[proofplan]
We first verify that $\mathfrak a + I$ is closed under the [vector space](/page/Vector%20Space) operations and under the Lie bracket, using that $\mathfrak a$ is a subalgebra and $I$ is an ideal of $\mathfrak g$. We then check the two ideal assertions directly from the definitions. Finally, we construct the canonical quotient map from $\mathfrak a/(\mathfrak a \cap I)$ to $(\mathfrak a + I)/I$ and prove that it is a well-defined bijective Lie algebra homomorphism.
[/proofplan]
[step:Show that $\mathfrak a + I$ is a Lie subalgebra of $\mathfrak g$]
Since $\mathfrak a$ and $I$ are $k$-linear subspaces of $\mathfrak g$, their sum $\mathfrak a + I$ is a $k$-linear subspace of $\mathfrak g$.
It remains to prove closure under the Lie bracket. Let $x,y \in \mathfrak a$ and let $u,v \in I$. By bilinearity of the Lie bracket on $\mathfrak g$,
\begin{align*}
[x+u,y+v] = [x,y] + [x,v] + [u,y] + [u,v].
\end{align*}
Because $\mathfrak a$ is a Lie subalgebra of $\mathfrak g$, we have $[x,y] \in \mathfrak a$. Because $I \trianglelefteq \mathfrak g$, we have $[x,v] \in I$, $[u,y] \in I$, and $[u,v] \in I$. Hence
\begin{align*}
[x+u,y+v] \in \mathfrak a + I.
\end{align*}
Therefore $\mathfrak a + I$ is a Lie subalgebra of $\mathfrak g$.
[guided]
To prove that $\mathfrak a + I$ is a Lie subalgebra, we must verify two things: it is a vector subspace of $\mathfrak g$, and it is closed under the Lie bracket of $\mathfrak g$.
First, since $\mathfrak a$ and $I$ are both $k$-linear subspaces of $\mathfrak g$, their sum
\begin{align*}
\mathfrak a + I = \{x + u \in \mathfrak g : x \in \mathfrak a,\ u \in I\}
\end{align*}
is a $k$-linear subspace. Indeed, if $x_1,x_2 \in \mathfrak a$, $u_1,u_2 \in I$, and $\lambda,\mu \in k$, then
\begin{align*}
\lambda(x_1+u_1)+\mu(x_2+u_2)
= (\lambda x_1+\mu x_2)+(\lambda u_1+\mu u_2),
\end{align*}
where $\lambda x_1+\mu x_2 \in \mathfrak a$ and $\lambda u_1+\mu u_2 \in I$.
Now take arbitrary elements $x+u,y+v \in \mathfrak a + I$, where $x,y \in \mathfrak a$ and $u,v \in I$. The Lie bracket is bilinear, so
\begin{align*}
[x+u,y+v] = [x,y] + [x,v] + [u,y] + [u,v].
\end{align*}
The term $[x,y]$ belongs to $\mathfrak a$ because $\mathfrak a$ is a Lie subalgebra. The remaining three terms belong to $I$ because $I$ is an ideal of $\mathfrak g$ and $x,y,u,v$ are all elements of $\mathfrak g$. Thus the whole bracket is the sum of one element of $\mathfrak a$ and one element of $I$, so
\begin{align*}
[x+u,y+v] \in \mathfrak a + I.
\end{align*}
This proves that $\mathfrak a + I$ is closed under the Lie bracket, and therefore it is a Lie subalgebra of $\mathfrak g$.
[/guided]
[/step]
[step:Verify that $I$ and $\mathfrak a \cap I$ are ideals in the required Lie algebras]
Since $I \subset \mathfrak a + I$, the set $I$ is a $k$-linear subspace of $\mathfrak a + I$. Let $z \in \mathfrak a + I$ and $u \in I$. Since $z \in \mathfrak g$ and $I \trianglelefteq \mathfrak g$, we have $[z,u] \in I$. Hence $I \trianglelefteq \mathfrak a + I$.
Next, $\mathfrak a \cap I$ is a $k$-linear subspace of $\mathfrak a$. Let $x \in \mathfrak a$ and let $w \in \mathfrak a \cap I$. Since $\mathfrak a$ is a Lie subalgebra and $x,w \in \mathfrak a$, we have $[x,w] \in \mathfrak a$. Since $I \trianglelefteq \mathfrak g$, $x \in \mathfrak g$, and $w \in I$, we also have $[x,w] \in I$. Therefore
\begin{align*}
[x,w] \in \mathfrak a \cap I.
\end{align*}
Thus $\mathfrak a \cap I \trianglelefteq \mathfrak a$.
[/step]
[step:Define the canonical quotient map and prove it is well-defined]
Define a map
\begin{align*}
\Phi: \mathfrak a/(\mathfrak a \cap I) &\to (\mathfrak a + I)/I \\
x + (\mathfrak a \cap I) &\mapsto x + I,
\end{align*}
where $x$ ranges over $\mathfrak a$.
We prove that $\Phi$ is well-defined. Let $x,y \in \mathfrak a$ satisfy
\begin{align*}
x + (\mathfrak a \cap I) = y + (\mathfrak a \cap I).
\end{align*}
Then $x-y \in \mathfrak a \cap I$, hence $x-y \in I$. Therefore
\begin{align*}
x + I = y + I
\end{align*}
in $(\mathfrak a + I)/I$. Thus $\Phi$ is well-defined.
[guided]
The quotient element $x + (\mathfrak a \cap I)$ can be represented by many different elements of $\mathfrak a$, so the first task is to check that the formula for $\Phi$ does not depend on the chosen representative.
Define
\begin{align*}
\Phi: \mathfrak a/(\mathfrak a \cap I) &\to (\mathfrak a + I)/I \\
x + (\mathfrak a \cap I) &\mapsto x + I,
\end{align*}
where $x \in \mathfrak a$. This formula makes sense because $x \in \mathfrak a \subset \mathfrak a + I$, so $x + I$ is a coset in $(\mathfrak a + I)/I$.
Suppose $x,y \in \mathfrak a$ represent the same coset in $\mathfrak a/(\mathfrak a \cap I)$. By the definition of equality in a quotient vector space,
\begin{align*}
x + (\mathfrak a \cap I) = y + (\mathfrak a \cap I)
\end{align*}
means exactly that
\begin{align*}
x-y \in \mathfrak a \cap I.
\end{align*}
In particular, $x-y \in I$. Therefore $x$ and $y$ define the same coset modulo $I$:
\begin{align*}
x + I = y + I.
\end{align*}
So $\Phi$ is independent of the representative and is well-defined.
[/guided]
[/step]
[step:Show that the canonical quotient map is a Lie algebra homomorphism]
Let $x,y \in \mathfrak a$ and let $\lambda,\mu \in k$. Using the vector space operations in the quotient Lie algebras,
\begin{align*}
\Phi\bigl(\lambda(x+\mathfrak a \cap I)+\mu(y+\mathfrak a \cap I)\bigr)
&= \Phi\bigl((\lambda x+\mu y)+(\mathfrak a \cap I)\bigr) \\
&= (\lambda x+\mu y)+I \\
&= \lambda(x+I)+\mu(y+I) \\
&= \lambda\Phi(x+\mathfrak a \cap I)+\mu\Phi(y+\mathfrak a \cap I).
\end{align*}
Hence $\Phi$ is $k$-linear.
For the bracket, the quotient bracket is induced by the bracket on the ambient Lie algebra. Therefore
\begin{align*}
\Phi\left([x+(\mathfrak a \cap I),y+(\mathfrak a \cap I)]\right)
&= \Phi\left([x,y]+(\mathfrak a \cap I)\right) \\
&= [x,y]+I \\
&= [x+I,y+I] \\
&= [\Phi(x+\mathfrak a \cap I),\Phi(y+\mathfrak a \cap I)].
\end{align*}
Thus $\Phi$ is a Lie algebra homomorphism.
[/step]
[step:Prove that the canonical quotient map is bijective]
We first prove injectivity. Let $x \in \mathfrak a$ and suppose
\begin{align*}
\Phi(x+(\mathfrak a \cap I)) = I,
\end{align*}
where $I$ denotes the zero coset in $(\mathfrak a+I)/I$. By the definition of $\Phi$, this means
\begin{align*}
x+I = I.
\end{align*}
Hence $x \in I$. Since also $x \in \mathfrak a$, we have $x \in \mathfrak a \cap I$, so
\begin{align*}
x+(\mathfrak a \cap I) = \mathfrak a \cap I.
\end{align*}
Thus $\ker \Phi = \{\mathfrak a \cap I\}$, and $\Phi$ is injective.
We next prove surjectivity. Let $z+I \in (\mathfrak a+I)/I$, where $z \in \mathfrak a+I$. By the definition of $\mathfrak a+I$, there exist $x \in \mathfrak a$ and $u \in I$ such that
\begin{align*}
z = x+u.
\end{align*}
Then
\begin{align*}
z+I = (x+u)+I = x+I = \Phi(x+(\mathfrak a \cap I)).
\end{align*}
Therefore $\Phi$ is surjective.
Since $\Phi$ is a bijective Lie algebra homomorphism, it is an isomorphism of Lie algebras. Consequently,
\begin{align*}
\mathfrak a/(\mathfrak a \cap I) \cong (\mathfrak a + I)/I.
\end{align*}
This completes the proof.
[/step]