Algebraic extension

In mathematics, an algebraic extension is a field extension L/K such that every element of the larger field L is algebraic over the smaller field K; that is, every element of L is a root of a non-zero polynomial with coefficients in K. A field extension that is not algebraic, is said to be transcendental, and must contain transcendental elements, that is, elements that are not algebraic. The algebraic extensions of the field of the rational numbers are called algebraic number fields and are the main objects of study of algebraic number theory. Another example of a common algebraic extension is the extension of the real numbers by the complex numbers. All transcendental extensions are of infinite degree. This in turn implies that all finite extensions are algebraic. The converse is not true however: there are infinite extensions which are algebraic. For instance, the field of all algebraic numbers is an infinite algebraic extension of the rational numbers. Let E be an extension field of K, and a ∈ E. The smallest subfield of E that contains K and a is commonly denoted If a is algebraic over K, then the elements of K(a) can be expressed as polynomials in a with coefficients in K; that is, K(a) is also the smallest ring containing K and a. In this case, is a finite extension of K (it is a finite dimensional K-vector space), and all its elements are algebraic over K. These properties do not hold if a is not algebraic. For example, and they are both infinite dimensional vector spaces over An algebraically closed field F has no proper algebraic extensions, that is, no algebraic extensions E with F < E. An example is the field of complex numbers. Every field has an algebraic extension which is algebraically closed (called its algebraic closure), but proving this in general requires some form of the axiom of choice. An extension L/K is algebraic if and only if every sub K-algebra of L is a field. The following three properties hold: If E is an algebraic extension of F and F is an algebraic extension of K then E is an algebraic extension of K.

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In mathematics, a field is a set on which addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division are defined and behave as the corresponding operations on rational and real numbers do. A field is thus a fundamental algebraic structure which is widely used in algebra, number theory, and many other areas of mathematics. The best known fields are the field of rational numbers, the field of real numbers and the field of complex numbers.

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Algebraic extension

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