Show ring ideal is not principal ideal

  • Thread starter Thread starter AcidRainLiTE
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Ring
Join the discussion
Ask a follow-up here, or get your own question answered by working scientists, mathematicians and engineers — people, not an autocomplete.
Real named experts · corrections over time · the nuance an AI answer skips
1 reply · 3K views
AcidRainLiTE
Messages
89
Reaction score
2

Homework Statement


Show that the ideal
[tex](3, x^3 - x^2 + 2x -1) \text{ in } \mathbb{Z}[x][/tex]
is not principal. (The parentheses mean 'the ideal generated by the elements enclosed in parentheses')

2. The attempt at a solution
I came up with a solution (see attachment), it is just rather convoluted. I feel like I am missing a more informative proof. I would like to take away as much as I can from this problem, so I am wondering if someone else sees a more insightful way to prove it. A brief summary of my solution is (see attachment for details):

(1) If it (call it I) is a principal ideal, then the fact that it contains 3 implies
[tex]I = a \mathbb{Z}[x] \text{ for some } a \in \mathbb{Z}[/tex]

(2) But the fact that it contains [tex]x^3 - x^2 + 2x -1[/tex] implies a = 1 so
[tex]I = \mathbb{Z}[x][/tex]

(3) But [itex]1 \notin I[/itex] and hence [itex]I \ne \mathbb{Z}[x][/itex]. Contradiction. So I is not a principal ideal.
 
Physics news on Phys.org