# Math Help - primes and polynomials

1. ## primes and polynomials

Let p be a fixed prime and let J be the set of polynomials in Z[x] whose constant terms are divisible by p. Is J a maximal ideal in Z[x]? Prove or disprove.

I think it is, but not sure how to prove it.

2. Originally Posted by zhupolongjoe
Let p be a fixed prime and let J be the set of polynomials in Z[x] whose constant terms are divisible by p. Is J a maximal ideal in Z[x]? Prove or disprove.

I think it is, but not sure how to prove it.

No, it isn't: for example, $<2>\subset <2,x>$ . The last one is a maximal ideal.

Tonio

Ps. You may find the following interesting:

3. i think tonio misread the question. $J$ is a maximal ideal. the reason is that suppose $J \subset I \subseteq \mathbb{Z}[x],$ for some ideal $I.$ choose $f = a_0 + a_1x + \cdots + a_nx^n \in I \setminus J.$

since the constant term of $f-a_0$ is zero, we have $f - a_0 \in J \subset I$ and so $a_0=f - (f-a_0) \in I.$ also $\gcd(a_0,p)=1$ because $f \notin J.$ so $ra_0 + sp = 1,$ for

some inetgers $r,s \in \mathbb{Z}.$ it follows that $1=ra_0 + sp \in I,$ i.e. $I=\mathbb{Z}[x].$

4. Originally Posted by NonCommAlg
i think tonio misread the question. $J$ is a maximal ideal. the reason is that suppose $J \subset I \subseteq \mathbb{Z}[x],$ for some ideal $I.$ choose $f = a_0 + a_1x + \cdots + a_nx^n \in I \setminus J.$

since the constant term of $f-a_0$ is zero, we have $f - a_0 \in J \subset I$ and so $a_0=f - (f-a_0) \in I.$ also $\gcd(a_0,p)=1$ because $f \notin J.$ so $ra_0 + sp = 1,$ for

some inetgers $r,s \in \mathbb{Z}.$ it follows that $1=ra_0 + sp \in I,$ i.e. $I=\mathbb{Z}[x].$

I think this time I didn't misread the question (hurray! 't was about freaking time), so if I did a mistake it was a "honest" one...and I did: the ideal $J$ is NOT the same as the ideal $

$

for some prime $p$ ; the latter is the ideal of all pol's all whose coef's are divisible by the prime , whereas the former (the one the OP asked about) is $$, which indeed is a maximal ideal. I confused these two.
Anyway, reading the PDF file I attached to muy first post the OP, hopefully, could have realized the above and overcome my misdirections.

Tonio