3.7 KiB
Abstract Algebra 2 Definitions
Chapter 17
By a ring we mean a set A
with operations called addition and multiplication which satisfy the following axioms:
A
with addition alone is an abelian group- Multiplication is associative
- Multiplication is distributive over addition
Since \langle A, + \rangle
is an abelian group, there is in A
a neutral element for addition. This is called the zero element. Also, every element has an additive inverse called its negative.
If multiplication in a ring A
is commutative then we say that A
is a commutative ring.
If a ring A
has a neutral element for multiplication then we say that the neutral element is the unity of A
.
If A
is a ring with unity, there may be elements in A
which have a multiplicative inverse. Such elements are said to be invertible.
If A
is a commutative ring with unity in which every nonzero element is invertible, then A
is called a field.
In any ring, a nonzero element a
is called a divisor of zero if there is a nonzero element b
in a ring such that the product ab
or ba
is equal to zero.
An integral domain is defined to be a commutative ring with unity that has the cancellation property. Another way of saying this is that an integral domain is a commutative ring with unity and has no zero divisors.
Chapter 18
Let A
be a ring, and B
be a nonempty subset of A
. B
is called a subring if it satisfies the following properties:
- Closed with respect to addition
- Closed with respect to negatives
- Closed with respect to multiplication
Let B
be a subring of A
. We call B
an ideal of A
if xb, bx \in B
for all b \in B
and x \in A
.
The principle ideal generated by $a$, denoted \langle a \rangle
is the subring defined by fixing an element a
in a subring B
of A
and multiplying all elements of A
by a
.
\langle a \rangle = { xa : x \in A }
A homomorphism from a ring
A
to a ring B
is a function f : A \to B
satisfying the identities:
f(x_1 + x_2 ) = f(x_1) + f(x_2) \
f(x_1x_2) = f(x_1)f(x_2)
If there is a homomorphism from
A
onto B
, we call B
a homomorphic image of A
.
If f
is a homomorphism from a ring A
to a ring B
, the kernel of f
is the set of all the elements of A
which are carried by f
onto the zero element of B
. In symbols, the kernel of f
is the set
K = {x \in A: f(x) = 0}
If
A
and b
are rings, an isomorphism from A
to B
is a homomorphism which is a one-to-one correspondence from A
to B
. In other words, it is injective and surjective homomorphism.
If there is an isomorphism from A
to B
we say that A
is isomorphic to B
, and this fact is expressed by writing A \cong B
.
Chapter 19
Let A
be a ring, and J
an ideal of A
. For any element a \in A
, the symbol J + a
denotes the set of all sums j + a
as a
remains fixed and j
ranges over J
. That is,
J + a = {j + a : j \in J}
J + a
is called a coset of J
in A
.
Now think of the set which contains all cosets of J
in A
. This set is conventionally denoted by A / J
and reads A
mod J
. Then, A / J
with coset addition and multiplication is a ring.
An ideal J
of a commutative ring is said to be a prime ideal if for any two elements a
and b
in the ring,
ab \in J \implies a \in J \text{ or } b \in J
Theorem: If
J
is a prime ideal of a community ring with unity A
, then the quotient ring A / J
is an integral domain.
An ideal J
of A
with J \ne A
is called a maximal ideal if there exists no proper ideal K
of A
such that J \subseteq K
with J \ne K
.
Theorem: If A
is a commutative ring with unity, then J
is a maximal ideal of A
iff A/J
is a field.