PMA3012

Exam Time Table Code PMA3012

Only approved calculators are to be used

LEVEL 3 EXAMINATION FOR THE DEGREES OF BACHELOR OF SCIENCE AND MASTER IN SCIENCE

Ring Theory

Tuesday, 13th January 2009 9:30 am - 12:30 pm

Examiners: Professor S J Gardiner (External) Dr M Mathieu (Internal)

Write on both sides of the answer paper Take care to indicate the development of the solutions

Answer FIVE questions All questions carry equal marks You have THREE hours to complete the paper

PMA3012 1. (i) State the denition of an integral domain. (ii) Give an example of an integral domain. [2 marks] [2 marks]

(iii) Let R be an integral domain. Suppose that for some x, y, z R the identity z 2 xz = zy 2 z 2 holds. Deduce that x = y 2 or z = 0. [4 marks]

(iv) Let R be an integral domain. Describe a construction leading to a commutative unital ring S which contains R as a unital subring but is not an integral domain. [4 marks] (v) Let R be an integral domain. Describe a construction leading to an integral domain S which contains R as a proper unital subring. [4 marks] (vi) Show that Z15 is not an integral domain. (Do not simply refer back to a result in class!) [4 marks]

2. Let R be a commutative unital ring. (i) State the denition of a nilpotent element in R. [2 marks]

(ii) Give an example of a non-zero nilpotent element in a commutative unital ring. [2 marks] (iii) Let N be the set of all nilpotent elements in R. Show that N is an ideal. [5 marks]

(iv) Prove that the factor ring R/N is a commutative unital ring without non-zero nilpotent elements. [6 marks] (v) Let R[x] denote the polynomial ring over R in one indeterminate x. Let p(x) = a0 + a1 x + a2 x2 + . . . + an xn R[x]. Prove that p(x) is invertible in R[x] if a0 is a unit in R and a1 , . . . , an are nilpotent. [5 marks]

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PMA3012 3. Let R be an integral domain. (i) Dene the characteristic char R of R. (ii) Supposing that char R = 3, show that (a b)3 = a3 b3 for all a, b R. [3 marks] [2 marks]

(iii) Supposing that R is nite, show that char R is a prime number and divides the number of elements in R. [5 marks] (iv) State the denition of a prime element and of an irreducible element of R. [3 marks] (v) Supposing that R is a principal ideal domain, prove that every irreducible element is prime. [7 marks]

4. (i) State the denition of a ring homomorphism.

[2 marks]

(ii) Show that the kernel of a ring homomorphism is an ideal of the domain. [4 marks] (iii) State a condition on a unital ring homomorphism ensuring that its image is an ideal in the codomain. Justify your answer! [3 marks] (iv) State the Canonical Factorisation of a ring homomorphism and use it to deduce the First Isomorphism Theorem. [4 marks] (v) State the Second Isomorphism Theorem and deduce it from the rst. [7 marks]

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PMA3012 5. Let R be a commutative unital ring. (i) State the denition of a maximal ideal of R. [2 marks]

(ii) Let M be a maximal ideal of R. For a R, let (a) denote the principal ideal generated by a. Show that (a) + M = R if a M. [4 marks] (iii) Use (ii) to conclude that the factor-ring R/M is a eld for every maximal ideal M of R. [4 marks] (iv) State the denition of a prime ideal of R. [2 marks]

(v) Prove that an ideal P of R, P = R, is prime if and only if the factor-ring R/P is an integral domain. [5 marks] (vi) Deduce that every maximal ideal in R is a prime ideal. [3 marks]

6. (i) State the denition of a two-sided ideal in a ring R. [2 marks] (ii) State the denition of a simple ring. [2 marks]

(iii) Prove that every commutative unital simple ring is a eld. [4 marks] (iv) Let R be a unital ring and, for n N, let S = Mn (R) be the ring of n n-matrices over R. Show that, for each two-sided ideal I in R, J = Mn (I ) is a two-sided ideal in S and that every two-sided ideal in S is of this form. [7 marks] (v) Let I be a two-sided ideal in the unital ring R. Let : R R/I denote the canonical epimorphism x x + I . Let n N. Use to show that Mn (R)/Mn (I ) = Mn (R/I ). [5 marks]

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PMA3012 7. (i) State the denition of a nitely generated left ideal of a ring. [2 marks] (ii) State the denition of a left Noetherian ring. (iii) State Hilberts Basis Theorem. [2 marks] [3 marks]

(iv) Show that the unital ring R is left Noetherian if and only if every left ideal in R is nitely generated. [6 marks] (v) Let R1 , R2 be unital rings. Prove that R1 R2 is left Noetherian if and only if both R1 and R2 are left Noetherian. [7 marks] END OF PAPER

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