20 lines
883 B
TeX
20 lines
883 B
TeX
\section{Structure of Finite Fields}
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\begin{theorem}[Structure of Finite Fields]
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As a group under addition, $\gf(p^n)$ is isomorphic to
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\[ \underbrace{\Z_p \oplus \Z_p \oplus \dots \oplus \Z_p}_\text{$n$ factors} \]
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As a group under multiplication, the set of nonzero elements of $\gf(p^n)$ is isomorphic to $\Z_{p^n-1}$ (and is, therefore, cyclic).
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\end{theorem}
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\begin{remark}
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Because there is only one field for each prime-power $p^n$, we may unambiguously denote it by $\gf(p^n)$, in honor of Galois, and call it the \textit{Galois field of order $p^n$}.
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\end{remark}
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\begin{corollary}
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\[ [\gf(p^n):\gf(p)]=n \]
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\end{corollary}
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\begin{corollary}[$\mathbf{\gf(p^n)}$ Contains an Element of Degree $\mathbf{n}$]
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Let $a$ be a generator of the group of nonzero elements of $\gf(p^n)$ under multiplication. Then $a$ is algebraic over $\gf(p)$ of degree $n$.
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\end{corollary}
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