Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2016 / ib / Paper 1 / 10E (Groups, Rings and Modules)

We prove prime avoidance by contradiction. Remove any prime ideal contained in another one on the list; this leaves the same union. If the ideal $I$ is contained in none of the remaining prime ideals, choose $a_i\in I\setminus P_i$. For every $j\ne i$, incomparability lets us choose $b_{ij}\in P_j\setminus P_i$. SetFor a one-element list, use the empty product $b_1=1$. By the defining property of a prime ideal, $b_i\notin P_i$, and also $a_i{b}_i\notin P_i$. But $b_j\in P_i$ for every $j\ne i$. Thus all summands except $a_i{b}_i$ lie in $P_i$, and consequently $c\notin P_i$ for every $i$. On the other hand, $c\in I$ because each $a_i\in I$. This contradicts the assumed containment in the union. Therefore

The evaluation map $\phi :\mathbb{R}[x]\to \mathbb{C}$, $p\mapsto p(i)$, is a ring homomorphism and is onto because $a+bx$ maps to any $a+bi$. By polynomial division, writeThen $p(i)=0$ precisely when $a=b=0$. Thus $\ker \phi =(x^2+1)$, and the first isomorphism theorem givesSince the quotient ring is a field, $(x^2+1)$ is a maximal ideal.

Evaluation at a real point defines a surjective ring homomorphism $p\mapsto p(a,b)$ from $\mathbb{R}[x,y]$ to $\mathbb{R}$. Its kernel is $(x-a,y-b)$: subtracting the constant $p(a,b)$ expresses the remainder as a multiple of $x-a$ plus a multiple of $y-b$, by successive polynomial division. The first isomorphism theorem therefore identifies the quotient ring with the field $\mathbb{R}$, proving each $I_{a,b}$ is maximal.

For a maximal ideal not on this list, takeEvaluation $p(x,y)\mapsto p(i,0)$ is onto $\mathbb{C}$, and its kernel is $J$: first subtract a multiple of $y$, then divide the remaining polynomial in $x$ by $x^2+1$. Hence $\mathbb{R}[x,y]/J\cong \mathbb{C}$, a field. Finally, if $J=I_{a,b}$ for real $a,b$, the member $x^2+1\in J$ would vanish at $(a,b)$, requiring $a^2+1=0$, which is impossible over $\mathbb{R}$.