Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2004 ib Paper 4 12F ii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
Consider the ideal in . It is proper: evaluation at zero followed by reduction modulo maps the ring onto and has kernel . Suppose . Then divides the constant polynomial , so is a constant integer dividing . Up to sign, the only possibilities are and . The first would make the ideal the whole ring; the second cannot divide in . Both are impossible. This proves the integer polynomial ring is not a principal ideal domain result: is not a principal ideal domain.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ib Paper 2 2E b ii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
For the same pair, . Since is a unique factorization domain, Gauss lemma for polynomials proves that is a unique factorization domain.
To prove that is not a principal ideal domain, consider the ideal . A generator would divide 2 and . Divisibility of 2 forces to be a nonzero constant integer; divisibility of then forces that integer to divide its coefficient 1, so . This would make . But evaluation at followed by reduction modulo 2 maps every element of to zero and maps 1 to one. Hence , a contradiction. This is the integer polynomial ring is not a principal ideal domain example, with both clauses satisfied by a single inclusion.