Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2004 / ib / Paper 4 / 2F / iii / Solution

Let $P(x)$ denote the polynomial under consideration. The change $x\mapsto x+1$ is an automorphism of $\mathbb{Q}[x]$ and preserves degrees, so it preserves reducibility. Its transformed polynomial isIt is monic; every other coefficient is divisible by $p$, because $p$ is prime and $1\le j<p$; and its constant coefficient is $p$, not divisible by $p^2$. The Eisenstein criterion proves that $P(x+1)$ is irreducible, and therefore $P$ is irreducible. The argument also includes $p=2$, when the polynomial is linear. This is the prime-index case of an irreducible polynomial arising as a cyclotomic polynomial.