Abdelmalek Essaadi University Academic Year: 2025–2026

Faculty of Sciences of Tetouan SMA – Fundamental Mathematics

Department of Mathematics Semester 6

Tutorial Sheet 2
Rings, Ideals and Modules

Exercise 1
Let R be a commutative ring.
1. Compute the nilradical and the Jacobson radical in each of the following rings :

Z, Z/12Z, k[x]/(x2 ).

2. In the ring k[x]/(x2 ), determine the units.

3. Verify directly in k[x]/(x2 ) that

x ∈ J(R) ⇐⇒ 1 − xy is a unit for all y ∈ R.

Exercise 2
Consider the map
ϕ : Z −→ Z/4Z × Z/9Z, ϕ(n) = (n, n).
1. Show that (4) and (9) are coprime ideals of Z.
2. Determine ker(ϕ).
3. Show that ϕ is surjective.
4. Deduce that
Z/36Z ≃ Z/4Z × Z/9Z.
5. Solve the system
x≡3 (mod 4), x≡5 (mod 9).

Exercise 3
Let R be a commutative ring.
1. Prove that every maximal ideal of R is prime.
2. Determine all prime ideals and maximal ideals of Z/12Z.
3. Determine all maximal ideals of k[x].

Exercise 4
Let R = k[x, y] and let
m = (x, y).
1. Describe explicitly m2 and m3 .
2. Prove that mn consists of all polynomials with no terms of total degree < n.
3. Decide whether x2 + y3 belongs to m2 , m3 , and m4 .

Exercise 5
Consider the map
ϕ : Z −→ Z/2Z × Z/3Z × Z/5Z, ϕ(n) = (n, n, n).
1. Show that the ideals (2), (3), and (5) are pairwise coprime.
2. Determine the kernel of ϕ.
3. Prove that ϕ is surjective.
4. Deduce that
Z/30Z ≃ Z/2Z × Z/3Z × Z/5Z.

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Abdelmalek Essaadi University Academic Year: 2025–2026
Faculty of Sciences of Tetouan SMA – Fundamental Mathematics
Department of Mathematics Semester 6

Exercise 6
Let R be a commutative ring, let a1 , . . . , an be ideals of R, and let p be a prime ideal.
1. Prove that if
a1 ∩ · · · ∩ an ⊆ p,
then ai ⊆ p for some i.
2. Apply this to the ideals (6), (10), and (15) in Z.

Exercise 7
Let M and N be R-modules.
1. Show that the sum of two elements of HomR (M, N) is again R-linear.
2. Show that for a ∈ R and f ∈ HomR (M, N), the map

(a f )(x) = a f (x)

is R-linear.
3. Deduce that HomR (M, N) has a natural structure of R-module.
4. Explain why the commutativity of R is used.

Exercise 8
Let M be an R-module.
1. Define
Φ : HomR (R, M) → M, f 7→ f (1).
Prove that Φ is well defined.
2. For m ∈ M, define
Ψ(m) : R → M, a 7→ am.
Prove that Ψ(m) is R-linear.
3. Show that Φ and Ψ are inverse to each other.
4. Deduce that
HomR (R, M) ≃ M.

Exercise 9
Let M be an R-module and let M ′ ⊆ M.
1. Prove that M ′ is a submodule of M if and only if it is stable under subtraction and scalar multiplication.
2. If M1 and M2 are submodules of M, prove that M1 ∩ M2 and M1 + M2 are submodules of M.
3. Assume that M ′ is a submodule of M. Show that M/M ′ has a natural structure of R-module given by

a(x + M ′ ) = ax + M ′ .

4. Prove that the canonical projection

π : M → M/M ′ , x 7→ x + M ′

is R-linear.

2
Abdelmalek Essaadi University Academic Year: 2025–2026
Faculty of Sciences of Tetouan SMA – Fundamental Mathematics
Department of Mathematics Semester 6

Exercise 10
Let M be an R-module, let M ′ ⊆ M be a submodule, and let

f :M→N

be an R-module homomorphism.
1. Show that if N ⊆ M is a submodule containing M ′ , then N/M ′ is a submodule of M/M ′ .
2. Prove the correspondence theorem between submodules of M containing M ′ and submodules of M/M ′ .
3. Prove that ker( f ) is a submodule of M and that Im( f ) is a submodule of N.
4. Assume that M ′ ⊆ ker( f ). Show that there exists a unique R-linear map

f ′ : M/M ′ → N

such that
f ′ (x + M ′ ) = f (x).
5. Deduce the first isomorphism theorem :

M/ ker( f ) ≃ Im( f ).

Exercise 11
Let a be an ideal of R, and let M be an R-module.
1. Prove that  n 

X 
aM = 
 
ai xi | ai ∈ a, xi ∈ M, n ≥ 1


 

i=1

is a submodule of M.
2. If N, P are submodules of M, prove that

(N : P) = {a ∈ R | aP ⊆ N}

is an ideal of R.
3. Show that
Ann(M) = (0 : M) = {a ∈ R | aM = 0}
is an ideal of R.
4. Prove that if a ⊆ Ann(M), then M has a natural structure of R/a-module.

Exercise 12
Let M and N be R-modules.
1. Prove that M ⊕ N, with componentwise addition and scalar multiplication, is an R-module.
2. Give an example showing that for an infinite family (Mi )i∈I , the direct sum
M
Mi
i∈I

is in general different from the direct product Y

Mi .
i∈I

3. Prove that an R-module M is finitely generated if and only if there exists n ≥ 0 and a surjective R-linear map

Rn → M.

4. Deduce that M is finitely generated if and only if it is isomorphic to a quotient of Rn for some n ≥ 0.