Math 113, Section 1, Practice problems - Fields and Rings

1. True/False: justify your answers. (a) The real number 4 + 3 2 is algebraic over Q, with degree 3. (b) The multiplicative cancellation law,If a = 0 and ab = ac, then b = c holds in any integral domain. (c) Let R be a commutative ring with identity 1 = 0, R[x] the polynomials with coecients in R, and p(x) R[x] a polynomial of degree 1. Then p(x) has a root in R. (d) Let F be a eld, F[x] the polynomials with coecients in F, and p(x) F[x] a non-constant polynomial. The function : F[x] F[x] dened by f (x) f (x)p(x) is a ring homomorphism. (e) Suppose that F is a eld, and D and E are subelds of F. Then D E is also a subeld of F. (f) The ring Z12 /(4) is an integral domain. (g) If is algebraic over Q and is transcendental over Q, then + is transcendental over Q. (h) Z[x] is an ideal in Q[x]. (i) Every ideal in Zn is principal. (j) 8 2 Q( 12 2). 2. Let E/F be a eld extension. Let E be algebraic of odd degree over F . Show that 2 is algebraic of odd degree over F , and that F () = F (2 ). 3. Find all ring homomorphisms from Z6 to Z10 . 4. Factorize f (x) = x3 2x2 + 3x + 5 into a product of irreducibles. 5. Let R be a commutative ring with identity 1 = 0, and let I and J be ideals of R. Either prove or give a counter example to the following statements: (a) If I contains a unit, then I = R. (b) If I and J are both prime ideals, then I J is also a prime ideal. (c) If I and J are both principal ideals, then I J is a principal ideal. 6. Find the quotient and the remainder when x3 + 8x2 + 7x 1 is divided by 4x 1 in Z11 [x]. 7. Let = 1 + 2 + 3 R. Find a degree 4 polynomial f Q[x] such that f () = 0. Is your polynomial irreducible over Q? 8. Consider the quotient ring F = Z3 /(x2 + 1). (a) Show that F is a eld. (b) Let be the equivalence class [x + 1] F . Determine the order of in the multiplicative group F = F \ {0}. 9. Proofs. (a) Let R be a nite ring with 1 = 0. Prove that every non-zero element of R is a zero-divisor or a unit. (b) Let R be a commutative ring. Prove that the ideal M is a maximal ideal if and only if R/M is a eld. (c) Let R be a commutative ring. Prove that the ideal P is a prime ideal if and only if R/P is an integral domain. (d) Prove that a Euclidean domain is a Principal Ideal Domain. (e) Prove that in an integral domain, a prime element is always irreducible. (f) The element is algebraic over a eld F if and only if [F () : F ] is nite.