014 3 d Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-31
The multiplicative group of a field is abelian, so its finite subgroup is a finite abelian group. Let , and suppose is a subgroup of order . By Lagrange's theorem, the order of each divides , hence . Thus is contained in the set of roots in of .
This nonzero polynomial has degree , so it has at most roots. Since the distinct elements of are already roots, they comprise the whole root set. Any second subgroup of order would also consist of roots of the same polynomial, forcing . Therefore there is at most one subgroup of each order dividing .
Part (c) now applies to giveThe root bound remains valid in positive characteristic, even if the formal derivative of vanishes: the argument counts distinct roots, so no separability assumption is needed.
Past exam of the algebra 2 course of the University of Oxford 2014 3 c Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-31
We prove the unique-subgroup criterion for a finite abelian group to be cyclic using the invariant-factor classification from part (a). If is nontrivial, writewhere denotes a cyclic group of order . If , choose a prime number dividing ; then also divides . In the first cyclic factor, the element represented by has order of a group element , and the corresponding element in the second factor has order as well.
The two elements supported in their separate coordinates generate distinct subgroups of order : one has zero second coordinate, and the other has zero first coordinate. Both are subgroups of , and . This contradicts the assumed uniqueness for that divisor. Hence , andIf is the trivial group, it is already cyclic, generated by its identity. Thus the argument covers every finite order.
Past exam of the algebra 2 course of the University of Oxford 2014 3 b Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-31
Use the Chinese remainder theorem to separate relatively prime factors:These five cyclic prime-power summands are the elementary-divisor form. Leave one summand aside and combine the factors of orders , which are pairwise coprime. Their direct sum of modules is cyclic of order . The invariant-factor canonical form is thereforeIts group order is , and its exponent of a finite group is , providing independent checks on the decomposition. Since its exponent is smaller than its order, itself is not cyclic.
Past exam of the algebra 2 course of the University of Oxford 2014 3 a Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-31
The structure theorem for finitely generated modules over a principal ideal domain applies to a Euclidean domain because every Euclidean domain is a principal ideal domain. In invariant-factor form, every finitely generated module has a decompositionwhere , and each is a nonzero nonunit. The rank of a module is unique and the invariant factors of a finitely generated module are unique up to multiplication by units. The zero module is allowed by taking .
Every abelian group is a module over , and a finite abelian group is finitely generated. Since is a Euclidean domain, the theorem applies. A nonzero free module summand would be infinite, so a finite group has . Choosing positive integer representatives gives the finite abelian classificationThe ordered integers are uniquely determined. Splitting each into prime powers using the Chinese remainder theorem gives the equivalent elementary-divisor form as a direct sum of cyclic prime-power groups.
Past exam of the algebra 2 course of the University of Oxford 2014 2 b Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-31
Write a rational root of a polynomial as in lowest terms with . Substituting into the monic integer-coefficient polynomial and multiplying by givesEvery term other than is divisible by , so . But implies , and hence . ThusThis is the monic case of the rational root theorem. The monic polynomial assumption is essential because it removes any leading coefficient that could supply prime factors of the denominator.
Past exam of the algebra 2 course of the University of Oxford 2014 2 a Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-31
For a nonzero integer-coefficient polynomial , its polynomial content is the positive greatest common divisor of all its coefficients; one may set . A primitive polynomial has content one.
For , choose a positive integer clearing its denominators, so . Put . Thenwhere is an integer-coefficient primitive polynomial. This proves existence with .
For uniqueness, suppose , where both integer-coefficient polynomials are primitive and . Write in lowest terms with positive. Then has integer coefficients. Coprimality forces to divide every coefficient of , hence . Now has content , so . Therefore and .
Define the rational polynomial content by this unique positive multiplier. If and , Gauss lemma for polynomials says that is primitive. ThusThe uniqueness argument also shows that the construction is independent of the chosen denominator-clearing integer .
Past exam of the algebra 2 course of the University of Oxford 2014 1 d Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-31
In this localization of a ring, a nonzero fraction with odd is a unit exactly when is odd: its reciprocal then has odd denominator; if is even, an inverse would equate an even integer with an odd one after clearing denominators. Consequently every nonzero element has a unique formHere is the exponent of in the numerator of the reduced fraction, its nonnegative 2-adic valuation.
Every nonzero ideal has the form by part (c). Write the nonzero integer with odd; since is a unit, . Hence the nonzero proper ideals are exactlyThe zero ideal and complete the full list. These ideals are distinct: does not belong to , since .
The reduction map is a well-defined surjective ring homomorphism with kernel of a ring homomorphism ; odd denominators reduce to . Thus is a field, so is a prime ideal and is a prime element. Every nonzero nonunit is associated to with . If , the factorization is into two nonunits, so it is not an irreducible element and therefore not a prime element. We concludeThe failed step in the argument of part (b) is the guarantee that the product plus one is a nonunit and hence has an irreducible factor. Here every prime element is an even fraction, so a product of prime elements plus is an odd fraction, therefore a unit. Already has no prime divisor in this ring. In , positive degree prevented that failure.
Past exam of the algebra 2 course of the University of Oxford 2014 1 c Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-31
Take a reduced fraction , with . Since , Bézout's identity supplies integers with . As the subring contains all integers,Thus a denominator appearing in a reduced fraction in is automatically a unit of .
Now let . Because , the principal ideal is contained in . For the reverse inclusion, take and write in lowest terms. Multiplying by gives , so for some integer . The preceding result gives , whenceThereforeThis includes : the same argument forces every to be zero. This is the ideals of subrings of the rational numbers property; every such ring is a principal ideal domain.
Past exam of the algebra 2 course of the University of Oxford 2014 1 b Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-31
Suppose, for a contradiction, that the monic irreducible polynomials in the polynomial ring form a finite list . The list is nonempty because itself is monic and irreducible. PutThis has positive degree, so it is a nonzero nonunit. Every such polynomial over a field has an irreducible polynomial as a factor: repeatedly factor a reducible polynomial, with the positive degrees strictly decreasing until an irreducible factor is reached. Dividing that factor by its leading coefficient makes it monic; call it .
By the assumed completeness of the list, for some . But then divides both and , hence their difference . A positive-degree polynomial cannot divide . This contradiction proves there are infinitely many monic irreducible polynomials over every field. This is the polynomial version of Euclid's theorem; it does not require the field itself to be infinite.
Past exam of the algebra 2 course of the University of Oxford 2014 1 a Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-31
Suppose first that is prime. Since is proper, in the quotient ring. If , then , so primeness gives or . Thus the commutative quotient ring has a nonzero identity and no nonzero zero divisors, hence is an integral domain.
Conversely, if is an integral domain, its identity is nonzero, so . If , then in . Absence of nonzero zero divisors implies or , namely or . ThereforeThe properness condition matters: taking would produce the zero ring, which is not an integral domain.
Past exam of the algebra 1 and differential equations 1 course of the University of Oxford 2015 6 b Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-31
In position-velocity variables , the scalar right-hand side isIts only relevant singularity is . The initial state is separated from it. For an explicit application of part (a), take and in the L1 norm. On the resulting closed ball, , and .
The partial derivatives obeyThe ball is convex, so integrating these partial derivatives along a segment between two states gives the uniform Lipschitz conditionContinuity holds on the whole slab, andThus , , and the choice satisfies the self-map and contraction bounds in part (a). This proves a unique solution on , with bounded away from zero there.
There is also a useful exact representation. Where , set , the logarithmic derivative. Differentiation cancels the quadratic term:Solving this first-order linear differential equation gives , and a second integration yieldsThis function is positive and smooth for every real , satisfies both initial data, and verifies the original ordinary differential equation by direct differentiation. It therefore extends the unique local solution to the entire real line. The logarithmic-derivative reduction of a second-order equation explains why this apparently nonlinear example is explicitly integrable by integration.
There are unlisted articles, also show them or only show them.