Algebraic integer - Wikipedia 01/01/2025, 00:31

Algebraic integer
In algebraic number theory, an algebraic integer is a complex number that is integral over
the integers. That is, an algebraic integer is a complex root of some monic polynomial (a
polynomial whose leading coefficient is 1) whose coefficients are integers. The set of all
algebraic integers A is closed under addition, subtraction
In algebra,andamultiplication and therefore
monic polynomial is a is a
commutative subring of the complex numbers. non-zero univariate polynomial in which
the leading coefficient is equal to 1. That
The ring of integers of a number field K, denotedisbytoOsay,
K, isa the intersection
monic polynomialof K A: it can
and that
is one
fieldbeKwritten
also be characterised as the maximal order of the can . Each algebraic
as integer belongs to the
ring of integers of some number field. A number α is an algebraic integer if and only if the ring
is finitely generated as an abelian group, which is to say, as a -module.

Definitions
The following are equivalent definitions of an algebraic integer. Let K be a number field (i.e., a
finite extension of , the field of rational numbers), in other words, for some
algebraic number by the primitive element theorem.

α ∈ K is an algebraic integer if there exists a monic polynomial such that

f(α) = 0.
α ∈ K is an algebraic integer if the minimal monic polynomial of α over is in .
α ∈ K is an algebraic integer if is a finitely generated -module.
α ∈ K is an algebraic integer if there exists a non-zero finitely generated -submodule
such that αM ⊆ M.
Algebraic integers are a special case of integral elements of a ring extension. In particular, an
algebraic integer is an integral element of a finite extension .

Examples
The only algebraic integers that are found in the set of rational numbers are the integers. In
a
other words, the intersection of and A is exactly . The rational number is not an
b
algebraic integer unless b divides a. The leading coefficient of the polynomial bx − a is the
integer b.

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The square root of a nonnegative integer n is an algebraic integer, but is irrational

unless n is a perfect square.
If d is a square-free integer then the extension is a quadratic field of rational
numbers. The ring of algebraic integers OK contains since this is a root of the monic
polynomial x2 − d. Moreover, if d ≡ 1 mod 4, then the element is also an
1
algebraic integer. It satisfies the polynomial x2 − x + (1 − d) where the constant term
4
1
4
(1 − d) is an integer. The full ring of integers is generated by or
respectively. See Quadratic integer for more.
3
The ring of integers of the field , α = √m , has the following integral basis, writing
m = hk2 for two square-free coprime integers h and k:[1]

If ζn is a primitive nth root of unity, then the ring of integers of the cyclotomic field is
precisely .
n
If α is an algebraic integer then β = √α is another algebraic integer. A polynomial for β is
n
obtained by substituting x in the polynomial for α.

Non-example
If P(x) is a primitive polynomial that has integer coefficients but is not monic, and P is
irreducible over , then none of the roots of P are algebraic integers (but are algebraic
numbers). Here primitive is used in the sense that the highest common factor of the
coefficients of P is 1, which is weaker than requiring the coefficients to be pairwise relatively
prime.

Finite generation of ring extension

For any α, the ring extension (in the sense that is equivalent to field extension) of the integers

by α, denoted by , is finitely generated if and only if α is an

algebraic integer.

The proof is analogous to that of the corresponding fact regarding algebraic numbers, with
there replaced by here, and the notion of field extension degree replaced by finite generation
(using the fact that is finitely generated itself); the only required change is that only non-

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negative powers of α are involved in the proof.

The analogy is possible because both algebraic integers and algebraic numbers are defined as
roots of monic polynomials over either or , respectively.

Ring
The sum, difference and product of two algebraic integers is an algebraic integer. In general
their quotient is not. Thus the algebraic integers form a ring.

This can be shown analogously to the corresponding proof for algebraic numbers, using the
integers instead of the rationals .

One may also construct explicitly the monic polynomial involved, which is generally of higher
degree than those of the original algebraic integers, by taking resultants and factoring. For
example, if x2 − x − 1 = 0, y3 − y − 1 = 0 and z = xy, then eliminating x and y from z − xy = 0
and the polynomials satisfied by x and y using the resultant gives
z6 − 3z4 − 4z3 + z2 + z − 1 = 0, which is irreducible, and is the monic equation satisfied by the
product. (To see that the xy is a root of the x-resultant of z − xy and x2 − x − 1, one might use
the fact that the resultant is contained in the ideal generated by its two input polynomials.)

Integral closure
Every root of a monic polynomial whose coefficients are algebraic integers is itself an algebraic
integer. In other words, the algebraic integers form a ring that is integrally closed in any of its
extensions.

Again, the proof is analogous to the corresponding proof for algebraic numbers being
algebraically closed.

Additional facts
Any number constructible out of the integers with roots, addition, and multiplication is an
algebraic integer; but not all algebraic integers are so constructible: in a naïve sense, most
roots of irreducible quintics are not. This is the Abel–Ruffini theorem.
The ring of algebraic integers is a Bézout domain, as a consequence of the principal ideal
theorem.
If the monic polynomial associated with an algebraic integer has constant term 1 or −1, then
the reciprocal of that algebraic integer is also an algebraic integer, and each is a unit, an
element of the group of units of the ring of algebraic integers.
If x is an algebraic number then anx is an algebraic integer, where x satisfies a polynomial

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p(x) with integer coefficients and where anxn is the highest-degree term of p(x). The value
n−1
y = anx is an algebraic integer because it is a root of q(y) = an p(y /an), where q(y) is a
monic polynomial with integer coefficients.
If x is an algebraic number then it can be written as the ratio of an algebraic integer to a
non-zero algebraic integer. In fact, the denominator can always be chosen to be a positive
integer. The ratio is |an |x / |an |, where x satisfies a polynomial p(x) with integer coefficients
and where anxn is the highest-degree term of p(x).
The only rational algebraic integers are the integers. Thus, if α is an algebraic integers and
, then . This is a direct result of the rational root theorem for the case of a
monic polynomial.

See also
Integral element
Gaussian integer
Eisenstein integer
Root of unity
Dirichlet's unit theorem
Fundamental units

References
1. Marcus, Daniel A. (1977). Number Fields (3rd ed.). Berlin, New York: Springer-Verlag. ch. 2,
p. 38 and ex. 41. ISBN 978-0-387-90279-1.
Stein, William. Algebraic Number Theory: A Computational Approach (https://wstein.org/boo
ks/ant/ant.pdf) (PDF). Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20131102070632/http://wstein.
org/books/ant/ant.pdf) (PDF) from the original on November 2, 2013.

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