Geometric-sum irreducibility criterion
= Geometric-sum irreducibility criterion
For $n>1$,
$$
1+X+\cdots+X^{n-1}
$$
is irreducible over the integers exactly when $n$ is prime. Composite $n$ gives a geometric factorization; for prime $p$, translation $X\mapsto X+1$ makes the polynomial Eisenstein at $p$.