Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 iii Paper 1 5 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
A local ring is a nonzero ring with one maximal ideal . Write for its residue field. Its Krull dimension is the supremum of lengths of strict chains of prime ideals; in a local ring chains may be extended to end at .
For the local Hilbert-function convention, define the Hilbert–Samuel growth dimensionEquivalently it is the order of the pole at of the Hilbert series of the associated graded ringThis finite standard graded -algebra is generated by . The Hilbert-Serre theorem makes the cumulative Hilbert function eventually polynomial, which establishes the definition. For an Artinian local ring, the polynomial is constant and nonzero, so .
For every prime chain of length , the prime-chain lower bound for local length proved in Question 4 gives . A polynomial of degree cannot satisfy this when . Thus the requested inequality isFor clarity, the embedding dimension is the different invariantThe equality follows from the Nakayama lemma. Applying Question 4 to gives , while the polynomial-algebra surjection below also gives . In particular, growth dimension and embedding dimension should be kept distinct.
A regular local ring is a Noetherian local ring with . Let this common value be and choose a minimal generating set of . The initial forms give a surjective graded ring homomorphismFor , the Nakayama lemma gives , so is a field. Assume . If the kernel contained a nonzero homogeneous polynomial of degree , the cumulative Hilbert function of the target would be bounded by that of . Multiplication by is injective in the polynomial integral domain, so this bound isBut provides a prime chain of length , and Question 4 gives . This is a contradiction. Hence the associated graded ring of a regular local ring isan integral domain.
Finally the Krull intersection theorem gives . One can see the needed separatedness directly: for the finitely generated ideal , the Artin-Rees lemma gives , and the Nakayama lemma gives . Therefore each nonzero has finite -adic order , with nonzero initial form in . For nonzero , their initial forms have nonzero product in the graded integral domain. It follows that , and indeed its order is the sum of their orders. Thus is an integral domain.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 iii Paper 16 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
On an affine chart , the Module of Kähler differentials is generated by symbols subject to -linearity and . It represents -derivations. These modules commute with localization, so their associated quasi-coherent sheaves glue to the Kähler differential sheaf . It is coherent: if and , then it has the finite presentation of a moduleFor a closed point , put with maximal ideal and residue field . The Zariski tangent space is , equivalently . A derivation kills constants and , so it factors through ; conversely every linear functional on defines such a derivation by the product rule. The universal property of Kähler differentials therefore identifies this space withIn particular, , the algebraic cotangent space.
A point is a smooth point of a variety when its local ring is a regular local ring; over this algebraically closed field this says . Tensor the finite presentation of a module above with . The tangent space is the kernel of the Jacobian matrix , hence has dimension . This proves the Jacobian criterionFor a smooth irreducible variety , choose at each point an invertible -minor and shrink the affine chart so that it remains invertible. Its relations eliminate of the generators of , yielding a surjection . At the generic point, its target has dimension : over a perfect ground field, a separating transcendence basis of the function field has differentials forming a basis. Equivalently this follows from the assumed density of the smooth locus. The kernel therefore becomes zero over the fraction field of the integral domain . As a submodule of , it is a torsion-free module, so it is already zero. Thus these maps give local isomorphisms with , proving local freeness of differentials on a smooth variety with rank .
For an affine chart , write and . The restriction of a module sheaf to a closed subvariety is . The Conormal exact sequence for Kähler differentials isIt follows from the generators and relations: passing to imposes precisely the additional relations for . The first map is well defined because lies in . Glue these exact module sequences, using exactness of localization, to obtainIn the final assertion, interpret locally principal subvariety as a proper local hypersurface. Its ideal on each chart is with . Since is an irreducible variety and reduced, is a non-zero-divisor, and , , is an isomorphism. These local rank-one descriptions make the conormal sheaf invertible.
Because is not contained in the singular locus of , there is a dense open subset of where both and are smooth varieties. At a closed point there, by the Krull principal ideal theorem. The tangent description then forces . Hence the conormal map is injective at the generic point of . Its kernel is a subsheaf of a line bundle on the integral variety , so it is a torsion-free sheaf; a torsion-free sheaf with zero generic fibre is zero. This proves conormal injectivity for a generically smooth Cartier divisor. If zero equations were allowed in the phrase locally principal, would be a counterexample to invertibility; the proper-hypersurface convention is essential.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 ii Paper 2 16H i Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
Use the customary squarefree convention for the quadratic radicand . For , the ring of integers of a number field is , soThe ideal is prime exactly when this quotient is an integral domain. A polynomial quotient of a field is an integral domain exactly when the defining polynomial is irreducible. This proves the assertion, including the possibility of ramified primes where the reduction has a repeated root.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 ib Paper 2 2E Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
The fraction field of an integral domain is a field containing an identified copy of in which every element has the form with and . Equality means exactly when ; the operations are the usual addition and multiplication of fractions. We use unital ring homomorphisms.
Since is injective, whenever . DefineIf , applying the ring homomorphism and dividing by proves the value is independent of the representative. The fraction addition and multiplication rules show that preserves both operations and one, and . If , then , so because is an injective function; therefore its kernel is zero and is injective. It is also the unique extension, because any ring homomorphism extending must send to .
For a counterexample, take , , and reduction modulo two . An extension would give , a contradiction. Nonzero denominators must become invertible in the target; an arbitrary ring homomorphism need not have that property.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 ib Paper 3 11E b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
The polynomial satisfies the Eisenstein criterion at the prime two: every nonleading coefficient is divisible by two, and the constant coefficient is not divisible by four. Thus it is irreducible over and is the minimal polynomial of every one of its roots. Part (a) givesButIn the quotient, the two nonzero classes of and multiply to zero. They are nonzero because their nonzero representative degrees are less than five. The quotient is not an integral domain, so is not a prime ideal.
For ring homomorphisms preserving the identity, an image of in the Gaussian integers would satisfy . The minimal polynomial of over would then be , of degree five. This is impossible because has degree at most two. Thus there is no unital homomorphism . If homomorphisms are instead allowed not to preserve the identity, the zero map exists; every nonzero homomorphism into this integral domain is unital, because the image of one is a nonzero idempotent and hence one.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 101 2 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
The Weak Hilbert Nullstellensatz states that if is an algebraically closed field, every maximal ideal of isEquivalently, every proper ideal has a common zero. We prove the more general field statement, the Zariski lemma: a field finitely generated as a -algebra is a finite field extension of .
Write such a field as . Choose a maximal set of algebraically independent elements among these generators and denote the remaining generators by . Each is an algebraic element over , so is a finite field extension. Clearing the denominators in their monic equations, choose a nonzero such that each is an integral element overBecause is a field and , we have . Thus is an integral extension of .
A subring over which a field is integral must itself be a field. Indeed, for , an integral equation for multiplied by expresses as an element of . But if , the ring is not a field: choose an irreducible polynomial which does not divide . There are infinitely many monic irreducible polynomials in , by the usual product-plus-one argument, whereas only finitely many can divide the nonzero . The prime ideal stays proper after inverting , so has no inverse in . Therefore , proving that is a finite field extension, and in particular an algebraic field extension.
Apply the Zariski lemma to the residue field of a maximal ideal. When is an algebraically closed field, this field is itself. The images of then give , proving the Weak Hilbert Nullstellensatz.
For the real Laurent polynomial ring, the same argument applies because it is the finitely generated algebraEvery residue field at a maximal ideal is consequently a finite field extension of , and so is or . Here we use the fundamental theorem of algebra, which makes the algebraic closure of of degree two. The images of must be nonzero since these elements are units. It follows that the answer iswith and defining the same maximal ideal. If both coordinates are real, evaluation has image ; otherwise its image is . Thus every displayed kernel is maximal, and the Zariski lemma shows that this list is exhaustive.
For explicit generating sets of an ideal, there are three cases. For real nonzero ,If and with ,If with and , thenThe last two quotients are ; the nonzero coordinate condition ensures that the Laurent inverses exist in them. There are no further coincidences in the classification: equal kernels induce an -isomorphism between the evaluation image fields. The only -automorphisms of are the identity and complex conjugation, so the two pairs must agree or be conjugate.
To prove the intersection assertion, fix a prime ideal and an element . The integral domain has nonzero image . Its localization of a ring is nonzero and still a finitely generated algebra over , so it has a maximal ideal . By the Zariski lemma, the field is finite over .
The image of in is a subring containing and is a finite-dimensional -vector space. It is an integral domain, hence a field: multiplication by any nonzero element is an injective linear map of a finite-dimensional vector space and therefore surjective. The kernel of is thus a maximal ideal which avoids , since is invertible in . Its inverse image in is a maximal ideal containing but avoiding . As this works for every ,This is the Jacobson ring property for this Laurent polynomial ring.
For a nonzero finitely generated module , its set of associated primes isHere is the annihilator of the element. The Laurent polynomial ring is a Noetherian ring, so the nonempty collection of annihilators of nonzero elements of has a maximal member, say . It is proper because .
If and , then andMaximality forces , hence . Thus is a prime ideal, proving . This argument in fact only needs that is Noetherian, not the finite generation of .
A proper ideal is -primary when its radical of an ideal is andEquivalently, and imply ; equivalently, every zero divisor of is nilpotent. These formulations distinguish the actual primary ideal property from the weaker assertion that there is only one minimal prime ideal.
For the final example, set and . ThenSince is an integral domain, is a prime ideal. Moreover and , so . Consequently is the unique minimal prime ideal over .
Nevertheless , while and no power of belongs to . For the first assertion, reduce modulo : the image of is in , and is not a multiple of because is a nonunit in this integral domain. For the second, , so for every . Thus is not a -primary ideal: a unique minimal prime does not imply primary. In , the nonzero class of is killed by , a zero divisor which is not nilpotent.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 101 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Put and . Evaluation at is surjective, andso its kernel is the prime ideal . In particular is naturally an -module, generated by the classes of .
For integers , including negative integers, reduction modulo givesFor negative powers, this follows from and ; the mixed product vanishes modulo . Therefore a Laurent polynomial satisfiesThe formal derivatives obey the product rule, so . If , both terms vanish. Hence both vanish on and define a mapIt sends to and to , and the displayed expansion gives its inverse. Thus the conormal module has the explicit basis
Let be the localization at a prime ideal, with maximal ideal . Every nonzero integer lies outside and is therefore inverted. The residue field isIndeed there is an explicit identificationinverting and has no effect in this local ring, and a polynomial denominator lies outside precisely when its constant term is nonzero. Conversely, clearing rational denominators turns every such fraction into a fraction from .
For the Krull dimension, the prime ideal correspondence for localization preserves the strict chainof prime ideals in . They are prime because the successive quotients are the integral domains , , and . They remain distinct after localization at a prime ideal because they are all contained in . Hence .
For the upper bound, is a Noetherian ring by the Hilbert basis theorem and Localization of a Noetherian ring. Since is generated by two elements, the Krull height theorem gives . The prime ideal correspondence for localization identifies with , so
A Noetherian local ring with residue field is a regular local ring ifBy the Nakayama lemma, the dimension on the left is the minimal number of generators of ; this is also called the embedding dimension.
The localization of a module is exact and commutes with quotients and products of ideals. Applying it to the already computed conormal module gives the cotangent space of a local ringIts dimension is two, equal to . Therefore . Notice that has a basis over , whereas the localized cotangent space of a local ring has a basis over the residue field .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 101 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
An integral domain is an integrally closed domain if every element of its fraction field which is an integral element over belongs to . Explicitly, if satisfiesthen . Thus .
Suppose is a unique factorization domain and is integral, with , , and with no common irreducible element as a factor. Multiplying its monic equation by givesHence divides . Every irreducible element dividing is a prime element, so it would divide , contrary to the choice of the fraction. Therefore is a unit, and . We have proved
The going-down theorem is the following. Let be an integral extension of integral domains with an integrally closed domain. IfthenWe first prove this for a module-finite ring extension and then remove that extra hypothesis. We use the Lying-over theorem, the Going-up theorem, and the incomparability theorem for integral extensions: primes exist over every base prime, prime chains can be extended upwards, and distinct primes over the same base prime cannot contain one another. The Going-up theorem follows by applying the Lying-over theorem to the quotient by the lower prime. These results concern arbitrary integral extensions; none assumes the going-down theorem.
For the finite case, let and . Since is module-finite, is a finite field extension. Take a finite normal field extension containing , obtained as a splitting field of the minimal polynomials of finitely many field generators. The extension need not be a separable field extension. Let be the integral closure of in . Then , and is integral over both and .
We need one auxiliary fact: the finite group acts transitively on the prime ideals of over any fixed prime ideal of . First observe that an element fixed by all of is a purely inseparable algebraic element over . Indeed, all -embeddings of into an algebraic closure extend to -automorphisms of the normal field extension . Hence the minimal polynomial of an algebraic element has only one distinct root. In characteristic zero this says ; in characteristic it says for some .
Now let be primes of over , and suppose is different from every , . By the incomparability theorem for integral extensions, is contained in none of these conjugate primes. The prime avoidance lemma suppliesThe productis fixed by , is integral over , and lies in because one factor is . Choose an exponent equal to in characteristic zero, or a power of in characteristic , such that . Since is an integrally closed domain, . It also lies in , hence in . Because is a prime ideal, some factor lies in . This means , contradicting our choice. Thus for some , proving transitivity. The power accounts for the possible purely inseparable field extension and makes the argument valid in every characteristic.
Lift the prescribed to a prime of by the Lying-over theorem for . Separately, choose a prime over and use the Going-up theorem to find over . Transitivity gives with . ThenContracting to gives with the required contraction. This proves the going-down theorem for the module-finite case.
For a general integral extension , consider and the idealWe claim that is disjoint from . Otherwise, clearing the finitely many denominators in an expression for an element givesThe subalgebra is a module-finite ring extension of , since all its generators are integral elements. Apply the finite case to : there is a prime contracting to . The displayed identity puts in , but . Thus , a contradiction.
Localize further at the multiplicative subset . The extension of is a proper ideal, by the disjointness just proved. Choose a maximal ideal containing it and contract back to a prime ideal of . This prime contains and avoids . Its contraction to lies inside by the prime ideal correspondence for localization, and its contraction to is exactly . This completes the proof of the going-down theorem without any finite generation assumption on .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 101 5 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
The Artin-Rees lemma states that, for a Noetherian ring , an ideal , a finitely generated module , and a submodule , there is such thatThus the filtration on induced from the I-adic filtration of is eventually determined by one of its terms.
For the proof, form the Rees ring and its Rees module:Since is a Noetherian ring, write . Then , so it is a Noetherian ring by the Hilbert basis theorem. Generators of in degree zero generate as a module over , so this is a Noetherian module.
The graded submoduleis therefore finitely generated. Choose homogeneous generators with for some . For , taking degree- components givesThe same generators show that the final sum is exactly . This proves the Artin-Rees lemma. If , one may simply take .
Now letIt is a submodule of the Noetherian module , hence a finitely generated module. Apply the Artin-Rees lemma with and . Since is contained in every (including ), its conclusion reduces toWrite generators as . There is a matrix with entries in such that . Multiplication by the adjugate of shows thatThe determinant is congruent to modulo , so it is for some . This determinant trick produces a single such element annihilating all of , and in particular annihilating each . If , use .
Conversely, if with , then . Iterating gives for every . Hence the exact description isIn a local ring with contained in the maximal ideal, every is a unit, so this also yields the usual vanishing form of the Krull intersection theorem.
For a failure without the Noetherian ring hypothesis, let and use the semigroup algebraIts elements are finite sums of formal monomials , with multiplication . Each ring in the union is a polynomial ring and the inclusions are injective, so is an integral domain. It is not a Noetherian ring, sinceIndeed the generator on the left is the square of the next generator, while division in the opposite direction would require a negative exponent, which is unavailable in .
Let be the ideal of elements with zero constant term, equivalentlyIt is proper because taking the constant term gives . Every generator is , with , so . Thus this is a nonzero idempotent ideal, with for every . TakeFor every , the constant term of is , so . Since is an integral domain and , we have . This gives all three requested objects and proves that no element of the required form annihilates .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 113 1 ii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Put . The punctured affine plane is covered by the principal open subschemes and . Since is an integral domain, restriction identifies its global sections withThis intersection is : if , then , and unique factorization forces to divide . Therefore the inclusion induces the identity on global regular functions.
If were an affine scheme, affine scheme reconstruction from global sections would make an isomorphism of schemes, because its global-section map is an isomorphism. But its image omits the closed point . The punctured affine plane is therefore not affine. This is a useful example of global regular functions failing to distinguish a nonaffine open subscheme from its affine ambient space.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 113 3 iii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
The first implication is false. On the Noetherian scheme , the short exact sequence of sheaveshas locally free first and middle terms. The quotient is not locally free: at it is a nonzero module annihilated by , whereas a free module over the integral domain has no such element.
The second implication is true. Near any point trivialize and . Choose a finite local basis of . Surjectivity as a sheaf gives local lifts of its basis sections; shrink to the intersection of their finitely many neighbourhoods. The lifts define a splitting on that neighbourhood. Thus there and is locally free. This is local splitting when a quotient sheaf is locally free; no global splitting is asserted.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 113 5 iii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Eliminate using the linear equation. The homogeneous coordinate ring becomesThe cubic is a nonzero element of a polynomial integral domain, hence a non-zero-divisor. It gives the exact sequence of graded modulesThus for . Equivalently, use the Hilbert series , or the sheafified exact sequence on . The Hilbert polynomial of the plane cubic isIts degree is three and its arithmetic genus is one, although the curve is singular: its affine equation near is the cusp . The Hilbert polynomial records the arithmetic genus, rather than the genus of the normalization.