The radical conjugate roots theorem

Solution 1:

Suppose that $s+t\sqrt u$ is a root of $p(x)$ and that $\sqrt u\notin\mathbb Q$. Then $s+t\sqrt u$ is also a root of the polynomial$$q(x)=x^2-2sx+s^2-t^2u,$$ since$$q(x)=\bigl(x-s-t\sqrt u)\bigl(x-s+t\sqrt u\bigr).$$By polynomial long division, you can express $p(x)$ as $q(x)q^\star(x)+r(x)$, where $q^\star(x),r(x)\in\mathbb{Q}[x]$ and the degree of $r(x)$ is smaller that $2$ (which is the degree of $q(x)$). But, since $s+t\sqrt u$ is a root of both $p(x)$ and $q(x)$, it must be a root of $r(x)$ too, and the only polynomial in $\mathbb{Q}[x]$ with degree smaller than $2$ with an irrational root is the null polynomial. Therefore, $q(x)\mid p(x)$, and, since $s-t\sqrt u$ is root of $q(x)$, this implies that $s-t\sqrt u$ is also a root of $p(x)$.

Solution 2:

I suppose that your hypothesis is that $s,t,u$ are rational and $\sqrt{u}$ is irrationnal.

Put $Q(x)=P(s+tx)=\sum b_k x^k$. Clearly, the $b_k$ are rational, and $Q(\sqrt{u})=0$.We have $$Q(\sqrt{u})=\sum_{2|k}b_k u^{k/2}+\sqrt{u}\sum_{2\nmid k} b_k u^{(k-1)/2}=A+\sqrt{u}B$$

Now as $A,B$ are rationals and $\sqrt{u}$ not, we must have $A=B=0$, and hence $Q(-\sqrt{u})=A-\sqrt{u}B=0$, and we are done.