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$\textbf{Moral:}$ Trying to compute the discriminant of this ring.

I claim that a basis for this ring is $\{1, \sqrt{d}, \sqrt{e}, \sqrt{ed}\}$ but I've been told by a peer that this may not be the case. However, I don't see anything wrong with my proof below:

First, note that $\{1,\sqrt{d}\}$ is basis for $\mathbb Z[\sqrt{d}][\sqrt{e}]$ over $\mathbb Z[\sqrt{e}]$: $\sqrt{d}$ is integral over $\mathbb Z[\sqrt{e}]$ since it is a root of the monic polynomial $m(x) = x^2 - d \in \mathbb Z[\sqrt{e}][x]$ and hence $\mathbb Z[\sqrt{d}][\sqrt{e}]$ is finitely generated over $\mathbb Z[\sqrt{e}]$ with basis $\{1,\sqrt{d}\}$ $(\dagger)$ (linear independence follows since if $e$ and $d$ are squarefree, so is $ed$). Similarly, $\sqrt{e}$ is integral over $\mathbb Z$ since it is a root of $m(x) = x^2 - e \in \mathbb Z[x]$. Hence $\mathbb Z[\sqrt{e}]$ is a finitely generated $\mathbb Z$-module with basis $\{1,\sqrt{e}\}$ $(\ast)$. Now, let $c_1,\dots,c_4 \in \mathbb Z$ and suppose that $c_1 + c_2\sqrt{e} + c_3\sqrt{d} + c_4\sqrt{e}\sqrt{d} = 0$. If we consider this linear combination as a linear combination of the basis $\{1,\sqrt{d}\}$ for $\mathbb Z[\sqrt{d}][\sqrt{e}]$ over $\mathbb Z[\sqrt{e}]$ then we have that \begin{equation} 1\cdot \left[ c_1 + c_2\sqrt{e} \right] + \left[ c_3 + c_4\sqrt{e} \right]\sqrt{d} = 0 \label{eq:1} \end{equation} By $(\dagger)$ the equation above implies that $c_1 + c_2\sqrt{e} = 0$ and that $c_3 + c_4\sqrt{e} = 0$. But then by $(\ast)$ we have that $c_1 = \dots = c_4 =0 $. It is clear that $\operatorname{Span} \mathcal A \subseteq \mathbb Z[\sqrt{d},\sqrt{e}]$. Now let $\alpha \in \mathbb Z[\sqrt{e},\sqrt{d}]$. By $(\dagger)$ we have that $\alpha = \beta_1 + \beta_2\sqrt{d}$ for some $\beta_1,\beta_2 \in \mathbb Z[\sqrt{e}]$. By $(\ast)$ we have that $\beta_1 = r_1 + r_2\sqrt{e}$ and $\beta_2 = r_3 + r_4\sqrt{e}$ for some $r_i \in \mathbb Z$. Substituting $\beta_1$ and $\beta_2$ into our equation for $\alpha$ implies that $\alpha \in \operatorname{Span} \mathcal{A}$, as desired. QED

A.Z
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  • Your peer may be thinking about the ring of integers for $\Bbb Q(\sqrt{e},\sqrt{d})$ instead. This, if I remember my Marcus exercise correctly, is not always given by what you wrote – FShrike Jun 03 '24 at 15:58
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    Well, what if $e=d$? – lulu Jun 03 '24 at 15:59
  • @FShrike Right so the goal is that we are trying to compute the discriminant of this ring. But why would that not be a basis? – A.Z Jun 03 '24 at 15:59
  • @lulu sorry forgot to add that they are different. – A.Z Jun 03 '24 at 16:00
  • See this post, for example, with $d=2,e=3$ and the problem with $\frac{1}{2}$. The ring has an integral basis ${1, \sqrt{2}, \sqrt{3}, \frac{\sqrt{2}+\sqrt{6}}{2}}$ – Dietrich Burde Jun 03 '24 at 16:16
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    The question has nothing to do with the ring of integers of $\mathbb Q(\sqrt{e}, \sqrt{d})$, its just asking to compute the discriminant of the given ring. – A.Z Jun 03 '24 at 16:29
  • By this Lemma, $,1,\sqrt d,\sqrt e,\sqrt{de},$ are $\Bbb Q$-linearly independent $\iff \sqrt d,\sqrt e,\sqrt{de}$ are all irrational. $\ \ $ – Bill Dubuque Jun 03 '24 at 16:51
  • "Has nothing to do with the ring" yet you need to compute something about this ring. To start with, your friend is correct that the ring is not always writable in this way, so thinking about (a basis for) this ring is genuinely helpful!! – FShrike Jun 03 '24 at 16:59
  • @FShrike But that's where I'm stuck. I don't see anything wrong with the bases I gave above. – A.Z Jun 03 '24 at 17:00
  • @A.Z But you’re writing a basis for a different ring! Maybe. Apologies if I’m misremembering but I think this ring of integers is not $\Bbb Z[\sqrt{e},\sqrt{d}]$ in general. So you’re writing the correct basis for the incorrect ring, I think – FShrike Jun 03 '24 at 18:19
  • To stress: I think the OP has been quite clear in asserting that the ring in question is not intended to be the ring of integers in the associated number field. To be sure, the "peer" might have been thinking about the ring of integers. But for the given ring, the indicated basis is correct. In particular $\frac {\sqrt 2 +\sqrt 3}2$ can't be written as $a\sqrt 2 +b\sqrt 3 +c\sqrt 6$ for integers $a,b,c$ even though it happens to be an algebraic integer in that number field (easy exercise). – lulu Jun 03 '24 at 18:57
  • Yes just to emphasize I’m trying to compute the discriminant of the indicated ring. The question did not mention anything about the ring of integers – A.Z Jun 03 '24 at 19:36

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