Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 ii Paper 1 18I Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
Let be the Galois group of a polynomial of the irreducible quartic. Irreducibility makes a transitive subgroup of . The three roots of the given cubic resolvent of a quartic correspond to the three partitions of the four quartic roots into two unordered pairs, and the kernel of the -action on these partitions is the Klein four-group . If the resolvent has Galois group , the image of in this action is all of . Among the transitive subgroups of the symmetric group on four points, only has this image. Hence
Now put . The Eisenstein criterion at proves that is an irreducible polynomial, and its cubic resolvent isIts discriminant of a depressed cubic isFor odd , the -adic valuation of is three because ; for , . Thus is never a square in .
By the rational root theorem, a reducible has an integer root among . Reduction modulo shows that the root is divisible by ; writing it as , with , givesThe only possibilities are and , corresponding to roots and . For every other prime, is irreducible with nonsquare discriminant, so its Galois group is and the criterion above gives the quartic group . For or , the reducible resolvent makes the quartic group a proper subgroup. Therefore
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 ii Paper 2 18I Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
The splitting field of is the smallest extension in which is a product of linear factors; equivalently, is generated over by all its roots of a polynomial. To prove existence and uniqueness of splitting fields, adjoin a root of an irreducible polynomial dividing and repeat until splits. If and are two resulting fields, an embedding between the fields generated so far extends by sending each newly adjoined root to a root of its transformed minimal polynomial. Repetition gives a -embedding , whose image contains every root of and is therefore all of . Thus the splitting field exists and is unique up to -isomorphism.
Now write , and let the distinct irreducible factors of have degrees . The irreducible factors of a finite-field Frobenius polynomial show that a root of the degree- factor lies in exactly when . Hence the splitting field over a finite field isEvery finite field is a perfect field, so is separable; it is normal because it is a splitting field. It is consequently a Galois extension. More explicitly, the Galois group of a finite field extension is the cyclic group of order generated by the finite-field Frobenius automorphism .
Finally, let denote the number of monic irreducible polynomials over a finite field of degree over . Sinceand , , , we obtain
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 ib Paper 2 11G a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-29
Because is irreducible, the ideal is maximal in the polynomial ring . Henceis a field extension of . Let . Evaluation in the quotient gives , and the factor theorem in givesfor some . This is the standard adjoining a root of an irreducible polynomial construction.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 ii Paper 3 18F Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
Let be a splitting field of over . Its formal derivative isThe assumption on the characteristic of says that in . Any root of is nonzero, and hence . Thus and have no common root, so is a separable polynomial. Since it has degree and splits over , it has exactly distinct roots. This is the separability of roots of unity.
Fix a primitive root of unity . Define the th cyclotomic polynomial byIt is monic and has degree given by the Euler totient function . Partitioning all th roots of unity according to their exact multiplicative order gives the cyclotomic factorizationWe now prove by mathematical induction that . The base case is . If the result holds for every proper divisor of , thenis monic and belongs to . Polynomial division of by the monic integer polynomial produces a quotient and remainder in . The factorization over says that the remainder is zero and the quotient is , proving the claim.
It remains to prove irreducibility of cyclotomic polynomials. Let be a monic irreducible polynomial dividing , let be a root of , and write . We claim that is a root of for every prime number . Otherwise is a root of , so is a root of . Since is the minimal polynomial of over , Gauss lemma for polynomials givesAfter reduction of an integer polynomial modulo a prime, the Frobenius endomorphism givesChoose an irreducible factor of the nonconstant monic polynomial . Then , so . The cyclotomic factorization would then make divide over . This is impossible because its derivative is coprime to it when .
Thus for every prime . Iterating this fact over a prime factorization shows that whenever . These are all primitive th roots, soBecause divides , equality holds and . Hence every cyclotomic polynomial is irreducible over .
Finally, direct multiplication givesAlsoApplying the cyclotomic factorization to the two factors on the right givesand thereforeSince , cancellation yieldsThe thirtieth cyclotomic polynomial is irreducible over by the theorem just proved, so is irreducible.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2020 ii Paper 1 18G b ii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-29
Because , the formal derivative is nonzero and has smaller degree than . Since is irreducible, it cannot divide , soBy the Bezout identity for polynomials, there are with . A repeated root of in would also be a root of , contradicting this identity. Thus the result that an irreducible polynomial in characteristic zero is separable gives
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2020 ii Paper 4 18G b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-29
The symmetric group acts on the three partitions of four roots into two unordered pairs. The resulting homomorphism has kernel the Klein four-group . If is a square and the characteristic is not two, the discriminant criterion for an alternating Galois group gives , and its image on the three resolvent roots lies in .
For an irreducible quartic, is transitive on four roots, and its only possibilities inside are and . The resolvent is irreducible exactly when the image acts transitively on its three roots, equivalently when that image is . ThusThe printed statement omits the needed irreducibility hypothesis on . Literally it is false: has square discriminant and Galois group , and its resolvent is irreducible. Without quartic irreducibility, a reducible resolvent only implies , allowing the trivial group, , or .
For the specified polynomial ,Its resolvent is . Modulo this is , which has no root in and is therefore an irreducible cubic. The quartic is given to be irreducible, so the preceding criterion yields
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2021 ii Paper 1 20G a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
The element is a root ofBy the rational root theorem, any rational root of this monic polynomial must be one ofDirect substitution shows that none is a root. A reducible cubic over a field has a linear factor, so is an irreducible polynomial over . It is therefore the minimal polynomial of , and
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2022 iii Paper 113 3 a Solution 2026-09-28
Write . If , its prime ideal has height one and is generated by an irreducible polynomial , because is a unique factorization domain. Then is a principal open subscheme andIf , its complement has codimension two. Since is normal, regular functions extend across that codimension-two subset, givingThis includes the calculation for the punctured affine plane. If has dimension two, then is empty and its ring of sections is the zero ring.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2022 ii Paper 2 18H a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
If the minimal polynomial of has degree , then
has elements and is an intermediate field of
. The tower law for field extensions givesso .
has elements and is an intermediate field of
. The tower law for field extensions givesso .
The multiplicative group of a finite field is cyclic. Choose a generator
of , of order . If lay in a proper intermediate field of degree , its order would divide , a contradiction. Thus
and its minimal polynomial has degree .
of , of order . If lay in a proper intermediate field of degree , its order would divide , a contradiction. Thus
and its minimal polynomial has degree .
For arbitrary , let be the splitting field of
over . Its roots form a field: the Frobenius endomorphism shows they are closed under addition, subtraction, multiplication, and inversion. The derivative is , so there are exactly distinct roots. Thus this root field has order . Applying the preceding generator argument supplies an element whose minimal polynomial over has degree , proving that an irreducible polynomial of every positive degree exists.
over . Its roots form a field: the Frobenius endomorphism shows they are closed under addition, subtraction, multiplication, and inversion. The derivative is , so there are exactly distinct roots. Thus this root field has order . Applying the preceding generator argument supplies an element whose minimal polynomial over has degree , proving that an irreducible polynomial of every positive degree exists.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 ib Paper 4 9E Solution Created 2026-09-23 Updated 2026-10-03
Letbe a primitive polynomial. The Eisenstein criterion states that if a prime number satisfiesthen is an irreducible polynomial in , equivalently in by Gauss lemma for polynomials.
To prove it, suppose that with of positive degree. Primitivity and Gauss's lemma let us take such an integral factorisation if a factorisation over exists. Reducing modulo givesBecause does not divide the leading coefficient of , neither factor loses degree on reduction. The polynomial ring is a unique factorization domain, so both reductions are monomials of positive degree. In particular, divides both constant terms and . It follows that dividesa contradiction. This proves the criterion.
For a prime , translate the geometric sum by one:Its leading coefficient is one, every other coefficient is divisible by , and its constant coefficient is , which is not divisible by . It is therefore Eisenstein at . Translation is an automorphism of , soThis is the geometric-sum irreducibility criterion.
The evaluation homomorphismhas image and contains in its kernel. Since is monic, division by in writes every as with . If , then ; the irreducibility of says that is the minimal polynomial of , so . Thus , and the first isomorphism theorem for rings gives
Now take . Then , and the Eisenstein integers areComplex conjugation sends to , so the field norm isGiven , choose integers with . For ,For with , apply this to and put . ThenHence the norm is a Euclidean function, proving that is a Euclidean domain. This is the Euclidean norm on the Eisenstein integers.
Finally suppose satisfies . Make the free abelian group into a -module by definingThis is well-defined precisely because obeys the same polynomial relation as . The module is finitely generated. It is also torsion-free module: if and , multiplication by the conjugate of gives , and the additive group has no nonzero integer torsion.
A Euclidean domain is a principal ideal domain, and the structure theorem for finitely generated modules over a principal ideal domain says that a finitely generated torsion-free module over one is free. Thusfor some . Since has free module basis over , comparison of abelian ranks gives . There can consequently be no such matrix when is odd.
If , choose a -basis . Thenis a -basis, and . In this basis the matrix of is a direct sum of copies ofEvery admissible matrix is therefore conjugate in to . Hence there is exactly one conjugacy class for even , and none for odd . This is the classification of integral matrices satisfying the third cyclotomic polynomial.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 ii Paper 1 18I a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
A finite extension is normal when every irreducible polynomial in having one root in splits completely over .
Suppose first that is normal. Choose with , and let be the minimal polynomial of over . Every splits in by normality, and is generated by their roots because it is already generated by the particular roots . Thus is the splitting field of .
Conversely, suppose that is the splitting field of . Every -embedding permutes the roots of , so . By the embedding characterization of normality, is normal. This proves the finite normal extension as a splitting field criterion.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 ii Paper 1 18I b ii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
False. Letwhere is a primitive cube root of unity. Then is the splitting field of over , so is normal. The irreducible polynomial has a root in but does not split there, so is not normal.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 ii Paper 1 18I c Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Put . The roots of are , so its splitting field isThe polynomial is irreducible over by the Eisenstein criterion at , and does not contain . The tower law for field extensions therefore gives .
Define automorphismsThey satisfy and . The eight maps and are distinct, so they exhaust the Galois group. Hencethe dihedral group of order eight.
The Galois correspondence gives all intermediate fields. The full list, with a single generator for each field, isFor example, has stabilizer , and has stabilizer ; the other entries follow similarly. Also has trivial stabilizer, so its orbit has eight elements and the primitive element theorem conclusion holds explicitly.
Finally, the normal subextension criterion says that normal intermediate fields correspond exactly to normal subgroups. In these are , , the two index-two Klein four-groups, , and , which gives exactly the “yes” rows above. This is the subfields of the splitting field of x to the fourth minus seven lattice.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 ii Paper 3 24G Solution Created 2026-09-23 Updated 2026-09-25
For an algebraically closed field , the strong Hilbert Nullstellensatz says that every ideal satisfiesIts weak form says that exactly when . Now let and let be a homogeneous ideal. The affine zero set of is the affine cone over together with the origin. Hence, when the projective zero set is empty, eitheror the affine zero set is exactly the origin. In the latter case the Hilbert Nullstellensatz givesthe irrelevant ideal of projective space. Equivalently, some power is contained in . These are precisely the alternatives in the Projective Nullstellensatz.
Let be a smooth quadric surface. After a projective linear transformation, the Segre embedding identifiesChoose distinct points . The two fibresare the promised disjoint curves on a smooth quadric surface: each is a smooth projective line, and . By the Bézout theorem, any two nonempty curves in the projective plane intersect. An isomorphism of algebraic varieties preserves intersections and takes projective curves to projective curves, so these disjoint curves prove
Next let be a smooth projective curve and let be a rational map to a projective variety. At a point outside its initial domain, writeusing elements of the function field . The local ring of a smooth algebraic curve at is a discrete valuation ring. If , multiplying every coordinate by a function of valuation makes all coordinates regular at and at least one a unit there. They therefore define a morphism near . Repeating this at the finitely many missing points proves the extension of a rational map from a smooth projective curve.
Smoothness is essential. Let be the normalization of a nodal curve for a rational nodal cubic . The inverse is a rational map on the smooth locus. If it extended to a morphism , then would agree with the identity on a dense Zariski-open subset of and hence everywhere. But the two distinct points above the node would satisfya contradiction. This is the failure of rational-map extension on a singular curve.
Finally take the Fermat cubic curveand define the projective hypersurfaceBecause and have no common irreducible factor, the bihomogeneous polynomial is irreducible, so is an algebraic variety. Letbe the second coordinate projection. Every homogeneous cubic in three variables has a projective zero over , so every fibre is nonempty and is a surjective morphism. Over the fibre is the Fermat cubic curve, which is smooth and has genusOver the fibre isthe union of exactly three distinct projective lines, hence exactly three irreducible components. This is the cubic pencil with a triangular member required by the question.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2024 iii Paper 124 4 iii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
We give the Agrawal–Biswas primality test, which has one-sided error. Small inputs and perfect powers can first be recognized deterministically. For every remaining integer , put and choose a uniformly random monic polynomialUsing repeated squaring in the quotient ring , test the identityThis takes time polynomial in because every intermediate polynomial has degree below .
If is prime, the intermediate binomial coefficients are divisible by , so the identity always holds. Now suppose that is composite and is not a prime power. Choose a prime divisor and write with and . Over ,because an intermediate coefficient equal to is nonzero modulo . Henceis a nonzero polynomial of degree below over .
Reduction of random modulo is uniform among the monic degree- polynomials. The polynomial has at most distinct monic irreducible factors of degree . On the other hand, the number of monic irreducibles of degree obeys the standard lower boundWhenever is one of these irreducibles but does not divide , the tested congruence fails. Thus one trial detects compositeness with probability at leastafter the finitely many small are handled directly. Repeating times makes the probability of missing a composite less than , while a prime is never rejected. Therefore compositeness is in RP, and primality testing is in
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2025 iii Paper 166 2 h Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
For an integer , let be a root ofIts roots areThe polynomial is irreducible over : its discriminant is , and the product of the coprime consecutive integers and cannot be a square unless both are squares, which is impossible for consecutive positive squares beyond .
The height-Mahler measure formula givesBoth algebraic conjugates of exceed , soConsequentlyFix, for example, . For all sufficiently large , the ratio is larger than by a fixed margin, while . Hence, for every , some sufficiently large satisfies
If is an irreducible polynomial over a field , then a nonzero residue modulo has . The Euclidean algorithm supplies , giving inverse for . Thus the quotient ring is a field. If and has elements, polynomial division supplies exactly residue classes.