Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 ii Paper 1 20H b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Because , we have andFor , the minimal polynomial isSince , reduction modulo gives . Its two roots are distinct, sowith distinct prime ideals of norm . Thus splits completely, as recorded in splitting of three in Q of square root minus p.
The ideal class group is the group of nonzero fractional ideals of modulo the subgroup of principal fractional ideals. Saying that has order means that is the least positive integer for which is principal.
Suppose for contradiction that is odd and has order . Then for some , and taking norms givesWrite , where have the same parity. ThenIf , the right-hand side is at least , contradicting . Hence , so is a rational algebraic integer and therefore an integer. But then , impossible when is odd. This proves the odd-order obstruction for a split prime in an imaginary quadratic field and shows that the order cannot equal .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 ii Paper 1 2F a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
The Liouville approximation theorem states that if is an irrational algebraic number of degree , then there is a constant such that every reduced rational satisfies
Let be the minimal polynomial of , of degree . Since is irreducible of degree greater than one, . Moreover,and henceOn the compact interval , putIf , the mean value theorem gives a point between and such thatThus . If , then . Taking anyproves the stated strict inequality.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 ii Paper 2 12I c i Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Since generates , it cannot lie in a proper subfield, so its minimal polynomial over has degree . Write it asThe identity and characteristic two giveMultiplying by and applying the linear map yieldsThis is a binary linear recurrence of order at most , so is the output of a linear-feedback shift register of length at most .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 ii Paper 2 18I a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Because is irreducible, it is separable exactly whenIf , then , so irreducibility makes this greatest common divisor equal to one. If , the zero-derivative criterion givesfor some , and is inseparable. Therefore
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2024 ib Paper 4 1G Solution Created 2026-09-23 Updated 2026-09-25
The Jordan normal form theorem says that every complex square matrix is similar to a direct sum of Jordan blocks, uniquely up to their order. For an eigenvalue , if its blocks have sizes , then its algebraic multiplicity and geometric multiplicity areand its contribution to the minimal polynomial is . Thuswhere is the largest -block size.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2024 iii Paper 126 1 a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
For a ring homomorphism , the Module of Kähler differentials is the -module generated by symbols , subject toEquivalently, it represents -linear derivations:For , the Transitivity exact sequence for Kähler differentials isIf is surjective, the Conormal exact sequence for Kähler differentials is
Let be a finite field extension. By the primitive element theorem, its maximal separable field extension is simple, and transitivity reduces the calculation to a simple algebraic extension. If with minimal polynomial , thenThus a separable simple extension has zero differentials. Conversely, if is not separable, the purely inseparable part has a generator whose minimal polynomial has zero formal derivative in positive characteristic, producing a nonzero differential. Hence
Now let . If , , and , then the minimal polynomial is and has zero derivative, soIf , where , , and , then . Both defining equations have zero derivative, and
- In (i), and relative to , so
- In (ii), and vanish relatively, whence
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2024 iii Paper 136 2 a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
For a finite extension of local fields, let be its ramification index and its residue-field degree. An unramified extension has . A totally ramified extension has , equivalently . A tamely ramified extension has separable residue extension and ramification index coprime to the residue characteristic.
Let generate the finite extension , and let be its minimal polynomial. Lift to a monic and choose any lift of . Since finite fields are perfect fields, . The simple-root form of Hensel lemma, applied inside , gives withSet . Its residue field contains , soThe equation gives the reverse inequality. Thus , its residue-field degree is , and ; hence is unramified. Since , the extension has residue-field degree one and is totally ramified. This constructs the maximal unramified subextension of a local field extension.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2025 ib Paper 3 9F a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
The minimal polynomial is the unique monic polynomial of least positive degree with . Uniqueness follows because division of one monic annihilator by another would produce a lower-degree annihilator. Cayley–Hamilton says that the characteristic polynomial annihilates ; division then shows
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2025 ib Paper 3 9F b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2025 ib Paper 4 9E b i Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
Make a -module by . The structure theorem over the Euclidean domain decomposes its torsion module aswhere the are monic irreducibles. Each summand is indecomposable: its submodules form a chain, so two nonzero submodules cannot form a direct sum. This is the desired decomposition into invariant indecomposable subspaces.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2025 iii Paper 136 1 a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Suppose first that is a totally ramified extension of degree , and let be a uniformizer of . If the valuation on is normalized by , then . The value group of already contains both and , so its ramification index over is at least . Hence , and therefore .
Letbe the minimal polynomial of . Every conjugate of has positive valuation, so each lies in the maximal ideal of . Moreoverwhich means . Thus is an Eisenstein polynomial.
Conversely, if is a root of an Eisenstein polynomial of degree , the Eisenstein criterion makes that polynomial irreducible and its Newton polygon gives when is normalized. Consequently ; equality with the field degree forces and residue-field degree one. Thus is totally ramified.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2025 iii Paper 166 1 a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
For the general result, choose logarithms of nonzero algebraic numbers and algebraic coefficients , and putLetwhere is the minimal polynomial and its is the naive polynomial height, and letThe general lower bound for a linear form in logarithms states that, if , thenwhere the effective constant depends only on and the degree of the number field generated by all the data.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2025 iii Paper 166 2 f Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
For coprime integers with ,This follows either directly from the real and p-adic absolute values, or from the height-Mahler measure formula applied to the primitive minimal polynomial .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2025 iii Paper 166 3 c Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Suppose and were linearly dependent over . Then for some , with the zero-polynomial cases included. Since , , and thereforeIf this has multiplicity at , then the minimal polynomial of to the power divides in . Hence .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2025 ii Paper 3 18J c Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Squaring and eliminating the inner radical givesThus are roots ofand are roots ofBoth polynomials are irreducible by the Eisenstein criterion at , so these are the four minimal polynomials over .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2026 iii Paper 166 2 d Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Suppose, for a contradiction, that suitable nonzero polynomials vanish at both and . If , then the primitive minimal polynomial divides . The multiplicativity of Mahler measure and the Mahler measure bounded by polynomial length give
If , then, using , this inequality contradicts . Hence is a proper intermediate field of . Its degree divides the prime by the tower law, so . Applying the same argument to is even stronger and gives . Since ,contrary to . At least one of the two proposed values of therefore has no such polynomial relation.
Prime ideals and local embedding orbits 2026-10-05
For a finite extension of number fields and a nonzero prime ideal of , the primes of above correspond to the orbits ofAn embedding determines a prime by pulling back the local absolute value on a field. Embeddings with the same prime extend to embeddings of the same completion and are conjugate. If , these orbits are the irreducible factors of its minimal polynomial over .
Reduced ramification polynomial 2026-10-06
For a degree- totally ramified Galois extension and a uniformizer , let be its minimal polynomial. Dividing the ramification polynomial by its known factor gives the reduced ramification polynomial. It is monic of degree , integral over the extension's valuation ring, and has roots for nonidentity automorphisms. Its constant coefficient is nonzero in a separable extension. Removing the zero root allows the usual Newton polygon root valuation theorem to apply directly.
Separable algebraic element Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
An algebraic element over is separable when its minimal polynomial over has no repeated root in a splitting field. For an irreducible polynomial , this is equivalent to , because then .