Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2021 / iii / Paper 161 / 3 / i / Solution

The coefficient form of the Combinatorial Nullstellensatz is the following. Let $f\in F[x_1,\dots ,x_n]$ have total degree at most $d_1+\cdots +d_n$, and supposeFor arbitrary subsets $S_i\subseteq F$ with $|S_i|=d_i+1$, there is an $x\in S_1\times \cdots \times S_n$ such that $f(x)\ne 0$.

For the proof, defineSuccessive Lagrange interpolation in the variables gives the Alon-Tarsi lemmaEvery denominator is nonzero because the elements of $S_i$ are distinct. If $f$ vanished throughout the product grid, the right side and hence the assumed nonzero coefficient would vanish. This contradiction proves the theorem.