Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2010 / ii / Paper 4 / 18H (Galois Theory)

The irreducible cubic is separable, and its Galois group acts transitively on its three roots. The only transitive subgroups of $S_3$ areFor the cycle $\sigma :(\alpha ,\beta ,\gamma )\mapsto (\beta ,\gamma ,\alpha )$, the Lagrange resolvent for a cubic obeys $\sigma (x)={\zeta }^{2}x$. A transposition interchanging $\beta ,\gamma$ sends $x$ to $y=\alpha +\zeta \gamma +{\zeta }^2\beta$. Since $\zeta \in K$, these scalars are fixed by every automorphism. Thus the two possibilities for the image set areThese are descriptions of sets, so coincident values or a zero resolvent are not being asserted distinct.

The previous permutation calculation shows that every automorphism either preserves $x^3,y^3$ separately or interchanges them. Their sum and product are therefore fixed by the Galois group and belong to $K$, proving the quadratic assertion.

For the depressed cubic, $\alpha +\beta +\gamma =0$, $\alpha \beta +\alpha \gamma +\beta \gamma =b$, and $\alpha \beta \gamma =-c$. Using $1+\zeta +{\zeta }^2=0$ givesand henceAlso $x^3{y}^3=-27b^3$. The desired polynomial isIts discriminant is $729c^2+108b^3=-27D$, where $D=-4b^3-27c^2$. Here $-27$ is a square in $K$, since $[3(\zeta -{\zeta }^2){]}^2=-27$.

One can justify the group criterion directly even when one resolvent vanishes. The nonzero root-difference producthas $d^2=D$ and changes sign exactly under odd root permutations. It is fixed by the entire group exactly when the group is contained in $A_3$. If $D$ is a square in $K$, then $d$ equals one of its two square roots in $K$; conversely, a fixed $d$ lies in $K$. ThereforeSeparability ensures $D\ne 0$, and the characteristic hypotheses ensure that all divisions and the sign argument are valid.