CCM326, Galois Theory May 2018 Exam Solutions

A1. Suppose that K ⊂ E ⊂ L is a tower of field extensions of finite degree,

and let α be an element of L. Determine whether each of the following
assertions is always true, or may be false. Simply state TRUE or FALSE;
you do not need to justify your answer.
a) If L = E(α), then L = K(α).
Solution: FALSE
b) The minimal polynomial of α over K is divisible in E[X] by the
minimal polynomial of α over E.
Solution: TRUE
c) If L is Galois over K, then L is Galois over E.
Solution: TRUE
d) If L is Galois over E and E is Galois over K, then L is Galois over
K.
Solution: FALSE
e) If L is solvable over E and E is solvable over K, then L is solvable
over K.
Solution: TRUE
√
A2. Let K denote the field Q(i, 3).
a) Describe all the field embeddings τ : K → √ C.
Solution: There are two embeddings Q( 3) → C (corresponding
√ √
to the two roots of m√3,Q = X 2 − 3), determined by σ1 ( 3) = 3
√ √ √
and σ2 ( 3) = − 3). Since X 2 + 1 has no roots in Q( √ 3) (and
is quadratic), it is the minimal polynomial of i over Q( 3), so the
extensions of both σ1 and σ2 to embeddings K → C correspond
to the roots of X 2 + 1 in C, namely ±i. Therefore we obtain four
embeddings K → C, described by:
√ √
τ1 (√3) = √3, τ1 (i) = i
τ2 (√3) = √ 3, τ2 (i) = −i
τ3 (√3) = −√3, τ3 (i) = i
τ4 ( 3) = − 3, τ4 (i) = −i

b) Find an element α ∈√K such that K = Q(α).

Solution: Let α = 3 + i. Then the values of τi (α) for i = 1, 2, 3, 4
are distinct, so K = Q(α).
c) State whether K Galois over Q; justify your answer.
Solution: K is Galois over Q: For any√extension √ M of K and any
(Q-)embedding τ : K → M , we have τ ( 3) = ± 3 ∈ K and τ (i) =
±i ∈ K, so τ (K) ⊂ K. Therefore K is normal over Q, and K is
separable over Q since it has characteristic zero.

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A3. Let f (X) = X 3 − X + 2 ∈ Q[X] and let L be a splitting field of f over Q.
a) Determine the structure of the Galois group Gal(L/Q).
Solution: By Gauss’s Lemma, the only possible roots of f are ±1
and ±2, but f (1) = f (−1) = 2, f (2) = 8 and f (−2) = −4, so f has
no roots in Q, and is therefore irreducible. The discriminant of f is
−4(−1)3 − 27 · 22 = −23 · 13, which is not a square in Q, so Gal(L/Q)
is isomorphic to S3 .
b) Describe all the subfields of L that are Galois over Q.
Solution: The subfields of L that are normal over Q are the fixed
fields of the normal subgroups of Gal(L/Q). By (a), this group is
isomorphic to S3 , which has 3 normal subgroups: S3 , A3 and {e}.
The fixed field of S3 is Q, the fixed field of {e} is L, and since A3
is the unique subgroup of index 2 in S3 , its fixed field is the unique
subfield√E ⊂ L such√that [E : Q] = 2. By results from lecture, this is
E = Q( ∆) = Q(i 26).
A4. Let K ⊂ L be a finite extension of fields. Suppose that α ∈ L, and let
f ∈ K[X] be the minimal polynomial of α over K.
a) State a criterion involving the derivative of f that is equivalent to
the separability of α. (You do not need to prove this equivalence.)
Solution: α is separable if and only if gcd(f, f 0 ) = 1 (or equivalently
f 0 6= 0 since f is irreducible in K[X] and deg f 0 < deg f ).
b) Prove that if K has prime characteristic p and the degree of f is not
divisible by p, then α is separable over K.
Solution: If f has degree n, then the leading term of f is X n , so the
leading term of f 0 is nX n−1 . Therefore f 0 6= 0 if n is not divisible by
p, so α is separable by the criterion in a).
c) Prove that if [L : K] is not divisible by the characteristic of K, then
L is separable over K.
Solution: If K has characteristic zero, then L is separable over K,
so we can assume K has prime characteristic p. For any β ∈ L, the
Tower Law applied to K ⊂ K(β) ⊂ L shows that [K(β) : K] divides
[L : K], so if [L : K] is not divisible by p, then neither is [K(β) : K].
Since the minimal polynomial of β over K has degree [K(β) : K], it
follows from b) that β is separable over K. Therefore L is separable
over K.
A5. Let K denote the field Z/3Z, and consider the polynomial

f (X) = X 4 + X 3 + X 2 + X + 1

in K[X]. Let L be a splitting field of f over K, and let α ∈ L be a root

of f .

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 a) Find the order of α in L× , and prove that f is irreducible in K[X].
Solution: Since α5 − 1 = (α − 1)f (α) = 0, we have α5 = 1. On the
other hand α 6= 1 since f (1) = 2 6= 0 in Z/3Z. Therefore α has order
5 in L× .
Let r be the degree of the minimal polynomial mα,K . Note that
r ≤ 4 since mα,K |f , and the order of K(α)× is 3r − 1 since since
r = [K(α) : K]. Therefore 3r − 1 is divisible by 5, which rules out
r = 1, 2 or 3, so we must have r = 4. It follows that f = mα,K , so f
is irreducible.
b) Determine the structure of the Galois group Gal(L/K).
Solution: By results from lectures K(α) is Galois over K, so L =
K(α) has degree 4 over K (by part a), and Gal(L/K) is cyclic, so
Gal(L/K) is isomorphic to Z/4Z.
c) Write down a formula for σ(α) for some element σ ∈ Gal(L/K) other
than the identity. (You may choose the element σ.)
Solution: By results from lecture, Gal(L/K) is generated by the
Frobenius automorphism φ, defined by φ(β) = β 3 . Taking σ = φ, we
have σ(α) = α3 .
B6. a) State the Fundamental Theorem of Galois Theory for extensions of
finite degree. (You do not need to define what it means for an exten-
sion to be Galois.)
Solution: Let K ⊂ L be a finite Galois extension of fields, and let
G = Gal(L/K). Then
i) The maps E 7→ Gal(L/E) and H 7→ LH define mutually inverse,
inclusion-reversing bijections:
   
intermediate fields E,
←→ subgroups H of G .
K⊂E⊂L

ii) An intermediate field E, K ⊂ E ⊂ L, is Galois over K if and only

if the corresponding subgroup H = Gal(L/E) is normal in G, in
which case the restriction map σ 7→ σ|E induces an isomorphism
of groups
∼
G/H −→ Gal(E/K).
p √
b) Let f be the minimal polynomial of 1 + 7 over Q. Find f .
p √ √
Solution: Let α = 1 + 7. Then α2 = 1 + 7, so (α2 − 1)2 = 7.
Therefore α is a root of

f (X) = (X 2 − 1)2 − 7 = X 4 − 2X 2 − 6.

Since f satisfies Eisenstein’s Criterion (with p = 2), it is irreducible

in Q[X], and is therefore the minimal polynomial of α over Q.
c) Let f be as above in (b), and let L be its splitting field. Show that
Gal(L/Q) is isomorphic to a dihedral group of order 8.

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 Solution:√We clearly have that −α is also a root of f , as are ±β if
β 2 = 1 − 7, so L = Q(α, β).
Let K = Q(α), so Q ⊂ K ⊂ L. Note that √ −α is in K, but ±β are
not since they are not in R. Note also that 7 = α2 − 1 ∈ K, so√β is
a root of a quadratic polynomial over K[X], namely X 2 − (1 − 7).
Therefore [L : K] = 2, and since [K : Q] = deg(f ) = 4, the Tower
Law implies that [L : Q] = 8, so G = Gal(L/Q) has order 8.
By results from lecture, G is isomorphic to a transitive subgroup
of S4 , and the only such subgroup of order 8 is isomorphic to the
dihedral group of order 8.
(Alternatively, if we label the roots of f as α1 = α, α2 = −α, α3√=
β and α4 = −β, then we find the four elements of G fixing 7
correspond to the permutations:

e, (12),
(34) and (12)(34),
√ √
and the four elements sending 7 to − 7 interchange {±α} and
{±β}, and must therefore be

(13)(24), (14)(23), (1324) and (1423).

Therefore G is isomorphic to the subgroup of S4 generated by the

elements σ = (12) of order 2 and ρ = (1324) of order 4, satisfying
σρσ = (1432) = ρ−1 , so G is isomorphic to a dihedral group of order
8.)
d) Let L be as above in (c). Determine the number of subfields E ⊂ L
such that [E : Q] = 2.
Solution: The subfields E such that [E : Q] = 2 correspond to
subgroups of G of index 2, i.e. of order 4. Writing the dihedral group
as
{ e, ρ, ρ2 , ρ3 , σ, σρ, σρ2 , σρ3 }
where ρ has order 4, σ has order 2 and ρσ = σρ3 , we find that there
are precisely 3 subgroups of order 4, namely

{ e, ρ, ρ2 , ρ3 }, { e, ρ2 , σ, σρ2 } and { e, ρ2 , σρ, σρ3 }.

Therefore there are 3 subfields E ⊂ L such that [E : Q] = 2.

B8. Let K ⊂ L be a finite extension of fields of characteristic 0.
a) State what it means for the extension L to be radical over K, and
for the extension L to be solvable by radicals over K.
Solution: We say that L is radical over K if L = K(α) for some
α ∈ L such that αn ∈ K for some integer n ≥ 1.
We say that L is solvable by radicals over K if there is a chain of
extensions:
K = L0 ⊂ L1 ⊂ L2 ⊂ · · · ⊂ Lm

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 such that L ⊂ Lm , and for each k = 1, . . . , m, Lk is radical over Lk−1
for k = 1, 2, . . . , m.
b) State what it means for a finite group to be solvable, and for the
extension L to be solvable over K.
Solution: A group G is solvable if there is a chain of subgroups:

{e} = H0 ⊂ H1 ⊂ H2 ⊂ · · · ⊂ Hm = G

such that for each k = 1, . . . , m, Hk−1 is a normal subgroup of Hk ,

and Hk /Hk−1 is a cyclic group.
The extension L is solvable over K if there is a finite extension M of
L such M is Galois over K and Gal(M/K) is a solvable group.
p5
√
c) Prove that if α = 2 − 3 + e2πi/7 ∈ C, then Q(α) is solvable over
Q. √
Solution: Let L0 = Q, L1 = Q( 3), L2 = L1 (β) where β =
p
5
√ √ 2
2 − 3, √and L3 = L2 (ζ) where ζ = e2πi/7 . Then 3 ∈ L0 ,
β 5 = 2 − 3 ∈ L1 , ζ 7 = 1 ∈ L2 , and α = β + ζ ∈ L3 , so Q(α) ⊂ L3 .
Therefore Q(α) is solvable by radicals over Q. By a theorem from
lecture, this is equivalent to Q(α) being solvable over Q.
d) Prove that if α ∈ C is a root of the polynomial X 5 − 15X 2 + 3, then
Q(α) is not solvable by radicals over Q.
Solution: First note that f (X) = X 5 −15X 2 +3 satisfies Eisenstein’s
Criterion with p = 3, so f is irreducible in Q[X].
We claim that f has 3 exactly real roots. To see this, note that

f 0 (X) = 5X 4 − 30X = 5X(X 3 − 6)

√
has exactly two real roots X = 0 and X = 3 6. Since f (X) √→ ±∞
as X → ±∞, it follows√that f is increasing on (−∞, 0) and ( 3 6, ∞)
and decreasing on (0, 3 6). Since f (0) = 3 > 0, and
√
f ( 6) = 6 · 62/3 − 15 · 62/3 + 3 < 0,
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it follows that f has exactly one real root in each of the 3 intervals.
By results from lecture, we know that Gal(Lf /Q) is isomorphic to S5 ,
which is not solvable. Since any extension of Q(α) which is Galois
over Q must contain Lf , it follows that Q(α) is not solvable over
Q. By a theorem from lecture, this is equivalent to Q(α) not being
solvable over Q.