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LetOver ${\mathbb{Q}}_2$, the Newton polygon has three length-one segments of slopes $-2,-1,0$. The resulting roots can also be obtained directly from Hensel lemma. There is one unit root because $F(1)$ is even and $F^{\prime }(1)$ is odd. For the two remaining roots, putwhose parenthesized polynomial has a simple root $Y\equiv 1(\mathrm{mod}2)$, andwhose parenthesized polynomial has a simple root $Z\equiv 1(\mathrm{mod}2)$. Thus $F$ splits completely over ${\mathbb{Q}}_2$, with roots of valuations $0,1,2$. There are three primes $q$ above $2$, and for each one

Over ${\mathbb{Q}}_5$, $F$ is an Eisenstein polynomial. Hence there is one prime $q$ above $5$, and if $\alpha$ is the chosen root thenwith $e=3$ and $f=1$.

The polynomial is irreducible over $\mathbb{Q}$ by the Eisenstein criterion at $5$. Its polynomial discriminant iswhich is not a square number, so the Galois group of an irreducible cubic isAt $2$, all three roots already lie in ${\mathbb{Q}}_2$, so the local splitting field is trivial andAt $5$, the cubic is totally and tamely ramified. The square class of its discriminant is represented by $-13807\equiv 3(\mathrm{mod}5)$, a nonsquare unit, so the quadratic resolvent field of a cubic is the unramified quadratic extension of ${\mathbb{Q}}_5$. The local splitting field therefore has degree six, withThese calculations are summarized by local factorization of X3 plus 25X2 minus 50X plus 40.

Let $f(x)=a{\prod }_{i=1}^n(x-{\alpha }_i)$. Its polynomial discriminant isThe squared Vandermonde determinant is a symmetric polynomial in the roots. By the Fundamental theorem of symmetric polynomials, it is a polynomial in their elementary symmetric functions, which are the coefficients of $f$ by Vieta formulas; hence $\Delta (f)\in K$. Equivalently, the resultant formula puts it directly in $K$.

For $f=x^4+rx+s$, a resultant calculation with $f^{\prime }=4x^3+r$ gives

The elementary symmetric functions areThe Fundamental theorem of symmetric polynomials says that every symmetric polynomial is uniquely a polynomial in $e_1,\dots ,e_n$.

If $r_1,\dots ,r_n$ are the roots of a monic polynomial, its discriminant isThis is symmetric in the roots, hence the theorem and Vieta's formulas express it polynomially in the coefficients. Equivalently,For $x^5+q$ this givesFor $f=x^5+p{x}^2+q$, a repeated root solves $f=f^{\prime }=0$. Elimination givesThus the discriminant vanishes exactly when $q=0$ or $108p^5+3125q^3=0$.

If a monic polynomial $f$ has roots ${\alpha }_1,\dots ,{\alpha }_n$ in a splitting field, its polynomial discriminant isIt is a symmetric polynomial in the roots, so it belongs to the base field; it is nonzero exactly when $f$ is a separable polynomial.

Putthe Vandermonde determinant. A root permutation $\sigma$ sends $D$ to $\mathrm{sgn}(\sigma )D$. Hence the Galois group of a polynomial is contained in the alternating group $A_n$ exactly when every Galois automorphism fixes $D$, which by the fixed-field property is equivalent to $D\in K$. This implies that $\mathrm{disc}(f)=D^2$ is a square in $K$. Conversely, if $\mathrm{disc}(f)=d^2$ for $d\in K$, then $D^2=d^2$, so $D=\pm d\in K$. The Galois group therefore fixes $D$ and consists of even permutations. This proves the discriminant criterion for an alternating Galois group.

Now letThe rational root theorem shows that none of $\pm 1,\pm 2$ is a root, so this cubic is irreducible over $\mathbb{Q}$. The discriminant of a depressed cubic isThis is not a square in $\mathbb{Q}$, so the Galois group of an irreducible cubic is $S_3$ over $\mathbb{Q}$.

Over $K=\mathbb{Q}(\sqrt{-19})$, the discriminant is the squareThe cubic remains irreducible: a root in the degree-two extension $K/\mathbb{Q}$ would generate over $\mathbb{Q}$ both a degree-three field, by irreducibility, and a subfield of a degree-two field, contradicting the tower law for field extensions. Its Galois group over $K$ is consequently $A_3\cong C_3$.

Here $q=\kappa /R$, so the equation from part (b) becomes the Euler-Cauchy equationThe power-law ansatz $B_z=R^s$ gives the indicial equationFor $0<\kappa <1/2$, the general field is thereforeThe polynomial discriminant changes sign atFor $\kappa >{\kappa }_c$, define $\mu =\sqrt{{\kappa }^2-1/4}$. A real form of the solution isThus the field has a log-periodic oscillation: its phase is periodic in $\ln R$, so it oscillates as the radius changes geometrically.

If a separable cubic has polynomial discriminant $\Delta$, then adjoining $\sqrt{\Delta }$ gives the subfield fixed by the alternating part of its Galois group. When the cubic Galois group is $S_3$, this is its unique quadratic subfield.