Extension and contraction of ideals Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Fiber primes of an integral extension Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
For an integral extension and , localization gives a bijectionIt combines the prime ideal correspondence for localization with the contraction of a maximal ideal under an integral extension.
Past exam of the commutative algebra course of the University of Oxford 2017 3 b Solution 2026-10-25
Let be a prime ideal of disjoint from the multiplicatively closed set . In the localization , its extension of an ideal isIndeed, finite sums of such fractions have a common denominator in and numerator in , and every generator has this form.
We show that its contraction of an ideal recovers :One inclusion is immediate. Conversely, if with and , equality of fractions in the field of fractions of the integral domain gives . Since and is a prime ideal, .
If , contracting would therefore give , contrary to the hypothesis. HenceWe will also need the fact that is a prime ideal, part of the prime ideal correspondence for localization. It is proper by the contraction identity, since otherwise . If , multiplication by the denominator gives , and contraction gives . Thus or , so one of the two fractions belongs to .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2004 iii Paper 1 2 iii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Let . If is a prime ideal, then . Its extension isIt is proper: would give for some , and hence , impossible because . If a product lies in , clearing a denominator gives for some . Primeness and imply or . Thus is prime. Its contraction is , since implies for some , forcing .
Conversely, contract a prime ideal of to . This is a prime ideal of . It contains no element of , since such an element becomes a unit and cannot belong to the proper ideal . Hence . Also exactly when , because is a unit, so . These extension and contraction operations are inverse, giving the prime ideal correspondence for localization:
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2010 iii Paper 3 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
An extension is an integral extension when every is an integral element over , meaning thatfor some monic polynomial. The Krull dimension of a ring is the supremum of the lengths of strict chains of prime ideals; the number counted is the number of inclusions.
We prove the prime-chain facts needed for integral extensions preserve Krull dimension. Taking quotients preserves an integral equation. Localizing both rings by the same multiplicative subset of also preserves integrality: for , divide the equation for by , so its new coefficients are . Localizing just at all elements outside one of its primes would not be the same operation.
Two elementary field observations are useful. If a field is integral over a subdomain , then is a field, by the inverse argument given in Question 2. Conversely, if an integral domain is integral over a field , every nonzero has a monic equation with nonzero constant term: cancel a factor of from an equation if necessary. Dividing by and by that constant term expresses as a polynomial in . Thus is a field. In particular, the contraction of a maximal ideal under an integral extension is maximal.
For the Lying-over theorem, fix and localize by . The nonzero domain is integral over the local ring . Choose a maximal ideal of . Its contraction is maximal in , so it is the unique maximal ideal . The prime ideal correspondence for localization now pulls back to a prime ideal of with .
For the going-up theorem, suppose and . The injection is still integral. Apply the just-proved Lying-over theorem to . Pulling the resulting prime back gives with .
For the incomparability theorem for integral extensions, suppose have the same contraction . Write and . The latter is a domain integral over . Localizing both by makes integral over the fraction field of , so is a field. The prime is disjoint from and therefore localizes to a proper prime, which must be zero in this field. Since is a domain and all denominators are nonzero, an element of whose localization is zero was already zero. Hence , proving .
A strict prime chain in therefore contracts to a strict chain in , giving . Conversely, start over the bottom of any finite prime chain in using Lying-over theorem, and successively use going-up theorem to lift the entire chain. Distinct contractions ensure that the lifted inclusions are strict, giving the reverse inequality. Taking suprema, including when arbitrarily long chains exist, proves
For an algebraic extension , its ring of algebraic integers is an integral extension of . The primes of are and the maximal ideals , so the longest strict chains have length one; for example . The preceding argument yieldsThis Krull dimension of rings of algebraic integers argument also covers infinite algebraic extensions. It uses integrality, not an assumption that is a number field or that is Noetherian.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 1 2 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
A prime ideal is minimal over if and no strictly smaller prime contains . An associated prime of a module is an annihilator of an individual nonzero element which happens to be prime. For the quotient module this readswhere . This is the annihilator of an individual element, rather than necessarily the annihilator of the whole quotient.
Minimal primes exist because is proper. First choose a maximal ideal containing . Within the primes contained in it and containing , an intersection of any decreasing chain is again prime. Indeed, if is in the intersection and is absent from one member, then belongs to that member and to every smaller member; it also belongs to every larger member. The intersection is still proper and contains . Zorn's lemma, applied with reverse inclusion, produces a minimal prime. This proves existence of minimal primes over a proper ideal, even without the Noetherian hypothesis.
Now fix a minimal prime and put . The localization at a prime ideal is nonzero and is a Noetherian local ring. By prime ideal correspondence for localization, its only prime is . Write this maximal ideal as . It is the nilradical; since it is finitely generated and each generator is nilpotent, some power of is zero. Explicitly, if its generators have nilpotence exponents , every product of degree vanishes.
Choose the smallest such that , and choose a nonzero element in ; when , choose . Its annihilator over is exactly . Represent it as with . Multiplication by the unit shows that has the same annihilator and remains nonzero.
Let generate in . For each , the equality supplies such that in . Put and . Its localization is nonzero, so , and every element of kills it. Conversely, an element outside becomes a unit and cannot kill the nonzero element . ThereforeThe key step in minimal primes are associated primes is clearing denominators for a finite generating set of ; that is where Noetherianity is used.
For an embedded associated prime, take and . Its radical is , so is its unique minimal prime. The nonzero class of satisfiesIndeed, is equivalent to by cancellation in the polynomial domain. Thus is associated but is not minimal, since . For comparison, , exhibiting the minimal associated prime as well.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 1 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
An integral extension means that every element satisfies a monic polynomial with coefficients in :The Krull dimension is the supremum of the lengths of strict chains of primes:There need not be a finite bound on these lengths.
Here are the prime-ideal facts behind dimension preservation, with their relevant proofs. If a domain is integral over a subdomain and is a field, then is a field: for , a monic equation for , multiplied by a suitable power of , expresses as an element of . Conversely, an integral domain integral over a field is itself a field: a nonzero element has a polynomial equation with nonzero constant term after removing any factor of the indeterminate, and that equation expresses its inverse. Applied to quotients, these observations show that a prime in an integral extension is maximal if and only if its contraction is maximal.
For the Lying-over theorem, localize at . The inclusion remains injective and integral, and is nonzero. Any maximal ideal of contracts to the unique maximal ideal of , by the field criterion just proved. The prime ideal correspondence for localization then gives a prime of contracting to .
For the going-up theorem, suppose lies over and . The quotient inclusion is integral. Apply Lying-over theorem to the prime ; lifting back gives contracting to .
For the incomparability theorem for integral extensions, suppose contract to the same . After localizing at , both are maximal ideals, because they lie over the maximal ideal of . Their inclusion is therefore equality. The bijection between primes under localization gives .
Now contract a strict chain of primes in . Incomparability theorem for integral extensions ensures that every contraction remains strict, so . Conversely, Lying-over theorem lifts the first member of any finite chain in , and repeated going-up theorem lifts the remaining members; different contractions ensure a strict chain in . Taking suprema, including the possibility of infinity, givesThis proves that integral extensions preserve Krull dimension.
For the given quotient, put . The relation is monic in , so monic polynomial division gives a unique representative . Thus is injective and is free of rank two as a -module. In particular, is integral over . The one-variable polynomial ring has dimension one: its zero prime is strictly below , and every nonzero prime is maximal because is a principal ideal domain. HenceThis is an instance of dimension of a monic plane hypersurface. No irreducibility or algebraic-closure assumption on is needed; monicity supplies the integral extension in every characteristic.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 iii Paper 1 2 ii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Use the convention that a multiplicative subset contains and is closed under multiplication. Usually is excluded; allowing it gives the harmless zero-ring localization. A prime ideal disjoint from is mapped toin the localization of a ring. This ideal is proper, andis an integral domain, since the denominators are nonzero in the integral domain . Thus is a prime ideal.
Conversely, for a prime ideal in , its contractionis a prime ideal disjoint from : each is a unit and cannot belong to a proper ideal. Membership in is equivalent to numerator membership in , since . Hence .
To check the other composite, implies for some , by the equality criterion for fractions in a localization of a ring. Since , primality gives . Therefore extension and contraction are mutually inverse:If , both sets are empty. This is the prime ideal correspondence for localization.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 iii Paper 1 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
The height of a prime ideal is the supremum of the lengths of strict chains of prime ideals ending at :The last equality follows from the prime ideal correspondence for localization. Here is a length-growth proof of the Krull height theorem that makes the bound explicit.
We first establish a prime-chain lower bound for local length. For a Noetherian local ring admitting a prime chain of length , put . Thenfor some . For , use . For , quotient by the first prime ideal of the chain; this only decreases and reduces us to a local integral domain withTake and put . It has a prime chain of length , so induction bounds below by a positive multiple of .
The Artin-Rees lemma applied to gives, for a fixed integer ,Because is a non-zero-divisor, the first term in the exact sequencehas length at least . HenceIterate this inequality about times, while its arguments remain at least . This gives the desired positive multiple of . The particular Artin-Rees lemma inclusion used here follows directly from finite generation: the Rees algebra is Noetherian, by the Hilbert basis theorem, and its graded submodule has finitely many homogeneous generators. A bound on their degrees gives .
Now localize at the given minimal prime ideal . Write , , and . The only prime ideal of containing is , so . Since is finitely generated, some . Thus has finite module length, say . The ideal is generated by at most elements.
For , products of these generators give a surjection from copies of onto . Summing the lengths gives the generator bound for primary-ideal lengthSince , we have , and thereforeThe prime-chain lower bound for local length now excludes any chain of length greater than . ConsequentlyFor , minimality over the zero ideal says that is a minimal prime ideal, so its height is zero. This also handles that boundary case.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 101 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Put and . Evaluation at is surjective, andso its kernel is the prime ideal . In particular is naturally an -module, generated by the classes of .
For integers , including negative integers, reduction modulo givesFor negative powers, this follows from and ; the mixed product vanishes modulo . Therefore a Laurent polynomial satisfiesThe formal derivatives obey the product rule, so . If , both terms vanish. Hence both vanish on and define a mapIt sends to and to , and the displayed expansion gives its inverse. Thus the conormal module has the explicit basis
Let be the localization at a prime ideal, with maximal ideal . Every nonzero integer lies outside and is therefore inverted. The residue field isIndeed there is an explicit identificationinverting and has no effect in this local ring, and a polynomial denominator lies outside precisely when its constant term is nonzero. Conversely, clearing rational denominators turns every such fraction into a fraction from .
For the Krull dimension, the prime ideal correspondence for localization preserves the strict chainof prime ideals in . They are prime because the successive quotients are the integral domains , , and . They remain distinct after localization at a prime ideal because they are all contained in . Hence .
For the upper bound, is a Noetherian ring by the Hilbert basis theorem and Localization of a Noetherian ring. Since is generated by two elements, the Krull height theorem gives . The prime ideal correspondence for localization identifies with , so
A Noetherian local ring with residue field is a regular local ring ifBy the Nakayama lemma, the dimension on the left is the minimal number of generators of ; this is also called the embedding dimension.
The localization of a module is exact and commutes with quotients and products of ideals. Applying it to the already computed conormal module gives the cotangent space of a local ringIts dimension is two, equal to . Therefore . Notice that has a basis over , whereas the localized cotangent space of a local ring has a basis over the residue field .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 101 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
An integral domain is an integrally closed domain if every element of its fraction field which is an integral element over belongs to . Explicitly, if satisfiesthen . Thus .
Suppose is a unique factorization domain and is integral, with , , and with no common irreducible element as a factor. Multiplying its monic equation by givesHence divides . Every irreducible element dividing is a prime element, so it would divide , contrary to the choice of the fraction. Therefore is a unit, and . We have proved
The going-down theorem is the following. Let be an integral extension of integral domains with an integrally closed domain. IfthenWe first prove this for a module-finite ring extension and then remove that extra hypothesis. We use the Lying-over theorem, the going-up theorem, and the incomparability theorem for integral extensions: primes exist over every base prime, prime chains can be extended upwards, and distinct primes over the same base prime cannot contain one another. The going-up theorem follows by applying the Lying-over theorem to the quotient by the lower prime. These results concern arbitrary integral extensions; none assumes the going-down theorem.
For the finite case, let and . Since is module-finite, is a finite field extension. Take a finite normal field extension containing , obtained as a splitting field of the minimal polynomials of finitely many field generators. The extension need not be a separable field extension. Let be the integral closure of in . Then , and is integral over both and .
We need one auxiliary fact: the finite group acts transitively on the prime ideals of over any fixed prime ideal of . First observe that an element fixed by all of is a purely inseparable algebraic element over . Indeed, all -embeddings of into an algebraic closure extend to -automorphisms of the normal field extension . Hence the minimal polynomial of an algebraic element has only one distinct root. In characteristic zero this says ; in characteristic it says for some .
Now let be primes of over , and suppose is different from every , . By the incomparability theorem for integral extensions, is contained in none of these conjugate primes. The prime avoidance lemma suppliesThe productis fixed by , is integral over , and lies in because one factor is . Choose an exponent equal to in characteristic zero, or a power of in characteristic , such that . Since is an integrally closed domain, . It also lies in , hence in . Because is a prime ideal, some factor lies in . This means , contradicting our choice. Thus for some , proving transitivity. The power accounts for the possible purely inseparable field extension and makes the argument valid in every characteristic.
Lift the prescribed to a prime of by the Lying-over theorem for . Separately, choose a prime over and use the going-up theorem to find over . Transitivity gives with . ThenContracting to gives with the required contraction. This proves the going-down theorem for the module-finite case.
For a general integral extension , consider and the idealWe claim that is disjoint from . Otherwise, clearing the finitely many denominators in an expression for an element givesThe subalgebra is a module-finite ring extension of , since all its generators are integral elements. Apply the finite case to : there is a prime contracting to . The displayed identity puts in , but . Thus , a contradiction.
Localize further at the multiplicative subset . The extension of is a proper ideal, by the disjointness just proved. Choose a maximal ideal containing it and contract back to a prime ideal of . This prime contains and avoids . Its contraction to lies inside by the prime ideal correspondence for localization, and its contraction to is exactly . This completes the proof of the going-down theorem without any finite generation assumption on .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 113 2 ii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Work first over an affine neighbourhood of , with an affine chart in its inverse image. The scheme-theoretic fibre on this chart has ringwhere is the residue field. The prime ideal correspondence for localization and the correspondence for a quotient identify its points with primes containing and disjoint from . These two conditions are exactly .
Under this bijection, each principal open corresponds to . These are bases for the two topologies: every element of the fibre ring is represented by , with the image of invertible. Thus the bijection is a homeomorphism. The identifications agree on overlapping charts and glue, provingThe scheme-theoretic fibre may nevertheless carry nilpotents, so this topological statement does not identify its structure sheaf with a naive restriction of .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 iii Paper 148 2 Solution 2026-10-03
The set is a multiplicative subset, since . The localization of a ring consists of fractions , whereSimilarly, the localization of a module consists of fractions , with the analogous equivalence relation. The canonical maps areThe Localization of a Noetherian ring is Noetherian. Since a finitely generated module over a Noetherian ring is a Noetherian module, localizing a finite generating set shows that is Noetherian over .
The prime ideal correspondence for localization identifies with the primes disjoint from . Hereso the spectrum of localization away from one plus an ideal is
An element maps to zero exactly when for some . Such an equation gives for every , proving one inclusion. Conversely, suppose . The Artin-Rees lemma applied to says that for some ,Taking gives , so for some . Then and . Thus
For failure without Noetherianity, takeThe strict chain shows that is not Noetherian. Since , one has , and hence . But is an integral domain, so its localization map into is injective. This is the non-Noetherian failure of the intersection formula for localization.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2021 iii Paper 101 2 b i Solution 2026-09-28
Extension and contraction give the prime ideal correspondence for localizationExplicitly, maps to , while maps to . Primality follows by clearing denominators, and the two operations are inverse because an ideal in a localization contains exactly when it contains .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 iii Paper 101 2 b Solution Created 2026-09-28 Updated 2026-10-03
The prime ideal correspondence for localization identifies primes of with primes of disjoint from . Passing to the quotient by retains exactly those containing . Thus the image is the fiber of the map on spectra:
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2025 iii Paper 101 2 iii a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Put and definewhere acts on through the given inclusion. By the prime ideal correspondence for localization, primes of correspond to primes of satisfying , equivalently .
The localized extension remains integral. If , thenis an integral domain integral over the field . An integral domain integral over a field is a field, so is maximal.
Conversely, if is maximal in , the contraction of a maximal ideal under an integral extension is maximal in the local ring , hence equals . Contracting once more to gives . Extension and contraction are inverse under localization, proving the required fiber primes of an integral extension bijection.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2025 iii Paper 101 2 iv Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Let be maximal in and let be its contraction. The ideal is maximal and contains . It is disjoint from : if with , then . The prime ideal correspondence for localization therefore defines the proper ideal , andis a field. Thus is maximal.
Conversely, let be the contraction to of a maximal ideal of . Then is maximal among ideals disjoint from . Since is disjoint from —otherwise an equation would put —maximality gives . If a proper ideal strictly contained in a maximal ideal of , then would also contain and hence remain disjoint from , a contradiction. Thus is maximal and contains .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2025 iii Paper 101 5 iii b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Because , the localization remains an integral domain. Part (a) makes it Noetherian. Integral closedness is preserved by localization: if in the common fraction field is integral over , clearing the finitely many denominators in a monic equation shows that is integral over for some , whence and .
The prime ideal correspondence for localization shows that every chain of primes in comes from a chain in , soIf its dimension is one, it is a Noetherian integrally closed domain of dimension one and hence a Dedekind domain. If its dimension is zero, its zero ideal is maximal, so the domain is a field. This proves the Localization of a Dedekind domain alternative.
The prime ideals of with are the zero ideal and the principal ideals generated by nonconstant primitive polynomials that are irreducible in .
To prove the description, invert the nonzero integers to obtain the localization . The extension of an ideal consists of the polynomials with and . Its contraction is : if and , the defining condition puts , so primeness gives . The prime ideal correspondence for localization makes this extension a proper prime ideal of .
If , its extension has a nonzero generator because is a principal ideal domain. Dividing this generator by its rational polynomial content gives an integer-coefficient primitive polynomial generating the same extended ideal. Divisibility descent by Gauss lemma for polynomials then gives in . The proper prime ideal in makes irreducible there. Conversely, any such polynomial generates a prime ideal in whose contraction is and whose intersection with is zero.
The intersection condition is essential: is a maximal ideal of , since its quotient ring is , but it is not principal. A common divisor of and must be a unit, which would generate the whole ring.
For , the prime ideal correspondence for localization identifies withIndeed, exactly when no element of is congruent to modulo , which is exactly .