Ivan Shishkin, Rye (1878)

Problems/Number theory

Eisenstein’s criterion

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Let P=anXn+⋯+a1X+a0∈Z[X]P=a_nX^n+\cdots+a_1X+a_0\in\mathbb{Z}[X] non constant.
Suppose there exists a prime number pp such that p∣a0,…,pn−1p\mid a_0,\ldots,p_{n-1}, p∤anp\nmid a_n and p2∤a0p^2\nmid a_0.
Prove that PP is is irreducible over Q[X]\mathbb{Q}[X].

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Solution by beignet62

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We assume that PP is not irreducible over Q[X]\mathbb{Q}[X], and hence over Z[X]\mathbb{Z}[X].

There therefore exist non-constant polynomials A,B∈Z[X]A,B\in\mathbb{Z}[X] such that

P=A×B.P=A\times B.

We use the notation

A=∑i=0raiXiandB=∑j=0sbjXj.A=\sum_{i=0}^{r}a_iX^i \qquad\text{and}\qquad B=\sum_{j=0}^{s}b_jX^j.

We have

p∣p0=a0b0.p\mid p_0=a_0b_0.

We may therefore assume, without loss of generality, that

p∣a0andp∤b0,p\mid a_0\qquad\text{and}\qquad p\nmid b_0,

since otherwise p2∣p0p^2\mid p_0, which is excluded.

Let us prove by contradiction that pp cannot divide all the aia_i.

Indeed, if p∣aip\mid a_i for every ii, then

p∣dom⁡(A)dom⁡(B)=pn,p\mid \operatorname{dom}(A)\operatorname{dom}(B)=p^n,

which is excluded.

We thus denote by i0i_0 the smallest integer such that

p∤ai0.p\nmid a_{i_0}.

We have i0<ni_0<n, since BB is non-constant.

Now,

pi0=ai0b0⏟not divisible by p+ai0−1b1+⋯+a0bi0⏟divisible by p.\underbrace{p_{i_0}=a_{i_0}b_0}_{\text{not divisible by }p} + \underbrace{a_{i_0-1}b_1+\cdots+a_0b_{i_0}}_{\text{divisible by }p}.

Indeed, by the definition of i0i_0, we have

p∣a0,…,ai0−1,p\mid a_0,\ldots,a_{i_0-1},

and hence every term in the second sum is divisible by pp. On the other hand,

p∤ai0b0,p\nmid a_{i_0}b_0,

since p∤ai0p\nmid a_{i_0} and p∤b0p\nmid b_0.

Thus,

p∤pi0,p\nmid p_{i_0},

which is a contradiction, since i0<ni_0<n and, by hypothesis,

p∣p0,…,pn−1.p\mid p_0,\ldots,p_{n-1}.

Therefore, PP is irreducible in Q[X]\mathbb{Q}[X].

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