A note on the product of the conjugates of a polynomial

Abstract

The theorem proved in this note, although elementary, is related to a certain misconception. If $K$ is a field, $f\in K[X]$ is separable and irreducible over $K$, and $g$ is a polynomial dividing $f$, whose coefficients lie in some finite Galois extension of $K$, it may seem natural to assert that the product of the conjugates of $g$ over $K[X]$ is $f$. But this assertion is wrong, except in one particular case. In this note, we make the relation between $K$, $f$, the product of the conjugates of $g$, and the coefficient field of $g$, precise. In particular, it is shown that the product of the conjugates of $g$ over $K[X]$ is equal to $f^n$, with $n\in \mathbb N$.