Session: 14 Course Material: irreducibility of polynomial

Let R be a ring and f ( x) R[ x] . The nonzero and non unit polynomial f ( x ) is called irreducible in R[ x] if f ( x ) = g ( x )h( x ) implies g ( x) is unit or h( x) is unit in R[ x] . A polynomial f ( x) is called reducible in R[ x] if f ( x) is not irreducible in R[ x] .
2 n Nonzero polynomial f ( x) = a0 + a1 x + a2 x + ... + an x

in

R[ x]

is called primitive

polynomial if gcd(a0, a1, , an) is a unit in R.

Example 1: 1. Polynomial f ( x) = x 2 + 1 is irreducible in R[ x ] but reducible in C[ x ] . 2. Is polynomial g ( x) = x 2 2 irreducible in Q[ x] ?

3. Is polynomial g ( x) = x 2 2 irreducible in R[ x ] ? 4. If F is a field, then the polynomial g ( x) = ax + b F [ x ] with a z is irreducible. Theorem 1(Einsensteins irreducibility criterion). (Malik, D.S., et.al, 1997) Let D be a UFD and Q(D) be its quotient field. Let

f ( x) = a0 + a1 x + a2 x 2 + ... + an x n be nonconstant polynomial in D[x]. Suppose that D contains a prime p such that
(i). p ai , i = 0,1, 2,..., n 1 (ii). p | an
2 (iii). p | a0

Then f(x) is irreducible in Q(D)[x].

Example 2: Verify the irreducibility of the following polynomial. 1. f ( x ) = 3x 5 + 15 x 4 20 x3 + 10 x + 20 is irreducible over Q because there exists prime element 5 Z such that 5 20, 5 10, 5 20, 5 15, 5 | 3, 25| 20 , then based on

Einsensteins irreducibility criterion, f ( x) = 3 x 5 + 15 x 4 20 x3 + 10 x + 20 is irreducible over Q. Corollary 1: (Malik, D.S., be et.al, 1997) Let D be a UFD and D[x]

f ( x) = a0 + a1 x + a2 x 2 + ... + an x n such that (i). p ai , i = 0,1, 2,..., n 1 (ii). p | an

2 (iii). p | a0

nonconstant

primitive

polynomial

( primitive if gcd ( a0, a1, , an) = unit in D). Suppose that D contains a prime p

Then f(x) is irreducible in D[x]. Example 3:

1. f ( x) = x 5 + 15 x3 + 10 x + 5 is irreducible in Z[x] because Z is UFD and content of

f ( x)

is 1 then

f ( x) is nonconstant primitive polynomial in Z[x], and

5 5, 5 10, 5 0, 5 15, 5 | 1, 25| 5 , using corollary 1, f ( x) is irreducible in Z[x].

Corollary 2: (Malik, D.S., et.al, 1997) Let

f ( x) = a0 + a1 x + a2 x 2 + ... + an x n be

nonconstant polynomial in Z[x]. If there exists a prime p such that (i). p ai , i = 0,1, 2,..., n 1 (ii). p | an
2 (iii). p | a0

Then f(x) is irreducible in Q[x]. Theorem 2: (Malik, D.S., et.al, 1997) Let F be a field. If f ( x ) in F[x] and deg ( f ( x) ) 2 or 3, then f ( x ) is irreducible over F if and only if f ( x) has no root in F. Example 4: 1. Using Theorem 2 to verify irreducibility of polynomials in example 1.

2. f ( x) = x 2 + x + [1] Z2 [ x] with f ([0]) = [1] [0]; f ([1]) = [1] [0] , then by Theorem 2, f ( x) is irreducible over Z2 .
3 3. is the polynomial f ( x) = x + [2]x + [1] Z3[ x] irreducible over Z3 ?

Theorem 3: (Gallian, et.al, 2010) Let f ( x) Z[ x] . If f ( x ) is irreducible over Q, then f ( x) is irreducible over Z. Theorem 4: (Gallian, et.al, 2010) Let p be a prime and suppose that f ( x) Z[ x] with degree 1. Let f ( x ) Z p [ x] obtained from f ( x ) by reducing all the coefficients of f ( x ) modulo p. If f ( x ) is irreducible over Zp and deg f ( x ) = deg f ( x ) , then f ( x) is irreducible over Q. Example 5: Consider the polynomial f ( x) = 5 3 1 x x + 1 Q[ x ] . 7 2

Then 14 f ( x) = 10 x 3 7 x + 14 in Z[ x] and let f1 ( x) = 10 x 3 7 x + 14 in Z[ x] . Take prime number 3 and we have f1 ( x) = x 3 + [2]x + [2] in Z3 [ x] .

f1 ([0]) = [2], f1 ([1]) = [2], f1 ([2]) = [2] , then f1 ( x) has no root in Z3 , by Theorem 2, f1 ( x) is irreducible in Z3 [ x] . Deg f1 ( x) = deg f1 ( x) , by Theorem 4, f1 ( x) = 14 f ( x) is also irreducible in Q[ x] . Furthermore, 14 is a unit in Q[ x] , then f ( x ) is irreducible in Q[ x] . Example 6: 1. Let f ( x ) = 21x 3 3x 2 + 2 x + 9 Z[ x ] , then over Z2 , we have f ( x) = x3 + x2 + 1 and f ([0]) = [1], f ([1]) = [1] , then f ( x ) is irreducible over Z2, by Theorem 4, f ( x) is irreducible over Q. Theorem 5: (Malik, D.S., et.al, 1997) The cyclotomic polynomial f ( x) = 1 + x + x 2 + ... + x p = x p 1 is irreducible in Z[x] where p is prime. x 1

Exercises 1: Verify irreducibility of the following polynomials. 1. f ( x) = x 3 + [1] Z2 [ x] .

2. f ( x) = x 2 + [2]x + [6] Z2 [ x] 3. f ( x) = x 2 + 2 x + 6 Z[ x] 4. f ( x) = 2 x 4 + 6 x3 9 x 2 + 15 Z[ x] 5. f ( x) = 2 x 3 x 2 + 4 x 2 Z[ x]