Skip to main content
1 of 3
aglearner
  • 14.3k
  • 8
  • 40
  • 99

One point in the post of Terence Tao on Ax-Grothendieck theorem

I was trying to understand completely the post of Terrence Tao on Ax-Grothendieck theorem.

http://terrytao.wordpress.com/2009/03/07/infinite-fields-finite-fields-and-the-ax-grothendieck-theorem/

This is very cute. Using finite fields you prove that every injective polynomial map $\mathbb C^n\to \mathbb C^n$ is bijective. It seems to me that the only point in the proof presented in the post that is not explained completely is the following lemma:

Lemma. Take any finitely generated ring over $\mathbb Z$ and quotient it by a maximal ideal. Then the quotient is a finite filed.

Is there some comprehensible reference for the proof of this lemma?

In slightly different wording, the question is the following: assuming Nullstelensatz, can one really give a complete proof of Ax-Grothendick theorem in two pages, so that it can be completely explained in one (2 hours) lecture of an undergraduate course on algebraic geometry?

aglearner
  • 14.3k
  • 8
  • 40
  • 99