Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2022 / ii / Paper 4 / 20H / Solution

Two nonzero fractional ideals $I,J$ of ${\mathcal{O}}_K$ are in the same ideal class whenfor some $\alpha \in K^{\times }$, equivalently when $I{J}^{-1}$ is principal. Multiplication is well defined on classes:The identity is $[{\mathcal{O}}_K]$, the inverse of $[I]$ is $[I^{-1}]$, and commutativity comes from ideal multiplication. Nonzero fractional ideals are invertible because ${\mathcal{O}}_K$ is a Dedekind domain. Thus these classes form the abelian ideal class group $\mathrm{Cl}(K)$.

For finiteness, begin with a nonzero integral ideal $I$. By hypothesis choose $0\ne \alpha \in I$ withSince $(\alpha )\subseteq I$, the idealis integral, represents $[I{]}^{-1}$, and satisfiesHence every class has an integral representative of bounded norm. There are only finitely many integral ideals of bounded norm, so $\mathrm{Cl}(K)$ is finite. This is the bounded-norm ideal representatives argument.

Now take $K=\mathbb{Q}(\sqrt{-33})$. Since $-33\equiv 3(\mathrm{mod}4)$,The imaginary-quadratic Minkowski bound for ideal classes isEvery class is therefore represented by an integral ideal of norm at most seven.

The ramified prime ideals above two and three arewithNeither is principal, since the norm equationhas no integer solution. Their product is also nonprincipal, since $a^2+33b^2=6$ has no solution. Thusare four distinct classes, all of order at most two.

The prime five is inert, so it contributes no ideal of norm five. The prime seven splits asSincecomparison of norms, all equal to $42$, confirms the factorization and givesThe conjugate prime has the inverse class, which is the same because this class has order two. Ideals of norms four and six yield respectively the principal class and $[{\mathfrak{p}}_2{\mathfrak{p}}_3]$. The Minkowski bound now shows that the four displayed classes exhaust the group. ThereforeThis is the Ideal class group of Q of square root of minus thirty-three.

Solved by gpt-5.6-sol high.