Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Hong-Jian Lai
March 2003
1. Field Extensions
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(1.5) Let K ≤ F be fields, and let X ⊆ F be a subset. Let K(X) denote the
intersection of all subfields of F that contains K ∪ X. If X = {α}, then write K(α)
for K({α}). If α ∈ F − K, then K(α) is a simple extension of K.
(1.8) Let K ≤ F be fields. Then F can be viewed as a vector space over K. The
dimension of F as a vector space over K is denoted by [F : K] (regardless whether
F is finitely dimensional or not).
(i) Let K ≤ F ≤ E be fields, then [E : K] = [E : F ][F : K].
(ii) [E : K] < ∞ if and only if both [E : F ] < ∞ and [F : K] < ∞.
Proof:
√ √
Example: Q( 2), Q( 3 3).
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(1.10) Let K ≤ F, L ≤ J be fields, and σ : K 7→ L be a field isomorphism, and
u ∈ F − K and v ∈ J − L. Suppose that
(i) u is transcendental over K and v is transcendental over L; or
(ii) u is algebraic over K and v is algebraic over L such that σ(irr(u, K)) = irr(v, L).
Then there exists a filed isomorphism K(u) ∼ = L(v) which extends σ.
Proof: σ extends to a ring isomorphism K[x] ∼
= L[x]. If (i) holds, then (1.10) follows
from (1.7)(i). If (ii) holds, then (1.10) follows from (1.7)(ii).
(1.12) Let K be a field and f ∈ K[x]. Then there exists a field F = K(u) such
that
(i) u ∈ F is a root of f ;
(ii) [F : K] ≤ deg(f ).
(iii) If f is irreducible in K[x], then K[u] is unique up to an isomorphism which is
the identity of K.
Proof: Replace f by an irreducible factor if needed, we may assume that f is irre-
ducible. Then (f ) is a maximal ideal in K[x], and so K[x]/(f ) ∼
= F := K[u] for some
root u of f , (see (1.7)(ii)) with [F : K] = deg(f ). If there is another field K(v) such
that v is a root of f , then by (1.11), there is a filed isomorphism K[u] ∼ = K[v] which,
when restrict to K, is the identity of K.
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Proof: Use a basis of F , as a vector space over K. If [F : K] = n, then 1, α, · · · , αn
must be linearly dependent.
Proof ∀α, β ∈ F̄E , show that α+β, α−β, αβ, α/β ∈ F̄E , by working in F (α, β) ⊂ F̄E .
(2.3) A field F is algebraically closed if and only if every f (x) ∈ F [x] − F can
be factored into a product of linear factors.
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Proof Definition and Induction on the degree.
(2.5) Review the concepts: POSETs, chains, upper bounds of a subposet, maxi-
mal element. Linear ordered sets, Well-ordered sets (every nonempty set has a least
element).
(2.6) Zorn’s Lemma: If (S, ≤) is a poset in which every chain has an upper bound,
then S has at least one maximal element.
Non-Example: (Z, ≤) does not have a maximal element, but it is well ordered.
(2.8) For any set X, there exists a set Y with |Y | > |X|.
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Proof: Take Y to be the power set of X (that is, Y is the set of all subsets of X).
to be a set that has an element for every possible zero of any f (x) ∈ F [x]. Define Ω
to be a set with |Ω| > |A|. We may assume that F ⊂ Ω (otherwise we replace Ω by
Ω ∪ F ).
S = {Ej : j ∈ J, F ≤ Ej ⊆ Ω}.
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(iv) Show that F is an algebraic closure of F .
Let f (x) ∈ F [x], where f (x) 6∈ F . Suppose that f (x) has no root in F . Since
|Ω| > |A|, we can pick ω 0 ∈ Ω such that f (ω 0 ) = 0 and F (ω 0 ) ⊆ Ω.
(Show that F (ω 0 ) is an algebraic extension of F .) Let β ∈ F (ω 0 ). Then β is
algebraic over F and so for some α0 , α1 , · · · , αn ∈ F such that
α0 + α1 β + · · · + αn β n = 0.
Finite Fields
(F1) If F is a finite field with char(F ) = p, then there is an integer n ≥ 1 such that
|F | = pn . (Proof: Use vector space.)
Note that
n −2
g(α) = (pn − 1)αp = −α−1 6= 0.
n
Hence the factor of x − α occurring in xp − x only once.
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Note that Zp ⊂ K. We want to show that K is a subfield of Zp . Note if α, β(6= 0) ∈ K,
then
n n n
(α − β)p = αp − β p = α − β
n n n
(αβ −1 )p = αp (β p )−1 = αβ −1
Pm
To see that E is algebraically closed, pick f (x) = i=0 ai xi ∈ E[x]. Then there
ni ’s such that ai ∈ GF (pni ), and so all a0 , · · · , am ∈ GF (ps ), where s = Πm
i=0 ni . As
[GF (ps ) : Zp ] = t < ∞, all zeros of f (x) are algebraic over Zp and are in some GF (pt ),
and so are in E.
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3. Automorphisms of Fields
(3.2) The set of all K-automorphism of F forms a group under map composition.
This group will be denoted by AutK F , called the Galois group of F over K.
defines an isomorphism of F (α) onto F (β) if and only if α abd β are conjugate over F .
Proof: Use the isomorphism and its inverse to show that irr(α, F )|irr(β, F ) and
irr(β, F )|irr(α, F ).
Conversely, one can show that φα,β is a bijective homomorphism.
√
(3.7) Example of Computing Galois groups: Let K = Q and F = Q( 2).
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√ √ √
Let f (x) = irr( 2, Q). Then f (x) = x2 − 2. Note that both 2 and − 2 are roots
√
of f (x) and both are in F . By (3.3), any element φ ∈ AutK F must send 2 to
√ √
either 2 or to − 2, and by (3.5), the image of φ uniquely determines φ. Hence
|AutK F | = 2 and so AutK F ∼
= Z2 .
√ √
Similarly, when F = Q( 2, 3) and K = Q, then AutK F ∼
= Z2 × Z2 .
√
(3.10) Example: Q( 2) is Galois over Q.
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