Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 iii Paper 101 6 d Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
We use three theorems for an integral extension , none requiring Noetherian hypotheses. The Lying-over theorem says that each prime ideal of is for some prime ideal of . The Going-up theorem says that if in and , there is with . The incomparability theorem for integral extensions says that comparable prime ideals of with the same contraction to are equal.
Take any strict chainin . The contraction of an ideal operation gives , which are prime ideals of , by the proof in Question 1(b), and remain strictly increasing by the incomparability theorem for integral extensions. Thus every chain length in occurs in , giving .
Conversely, take any strict chain in . Use the Lying-over theorem to choose over , then repeatedly use the Going-up theorem to obtain with the prescribed contractions. Each inclusion must be strict, since its contractions are distinct. Hence every chain length in occurs in , giving .
Taking suprema proves integral extensions preserve Krull dimension:The argument works equally well when the dimensions are infinite, since it compares all finite chain lengths.