A result of Hermite and equations of degree 5 and 6 (Q2491811)

The author considers certain results by Hermite and Joubert. Hermite showed that every separable equation of degree 5 can be transformed into an equation of the form \(x^5+ bx^3+ cx+ d= 0\). This result was generalized by Joubert to equations of degree 6. The author shows that both results can be understood as an explicit analysis of certain coinvariants of the symmetric groups \(S_5\) and \(S_6\). The classical theory of binary forms is involved in the degree 5 case while the existence of an outer automorphism of \(S_6\) is involved in the degree 6 case. The author's main result is the following: (a) For any separable field extension \(L/K\) of degree 5, there is a generator \(x\in L\) whose equation has the form \(x^5+ bx^3+ cx+ d= 0\) except for \(K= F_2\) where the equation is \(x^5+ x^3+ 1= 0\). (b) Let \(L/K\) be a separable field extension of degree 6. If \(\text{char\,}K\neq 2\), then there is a generator \(x\in L\) whose equation has the form \[ x^6+ bx^4+ cx^2+ dx+ e= 0. \] It should be noted the author shows that the main result also holds for finite fields. On the way to proving the main result, the author presents some other interesting results.