So I found this question: Factor $x^{14}+8x^{13}+3$ over the rationals And I was reading the solution, but I am not understanding some of the parts and would really appreciate further explanation.
Specifically, when we reduce our polynomial mod 3, to get: $f(x)g(x)=x^{13}(x+2)$
We then say that $f(x)=x^r$ and $g(x)=x^{13−r}(x+2)$ and "one of the constant terms of f, g is not a multiple of 3, and so r=0 or 13"
Can someone explain what the part in bold means? so g is a constant term and not a multiple of 3? how do we conclude that r = 0 or 13?
Also, how did we assert that our polynomial has no linear factor g in $ℤ[x]$? Which part of the argument does this follow from?
I shall use the notations from the linked post. Notice that, if $f(x) g(x) = x^{14} + 8x^{13} + 3$, it follows that $f(0) g(0) = 3$ whence, since $f,g \in \Bbb Z[x]$, it follows that either $f(0) = \pm 1$ and $g(0) = \pm 3$, or that $f(0) = \pm 3$ and $g(0) = \pm 1$.
In the first case, we have $g(0) \equiv 0 \pmod 3$. Can this happen if $r=12$? No, because in this case you would have $g(0) \equiv 2 \pmod 3$. It remains that $r=0$.
In the second case, we have $f(-) \equiv 0 \pmod 3$. Can this happen if $r=0$? No, because in this case you would have $f(0) \equiv 1 \pmod 3$. It remains that $r=13$.
We conclude that either $r=0$ or $r=13$.
To answer your second question, imagine that $x^{14} + 8x^{13} + 3$ had a linear factor $ax-b$ in $\Bbb Z[x]$. Then there exist a polynomial $cx^{13} + \dots \in \Bbb Z[x]$ such that $x^{14} + 8x^{13} + 3 = (ax-b) (cx^{13} + \dots)$, which implies that $ax \cdot cx^{13} = x^{14}$, i.e. that $ac = 1$. Since $a,c \in \Bbb Z$, it follows that $a = \pm 1$.
Let us suppose that $a=1$. It follows that $x-b \mid x^{14} + 8x^{13} + 3$, i.e. that $b$ is a root of $x^{14} + 8x^{13} + 3$, i.e. that $b^{14} + 8b^{13} + 3 = 0$, i.e. that $b^{13}(b+8) = -3$, whence it follows that $b^{13} \mid -3$, and the only integer solution of this is $b = \pm 1$. Check for yourself, though, that $+1$ and $-1$ are not roots of $x^{14} + 8x^{13} + 3$.
A similar analysis can be carried over if $a=-1$.
We conclude that $x^{14} + 8x^{13} + 3$ has no linear factor in $\Bbb Z[x]$.