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    MATH404 PrimElem

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    kaushikoorvi0001
    Primitive elements

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    MATH404 PrimElem

    Uploaded by

    kaushikoorvi0001
    5 views2 pages
    Primitive elements

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    MATH404-PrimElem

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    © © All Rights Reserved

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    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

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    Primitive elements

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    5 views2 pages

    MATH404 PrimElem

    Uploaded by

    kaushikoorvi0001
    Primitive elements

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 2

    The Primitive Element Theorem.

    The Primitive Element Theorem. Assume that F and K are subfields of C and that K/F is
    a finite extension. Then K = F (θ) for some element θ in K.
    Proof. The key step is to prove that if K = F (α, β), then K = F (θ) for some element θ in K.
    We will find such a θ of the following form:

    θ = α + fβ ,

    where f ∈ F . We will assume in the rest of this proof that θ has this specific form. Note that
    θ ∈ K since f ∈ F and α, β ∈ K. Since F is a subfield of C, F contains Q, and is therefore infinite.
    Assuming that θ has the above form, we will actually prove that K = F (θ) for all but finitely many
    choices of f ∈ F .
    Note that α, β ∈ K, a finite extension of F , and hence α and β are algebraic over F . Let g(x) be
    the minimal polynomial for α over F . Let h(x) be the minimal polynomial for β over F . Then
    both g(x) and h(x) are in F [x] and are irreducible over F . We have
    m
    Y n
    Y
    g(x) = (x − αi ), h(x) = (x − βj ) ,
    i=1 j=1
     
    where m = deg g(x) , n = deg h(x) , α1 , ..., αm are distinct elements of C, and β1 , ..., βn are
    distinct elements of C. This follows from a result proved in class: An irreducible polynomial over
    a subfield of C cannot have multiple roots in C.
    We assume that the indexing is such that α = α1 and β = β1 . For any specific subscripts i, j
    satisfying 1 ≤ i ≤ m and 2 ≤ j ≤ n, the equation

    αi + f βj = α + f β

    holds for exactly one f ∈ C and therefore for at most one f ∈ F . This is true because βj =6 β for
    j ≥ 2. Since F is infinite, we can therefore suppose from here on that f is chosen so that none of
    the above equations hold. That is, since θ = α + f β, we can assume that

    θ 6= αi + f βj f or all i, j satisf ying 1 ≤ i ≤ m, 2 ≤ j ≤ n .

    Let E = F (θ). Since θ ∈ K, E is a subfield of K. Consider the polynomial k(x) = g(θ − f x). One
    can use the binomial theorem to write k(x) as a polynomial. Its coefficients will be in C. More
    precisely, since g(x) ∈ F [x], f and θ are in the field E, and F [x] ⊆ E[x], it follows that k(x) ∈ E[x].
    Notice also that

    K = F (α, β) = F (α, β, α + f β) = F (β, α + f β) = F (θ, β) = E(β) .


    We will prove that K = E by showing that [K : E] = 1. Let p(x) denote
     the minimal polynomial
    for β over
     E. Since K = E(β), we can say that [K : E] = deg p(x) . Hence we must show that
    deg p(x) = 1.
    By definition, β is a root of h(x). Since h(x) ∈ F [x] ⊆ E[x], it follows that p(x)|h(x) in E[x].
    Therefore, the set of roots of p(x) in C must be a subset of the set {β1 , ..., βn }. However, β is also
    root of k(x) because

    k(β) = g(θ − f β) = g(α + f β − f β) = g(α) = 0 ,

    using the fact that α is one of the roots of g(x) in C. Hence, since k(x) ∈ E[x], we can also say
    that p(x)|k(x) in E[x]. We are again using the fact that p(x) is the minimal polynomial for β over
    E.
    Suppose that 2 ≤ j ≤ n. We will show that βj is not a root of k(x). To see this, note that
    k(βj ) = g(θ − f βj ). Thus,

    k(βj ) = 0 =⇒ g(θ − f βj ) = 0 =⇒ θ − f βj = αi

    for some index i, 1 ≤ i ≤ m. This is because the roots of g(x) in C are α1 , ..., αm . But then we
    would have θ = αi + f βj , contrary to the way that we chose f before. It follows that, if 2 ≤ j ≤ n,
    then βj is not a root of p(x).
    In summary, we have proved that every root of p(x) in C must be contained in the set {β1 , ..., βn },
    but the elements β2 , ..., βn of that set are actually not roots of p(x). Therefore, p(x) has exactly
    one root in C, namely β1 = β. Since p(x) is irreducible over E, a subfield of C, p(x) cannot have
    multiple roots. We can therefore conclude that deg p(x) = 1, as we wanted to prove. Therefore,
    we have proved that K = E = F (θ).

    To finish the proof of the primitive element theorem, it is clear that we can find a finite subset
    {γ1 , ..., γt } of K so that K = F (γ1 , ..., γt ). We will refer to such a set {γ1 , ..., γt } as a “generating
    set” for the extension K/F . For example, we could simply take {γ1 , ..., γt } to be a basis for K
    as a vector space over F . Suppose that {γ1 , ..., γt } is a generating set for the extension K/F and
    that t > 1. We will show that we can find another generating set for K/F which has only t − 1
    elements. Consider the field F (γ1 , γ2 ), which is a subfield of K and therefore a finite extension of
    F . Taking α = γ1 and β = γ2 , the result proved above shows that we have F (γ1 , γ2 ) = F (θ1 ) for
    some suitably chosen element θ1 in K. If t = 2, we are done. If t > 2, then we have

    K = F (γ1 , ..., γt ) = F (γ1 , γ2 )(γ3 , ..., γt ) = F (θ1 )(γ3 , ..., γt ) = F (θ1 , γ3 , ..., γt ),

    and so we do have a generating set {θ1 , γ3 , ..., γt } for K over F with just t − 1 elements. Continuing,
    we eventually find a generating set for K/F with just one element. This proves the Primitive
    Element Theorem.

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