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Exercises on Commutative Rings and Ideals

The document contains exercises on commutative rings, focusing on properties of units, reduced rings, ideals, and polynomials. It includes proofs and definitions related to nilpotent elements, irreducibility, and maximal ideals. Additionally, it discusses McCoy's Theorem regarding zero divisors in polynomial rings.

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18 views2 pages

Exercises on Commutative Rings and Ideals

The document contains exercises on commutative rings, focusing on properties of units, reduced rings, ideals, and polynomials. It includes proofs and definitions related to nilpotent elements, irreducibility, and maximal ideals. Additionally, it discusses McCoy's Theorem regarding zero divisors in polynomial rings.

Uploaded by

aakashr6198
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Exercises on Rings I

1. For a commutative ring R, let R× denote the set of units of R.


(a) Show that R× is an abelian group.
(b) Describe Z× , (Z[i])× , (Z[ω])× , (Z[X])× . Here ω is a primitive cube roots of
unity.
(c) Let D be a positive integer which is not a perfect square. Show that
√ √
(Z[ D])× = {x + y D | x2 − Dy 2 = ±1}.

2. A commutative ring R is said to be reduced if 0 is the only nilpotent element in R.


Prove that:
(a) Every nonzero element of Z/nZ is either a unit or a zero divisor.
(b) Z/nZ is a field if and only if n is prime.
(c) Z/pm Z has nonzero nilpotents if m > 1.
(d) If p and q are distinct primes, then Z/pqZ is a reduced ring containing zero
divisors.
(e) Z/nZ is reduced if and only if n is square-free.
3. For an ideal I of a commutative ring R, define

I[X] = {a0 + a1 X + · · · + an X n | n ≥ 0, ai ∈ I} .

Show that I[X] is an ideal of R[X] and prove that R[X]/I[X] ∼


= (R/I)[X].
4. Let A be a commutative ring with 1, f (X) ∈ A[X]\A and c be the leading coefficient
of f (X). Let φ : A → A[X]/(f (X)) be defined by φ(a) = a.
(a) Prove that if A is an integral domain, then φ is injective.
(b) Prove more generally that φ is injective if c is a non-zero divisor. Deduce that
φ is injective when f (X) is monic.
(c) Give an example to show that φ need not be injective in general.
5. Let a, b be elements in an integral domain R. Prove that Ra = Rb if and only if
a = ub for some u ∈ R× . Give an example showing the result fails when R is not a
domain.
6. Let a ̸= 0 in an integral domain R. Prove:
(a) a is irreducible ⇐⇒ aR is maximal among proper principal ideals.
(b) a is prime ⇐⇒ aR is a prime ideal.
7. Prove that the nilpotent elements of R form an ideal.
8. Prove that if u is a unit and a is a nilpotent element of R, then u + a is a unit.
9. Let R be a ring such that for every element a ∈ R, there exists integers n(a) ̸= n′ (a)
′
such that an(a) = an (a) . Show that every prime ideal in R is maximal. Conclude
that every prime ideal is maximal in a finite ring.

1
10. (McCoy’s Theorem) Let f (X) ∈ R[X] be a zero divisor. Then show that a · f (X) =
0 in R[X], for some non-zero a ∈ R. (Hint: Consider the polynomial g(X) of
smallest degree such that g(X) · f (X) = 0. Write f (x) = a0 + a1 X + · · · an X n , and
g(X) = b0 + b1 X + · · · bm X m . If m = 0, then we are done. So, assume m > 0.
Show that if ai · g(X) = 0, for all i, then also we are done. Now, assume that
ai · g(X) ̸= 0 for all i. Take l to be the maximum number such that ai · g(X) ̸= 0.
Show that f (X) · g(X) = (a0 + a1 X + · · · + al X l )(b0 + b1 X + · · · + bm X m ) = 0.
Conclude that al bm = 0 and hence deg(al · g(X)) < deg g(X). Show that this gives
a contradiction.)

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McCoy's Theorem states that if f(X) ∈ R[X] is a zero divisor, then there exists a non-zero element a ∈ R such that a·f(X) = 0. This implies a polynomial g(X) of minimal degree satisfying g(X)·f(X) = 0. Understanding this ensures that zero divisors' presence extends beyond R to R[X], emphasizing the complex interplay between ring elements and polynomial extension .

In an integral domain, Ra = Rb implies a = ub for some unit u because ideals generated are comparable. If no zero divisors exist, then a and b must be associated by a unit to generate the same ideal. This fails in non-domains, where zero divisors allow more complex ideal relationships. For example, in Z/4Z, 2 is not a unit, so the typical reasoning fails as Ra can equal Rb even if a and b are not associated by a unit .

A ring Z/nZ is reduced if it has no nonzero nilpotent elements. This occurs if n is square-free, as any repeated factor in n would create elements whose power results in zero. The significance of this property lies in its relationship to the structure of the ring and its lack of superfluous zero-divisors, allowing simpler and more predictable behavior of elements, similar to that of integral domains .

In a finite ring where for each element a ∈ R, there exist integers n(a) ≠ n'(a) such that a^(n(a)) = a^(n'(a)), every prime ideal is maximal. This conclusion follows from finite characteristics implying limited chain lengths for ideals, making a prime ideal also maximal due to the ring's restricted divisibility traits within finite constraints .

Nilpotent elements of a ring form an ideal because if an element is nilpotent (its power equals zero), then its combinations under ring addition and multiplication with any ring element also result in nilpotent elements or zero. This grouping reflects stability under ring operations and ensures consistent outcomes within ring structures, which is fundamental for formulating larger algebraic concepts .

To prove that the set of units R× in a commutative ring R forms an abelian group, you need to show that it satisfies four properties: closure, associativity, identity, and inverses. Closure is satisfied because the product of two units is a unit. Associativity follows from the associativity of multiplication in R. The identity element is the multiplicative identity of R, which is also a unit. Finally, each unit has an inverse by definition, also making it a unit. Thus, R× is an abelian group .

Z/nZ is a field if n is prime, reflecting its lack of zero divisors, as fields require invertibility for all nonzero elements. Such a ring allows robust algebraic manipulation akin to rational numbers. Z/nZ is reduced if n is square-free, linking reduced structures to foundational number properties and ensuring minimal nilpotent complexity, a crucial aspect of determining a ring's structural simplicity .

The structure of Z× is given by {1, -1}, since these are the only integers whose multiplicative inverses are also integers. For (Z[i])×, the units are {1, -1, i, -i} because these are the Gaussian integers with a norm of 1. For (Z[ω])×, where ω is a primitive cube root of unity, the units form a group related to the symmetries of an equilateral triangle. In contrast, (Z[X])×, being a polynomial ring over the integers, only includes the constant polynomials ±1 as units, reflecting similarities to Z× .

For φ: A → A[X]/(f(X)) to be injective, where f(X) ∈ A[X], A must be an integral domain, or the leading coefficient c of f(X) must be a non-zero divisor. If f(X) is monic, then by definition, c is 1, ensuring injectivity. This requirement ensures that the ring structure is preserved without collapsing elements onto zero, which aligns with the properties of integral domains having no zero divisors .

Z/nZ is a field if and only if n is prime because every nonzero element must have a multiplicative inverse. If n is prime, every nonzero element in Z/nZ is a unit. If n is composite, some elements are zero divisors, lacking inverses. This characterization implies that fields can be seen as 'simplest' non-trivial ring structures, with no zero divisors and full invertibility of nonzero elements, critical for many algebraic structures .

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