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Part BCSIR NET December 2024odd-and-even-powers-cannot-cancel

Odd and even powers cannot cancel

Consider the ring homomorphism defined by . Which of the following statements is true?

  1. A. is surjective.
  2. B.If for polynomials , then both and are the zero polynomial.
  3. C.There exist non-zero polynomials such that .
  4. D.There exists such that and .

You have the answer. Trap Analysis is why the other three were written.

Not a worked solution repeated four times — the specific reasoning error each wrong option was built to reward.

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50 are analysed free — try those first.

Related counterexample: Irreducible over ℤ ⇒ irreducible mod every prime

More on this topic

The chapter behind this: Irreducibility tests — free to read

From Rings and FieldsPolynomial rings and irreducibility tests

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