<s>[INST] Minimal Polynomial of $\sqrt{2}+\sqrt{3}+\sqrt{5}$ To find the above minimal polynomial, let 
$$x=\sqrt{2}+\sqrt{3}+\sqrt{5}$$
$$x^2=10+2\sqrt{6}+2\sqrt{10}+2\sqrt{15}$$
Subtracting 10 and squaring gives
$$x^4-20x^2+100=4(31+2\sqrt{60}+2\sqrt{90}+2\sqrt{150})$$
$$x^4-20x^2+100=4(31+4\sqrt{15}+6\sqrt{10}+10\sqrt{6})$$
$$x^4-20x^2-24=40\sqrt{6}+24\sqrt{10}+16\sqrt{15}$$
$$x^4-20x^2-24=8(2\sqrt{6}+2\sqrt{10}+2\sqrt{15})+24\sqrt{6}+8\sqrt{10}$$
$$x^4-20x^2-24=8(x^2-10)+24\sqrt{6}+8\sqrt{10}$$
$$x^4-28x^2-104=24\sqrt{6}+8\sqrt{10}$$
Again, squaring both sides
$$x^8-56x^6+576x^4+5428x^2+10816=4096+765\sqrt{6}$$
But if I square again, I will get a degree 16 polynomial.  Mathematica says the minimal polynomial is degree 8, which would make sense since elements of $\mathbb{Q}[\sqrt{2},\sqrt{3},\sqrt{5}]$ look like
$$a+b\sqrt{2}+c\sqrt{3}+d\sqrt{5}+e\sqrt{6}+f\sqrt{10}+g\sqrt{15}+h\sqrt{30}$$
Where am I making mistakes?
 [/INST] The 'easy' way to get at the minimal polynomial in this case is to take the product of all the terms $x\pm\sqrt2\pm\sqrt3\pm\sqrt5$; this is, in essence, because the Galois group over $\mathbb{Q}$ in this case is just $(\mathbb{Z}/2\mathbb{Z})^3$, with each of the three copies of $\mathbb{Z}/2\mathbb{Z}$ corresponding to a sign change on one of the three square root terms.  The simple approach (take the product of $(x-\alpha)$ over all of the possible $\alpha$ obtained by applying the automorphisms in the Galois group to $\sqrt2+\sqrt3+\sqrt5$) works here because $\sqrt2$, $\sqrt3$ and $\sqrt5$ are 'mutually irreducible' over $\mathbb{Q}$ (in the sense that $\sqrt2\not\in\mathbb{Q}(\sqrt{3}, \sqrt{5})$, etc.) , so we can compose extensions in a clean fashion.
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