In mathematics, a splitting field of a polynomial with coefficients in a field is an extension of that field over which the polynomial factors into linear factors. The purpose of this article is to describe an iterative process for constructing the splitting field of a given polynomial. Euclid, detail from The School of Athens by Raphael. ... In abstract algebra, the splitting field of a polynomial P(X) over a given field K is a field extension L of K, over which P factorizes into linear factors X − ai, and such that the ai generate L over K. It can be shown that such splitting fields exist...

Motivation

Finding roots of polynomials has been an important problem since the time of the ancient Greeks. Some polynomials, however, have no roots such as x² + 1 over R, the real numbers. By constructing the splitting field for such a polynomial one can find the roots of the polynomial in the new field. (In this example the splitting field is C the complex numbers, where x² + 1 = (x + i)(x − i).) In mathematics, a root (or a zero) of a function f is an element x in the domain of f such that f(x) = 0. ...

Construction

Let F be a field and p(x) be a polynomial in the polynomial ring F[x] of degree n. The general process for constructing K, the splitting field of p(x) over F, is to construct a sequence of fields F = K₀,K₁,...K_{r − 1},K_r = K such that K_i is an extension of K_{i − 1} containing a new root of p(x). Since p(x) has at most n roots the construction will require at most n extensions. The steps for constructing K_i are given as follows: In abstract algebra, a polynomial ring is the set of polynomials in one or more variables with coefficients in a ring. ...

• Factor p(x) over K_i into irreducible factors f₁(x)f₂(x)...f_k(x).
• Chose any irreducible factor f(x) = f_i(x)
• Construct the quotient ring K_{i + 1} = K_i[x] / (f(x)) where (f(x)) denotes the ideal in K_i[x] generated by f(x)
• Repeat the process for K_{i + 1} until p(x) factors completely.

The irreducible factor f_i used in the quotient construction may be chosen arbitrarily. Although different choices of factors may lead to different subfield sequences the resulting splitting fields will be isomorphic. In mathematics, the adjective irreducible means that an object cannot be expressed as a product of at least two non-trivial factors in a given ring. ... In ring theory, a branch of abstract algebra, an ideal is a special subset of a ring which generalizes important properties of integers. ...

Since f(x) is irreducible (f(x)) is a maximal ideal and hence K_i[x] / (f(x)) is, in fact, a field. Moreover, if we let π:K_i[x] − > K_i[x] / (f₁(x)) be the natural projection of the ring onto its quotient then f(π(x)) = π(f(x)) = f(x) mod f(x) = 0 so π(x) is a root of f(x) and of p(x).

The degree of a single extension [K_{i + 1}:K_i] is equal to the degree of the irreducible factor f(x). The degree of the extension [K : F] is given by [F:K₁][K₁:K₂]...[K_r:K_{r − 1}] and is at most n!.

The Field K_i[x] / (f(x))

As mentioned above the quotient ring K_{i + 1} = K_i[x] / (f(x)) is a field when f(x) is irreducible. Its elements are of the form c_{n − 1}α^{n − 1} + c_{n − 2}α^{n − 2} + ... + c₁α¹ + c₀ where the c_j are in K_i and α = π(x). (If one considers K_{i + 1} as a vector space over K_i then the powers α^j for 1 <= j <= n-1 form a basis.)

The elements of K_{i + 1} can be considered as polynomials in α of degree less than n. Addition in K_{i + 1} is given by the rules for polynomial addition and multiplication is given by polynomial multiplication modulo f(x). That is, for g(α) and h(α) in K_{i + 1} the product g(α)h(α) = r(α) where r(x) is the remainder of g(x)h(x) divided by f(x) in K_i[x].

The remainder r(x) can be computed through long division of polynomials, however there is also a straightforward reduction rule that can be used to compute r(α) = g(α)h(α) directly. First let f(x) = xⁿ + b_{n − 1}x^{n − 1} + ... + b₁x + b₀. (The polynomial is over a field so one can take f(x) to be monic without loss of generality.) α is a root of f(x) so αⁿ = − (b_{n − 1}α^{n − 1} + ... + b₁α + b₀). If the product g(α)h(α) has a term α^m with m >= n it can be reduced as follows: In mathematics, a monic can refer to monic morphism – a special kind of morphism in category theory, monic polynomial – a polynomial whose leading coefficient is one. ...

αⁿα^{m − n} = ( − (b_{n − 1}α^{n − 1} + ... + b₁α + b₀))α^{m − n} = − (b_{n − 1}α^{m − 1} + ... + b₁α^{m − n + 1} + b₀α^{m − n + 1}).

As an example of the reduction rule, take K_i = Q, the rational numbers, and take f(x) = x⁷ − 2. Let g(α) = α⁵ + α²,h(α) = α³ + 1 be two elements of Q / (x⁷ − 2). The reduction rule given by f(x) is α⁷ = 2 so

g(α)h(α) = (α⁵ + α²)(α³ + 1) = α⁸ + 2α⁵ + α² = (α⁷)α + 2α⁵ + α² = 2α⁵ + α² + 2α.

Examples

Let f = X² + 1 in R[X]. Then R[x]: = R[X] / (f) has:

• elements: a + bx, a, b in R;
• addition: (a₁ + b₁x) + (a₂ + b₂x) = (a₁ + a₂) + (b₁ + b₂)x;
• multiplication: (a₁ + b₁x)(a₂ + b₂x) = (a₁a₂ − b₁b₂) + (a₁b₂ + a₂b₁)x.

We usually write i for x and C for R[x].