MATH 202 - ALGEBRA IV - HW 4 SOLUTIONS

CHRIS LEBAILLY, MIGUEL-ANGEL MANRIQUE, WEI YUAN

1. Section 14.3
4. Construct the finite field of 16 elements and find a generator for the multiplicative group. How many
generators are there?
To construct the finite field of 16 elements, we begin with F2 and adjoin a root with a minimum polynomial
of degree four. One such degree four irreducible polynomial is x4 + x + 1 (0 and 1 are not roots, and the
only irreducible polynomial of degree 2, namely x2 + x + 1, does not divide it). As such, the field
F24 = F2 [x]/(x4 + x + 1)
is a field with 16 elements, and has a basis over F2 given by 1, x, x2 , x3 .
It follows by Lagranges Theorem and the observation #F
22 = 15 that x generates the unit group. Indeed,
3
x 6= 1 and x5 = x x4 = x (x + 1) = x2 + x 6= 1.
There are (15) = (3)(5) = 2 4 = 8 generators.

6. SupposeK = Q() = Q( D1 , D2 ) with D1 , D2 Z, is a biquadratic extension and that = a + b D1 +

c D2 + d D1 D2 where a, b, c, d Z are integers, and at least two of b, c, d are nonzero. Prove that the
minimum polynomial m (x) for over Q is irreducible of degree 4 over Q but is reducible modulo every
prime p. In particular, show that the polynomial x4 10x + 1 is irreducible in Z[x] but is reducible modulo
every prime.
Proof. The problem as stated in the book is missing a condition that we have included above: we need that
at least two of b, c, and d are nonzero, so let us suppose that this is the case.
The minimal polynomial of is of course irreducible; we must
it has
degree 4. If not, then since
show
[K : Q] = 4, we would have Q or [Q() : Q] = 2. Since 1, D1 , D2 , D1 D2 form a basis of K over
Q, we have 6 Q as long as at least one of b, c, and d is nonzero. If [Q() : Q] = 2, then is fixed by a
nontrivial element of Gal(K/Q)
= Z/2Z Z/2Z. The elements of Gal(K/Q) are the automorphisms given
by
p
p
p
p
D1 7 D1 ,
D2 7 D2
for all 4 possible choices of . For each of the nontrivial automorphisms
,we find that
() = implies

that at least two of b, c, and d are zero. For example, if : D1 7 D1 , D2 7 D2 , then () =

implies
p
p
p
p
p
p
a + b D1 c D2 d D1 D2 = a + b D1 + c D2 + d D1 D2 ,
which implies that c = d = 0. The other two cases are similar. Therefore, we see K = Q() and hence that
m (x) has degree 4.
Suppose that m
(x) isirreducible modulo a prime p. Let be a root of m (x) in Fp , so [Fp () : Fp ] = 4.
Yet clearly Fp ( D1 , D2 ). Since Fp /(Fp )2 has size 2, it follows that at least one of D1 , D2 , or D1 D2 is

a square (possibly zero). Thus [Fp ( D1 , D2 ) : Fp ] 2, giving

acontradiction.
4
2

The polynomial x 10x + 1 is the special case of = 2 + 3.
Date: 06/01/2011.
1

8. Determine the splitting field of xp x + a over Fp where a 6= 0, a Fp . Show explicitly that the Galois
group is cyclic. Such an extension is called an Artin-Schreier extension.
Proof. Let K be the splitting field of xp x + a over Fp . We have seen already in problem 13.5.5 (assignment
6) that xp x + a is irreducible and separable over Fp . Notice that if is a root of xp x + a and k Fp ,
then
( + k)p ( + k) + a = p + k p k + a = p + a = 0,
since k p = k. Therefore, the roots of xp x + a in K are precisely + k for k Fp , and K = Fp () = Fpp .
Since the Galois group is transitive on the roots, we furthermore have a bijection
Gal(K/Fp )
= Fp = Z/pZ
given by 7 k such that () = +k. It is easy to verify that this bijection is in fact a group homomorphism,
hence a group isomorphism:
() = + k1 , () = + k2
implies
() = ( + k2 ) = () + (k2 ) = + k1 + k2 .

9. (a) If x Fq , then q (x) = xq = x, so q fixes Fq .
(b) Let L be a finite extension of Fq of degree n. Then L has q n elements, so by Lagranges theorem
n
n
q n 1
a
= 1 for all a L , and hence aq = a for all a L. The polynomial xq x Fq [x] can have at
n
most q roots in any extension field, and weve demonstrated this many in L already, namely the q n distinct
n
elements of L. Therefore xq x splits completely into linear factors over L, and not over any subfield (since
every element of L is a root). Since splitting fields are unique up to isomorphism, we see that any two field
extensions of Fq of degree n are isomorphic via an isomorphism fixing Fq .
(c) We saw in (a) that the automorphism q fixes Fq and hence is an element of Gal(Fqn /Fq ). Furthermore,
m
m
if qm is the identity, then aq a = 0 for all a Fqn . Since the polynomial xq x can have at most q m
n
roots, we must therefore have m n. Furthermore, every element a Fqn does satisfy aq a = 0 as noted
above, so qn = 1 in Gal(Fqn /Fq ). Therefore, the order of q in Gal(Fqn /Fq ) is n; since this is the size of the
Galois group, we see that Gal(Fqn /Fq ) is the cyclic group of size n generated by q .
(d) If Fqd Fqn , then Fqn is vector space over Fqd . By counting sizes, we see that q n is a power of q d ;
d
n
in other words, d divides n. Conversely, if d divides n then xq x divides xq x, and hence the splitting
d
n
field of xq x is contained in the splitting field of xq x, i.e. Fqd Fqn
2. Section 14.4
p

1. The minimal polynomial of the element = 1 +

f (x) = (x2 1)2 2, which has degree 4. The
p 2 is

roots of this polynomial are and , where = 1 2. So the Galois closure of K = Q() over Q is
Q(, ), which has degree 2 over K and degree 8 over Q.
3. By the Theorem of Primitive Element, F = Q() for some F . To prove that [F : Q] n, it suffices
to prove that the minimal polynomial of over Q has degree at most n. By the Cayley-Hamilton Theorem,
satisfies its characteristic polynomial, which has degree n. Therefore the minimal polynomial of has
degree at most n, as desired.
6. Let K = Fp (x, y) and F = Fp (xp , y p ). For each c F , let Lc = Fp (x+cy). Since (x+cy)p = xp +cp y p F ,
we have [Lc : F ] p. However since clearly K = Lc (y) and y has degree p over F , we have [K : Lc ] p.
Since [K : F ] = p2 , we must therefore have [K : Lc ] = [Lc : F ] = p.
Suppose now that Lc = Lc0 for distinct c, c0 F . Let L = Lc = Lc0 . Since x + cy, x + c0 y L, we obtain
by subtracting that (c c0 )y L, so y L since c, c0 F L. Then clearly x L as well, so L = K,
a contradiction to the calculation above. Therefore the fields Lc are distinct, and there are infinitely many
since they are indexed by c F , and F is infinite.
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3. Section 14.5
4. Since n is a primitive nth root of unity, any primitive nth root of unity can be written = nb for some
integer b. Then
a () = a (nb ) = a (n )b = (na )b = nab = (nb )a = a
as desired.
Qp1
5. Recall that p (x) = xp1 + xp2 + + 1 = i=1 (x i ). By comparing the coefficients of xp2 , we
Pp1
see that i=1 i = 1. Suppose first that p - n. Let n denoted the element of Gal(Q(p )/Q) such that
Pp1
Pp1
n () = n for all p . Then n ( i=1 i ) = i=1 ni . But the left hand side is n (1) = 1, giving the
Pp1
desired result. Finally, if p | n, then of course ni = 1, so i=1 ni = p 1.
7. In C, any nth root of unity has the form = e2ia/n , and so
= e2ia/n = e2ia/n = 1 .
Therefore complex conjugation restricts to the automorphism 1 on Q(). The subfield of real elements of
Q(), denoted Q()+ , is therefore the fixed field of 1 . Since 1 has order 2, we see that [Q() : Q()+ ] = 2.
It is clear that + 1 is fixed by 1 , since 1 swaps and 1 . Therefore Q( + 1 ) Q()+ . On the
other hand, the element satisfies the polynomial
(x )(x 1 ) = x2 ( + 1 )x + 1 Q( + 1 )[x].
Therefore [Q() : Q( + 1 )] 2, so we must have equality and we must have Q()+ = Q( + 1 ).
13. (a) The fact that a (pai ) = paai follows from #4. Since pai is a pai i th root of unity, clearly a (pai ) =
i
i
i
i
paai depends only on a modulo pai i .
i
Q
(b) The map Gal(Q(n )/Q)
= i Gal(Q(pai i )/Q) is just the restriction map a 7 (a (mod pai i ) )i discussed
Q
in part (a). In the Chinese Remainder Theorem, the isomorphism (Z/nZ)
= i (Z/pai i Z) is simply given
by reduction modulo pai i for each i, i.e. a 7 (a (mod pai i ))i . The result follows.
References
[1] Dummit and Foote, Abstract Algebra, Third Algebra.