Math 400 SOLUTIONS

Homework 11 - Material from Chapters 12-14

  
a b 
1. Let R be the subset of M2×2 (R) given by R = a, b ∈ R . Prove that R
−b a 
is a field.    
a b c d
Solution: Let X = and Y = be arbitrary elements of R. Then
 −b a  −d c  
ac − bd ad + bc a−c b−d
XY = ∈ R, and X − Y = ∈ R, so R is a
−(ad + bc) ac − bd −(b − d) a − c 
ac − bd ad + bc
subring of M2×2 (R) and therefore a ring. Also note that Y X = =
−(ad + bc) ac − bd
XY , and since X, Y are arbitrary elements of R we see that R is commutative.
 
1 0
The unity of R is I = .
0 1
 
a b
Finally, given any nonzero element X = of R (that is, at least one entry
−b a
2 2
in the matrix   we have det X = a + b 6= 0, so X is invertible, and
is nonzero),
1 a −b
X −1 = 2 ∈ R. Since R is a commutative ring with unity in which
a +b 2 b a
every nonzero element has a multiplicative inverse, R is a field.
2. The ring {0, 2, 4, 6, 8} under addition and multiplication mod 10 has a unity. What is
the unity? Which elements are units?
Solution: This is a commutative ring. We see that 6 · 0 = 0, 6 · 2 = 2, 6 · 4 = 4, 6 · 6 =
6, 6 · 8 = 8, so 6 is the unity element (mulitplicative identity) of this ring.
Also, 2 · 8 = 6, 6 · 6 = 6, and 4 · 4 = 6, so every nonzero element is a unit. (Thus this
ring is a field!)
3. In an integral domain, prove that a2 = a has only the solutions a = 0 or a = 1. Then
find a ring that is NOT a field in which this equation has at least one other solution.
Solution: Let a be an element of an integral domain. Note that if a2 = a we have
a2 − a = 0 and thus a(a − 1) = 0. Because there are no zero-divisors in an integral
domain, we therefore see that either a = 0 or a − 1 = 0, therefore a = 0 or a = 1. This
completes the proof.
However, in Z6 (which is not an ID), we see that 02 = 0, 12 = 1, and 32 = 3.
4. Describe all zero-divisors and units of Z ⊕ Q.
Solution: For zero-divisors, we need (a, b)(c, d) = (0, 0), so (ac, bd) = (0, 0). Thus we
need ac = 0 and bd = 0. Since a, c ∈ Z and b, d ∈ Q we have a, b, c, d ∈ R, which
has no zero divisors. So either a or c is 0, and either b or d is 0. Thus the set of all
zero-divisors in Z ⊕ Q is {(a, b) ∈ Z ⊕ Q|a = 0 or b = 0, but not both}.
For units, we need (a, b)(c, d) = (1, 1) so ac = 1 in Z and bd = 1 in Q. Therefore a and
c must be ±1, and b and d must be reciprocals (but can be any units in Q – that is,
nonzero elements. So the units are {(a, b) ∈ Z ⊕ Q|a = ±1 and b 6= 0}.
Math 400 SOLUTIONS

5. Is the ring 2Z (the even integers) an ID? If so, prove it. If not, show which condition
it doesn’t satisfy.
Solution: No, 2Z is not an ID – it doesn’t have a unity (multiplicative identity). (This
shows that a subring of an ID doesn’t necessarily have to be an ID.)

6. Give the addition and multiplication tables for the ring Z2 [i]. Is it a field? What is
the characteristic of this ring? (See the example for Z3 [i] on pages 251-252.)
Solution: The elements of this ring are 0, 1, i, 1 + i. We have the following addition
and multiplication tables:

+ 0 1 i 1+i
0 0 1 i 1+i
1 1 0 1+i i
i i 1+i 0 1
1+i 1+i i 1 0

· 0 1 i 1+i
0 0 0 0 0
1 0 1 i 1+i
i 0 i 1 1+i
1+i 0 1+i 1+i 0

From the addition table, we see x + x = 0 for all x in the ring, so the characteristic of
this ring is 2.
This is NOT a field – there is no element that is the multiplicative inverse of the
element 1 + i. (In fact, we can also see that it’s not an ID, since (1 + i)(1 + i) = 0 so
1 + i is a zero-divisor.)

7. Show that if n is a composite number and R is a commutative ring of characteristic n,

then R has zero-divisors.
Solution: I think we did this in class... Suppose n = ab is composite and R has
characteristic n. Let x 6= 0 be an element of R such that k = x + · · · + x (a times) is
not 0, and y 6= 0 be an element such that ` = x + · · · + x (b times) is not 0. But then
k` = xy + xy + · · · + xy (ab = n times), so k` = 0. Therefore k, ` ∈ R are zero-divisors.

8. Remember that R[x] is all polynomials (with x as the variable) with real coefficients.
What is the principal ideal hxi? What is the principal ideal hx4 i?
Solution: As with Z[x], here we have that hxi is all polynomials with constant term
= 0. Similarly, hx4 i is all polynomials with constant, x, x2 , and x3 terms all equal to
0. (That is, polynomials whose smallest power of x is x4 or higher.)

9. Prove that the set {(a, a)|a ∈ Z} is a subring of Z ⊕ Z, but NOT an ideal.
Solution: Call this set S.
Math 400 SOLUTIONS

Let (a, a) and (b, b) be arbitrary elements of S. Then (a, a) − (b, b) = (a − b, a − b) ∈ S

(so S is closed under subtraction). Also (a, a)(b, b) = (ab, ab) ∈ S (so S is closed under
multiplication). Therefore S is a subring of Z ⊕ Z.
However, (1, 1) ∈ S and (2, 3) ∈ Z ⊕ Z, but (1, 1)(2, 3) = (2, 3) 6∈ S, so S doesn’t
“absorb” elements of Z ⊕ Z. Therefore S is NOT an ideal of this ring.

10. What are the elements of the ideal h6i in Z9 ?

Solution: We must multiply 6 times each element of Z9 . We obtain h6i = {0, 6, 3}.

11. Let R be a commutative ring with unity. Prove that the intersection of two ideals of
R is an ideal of R.
Solution: Let I, J be ideals of R. Then consider a, b ∈ I ∩ J (arbitrary elements.
Since I and J are each subrings of R, we have a − b, ab ∈ I and a − b, ab ∈ J so
a − b, ab ∈ I ∩ J, so I ∩ J is a subring of R. Now let r ∈ R be arbitrary. Then since
I is an ideal and a ∈ I, ar, ra ∈ I. Similarly since J is an ideal, ar, ra ∈ J. Therefore
ar, ra ∈ I ∩ J and thus I ∩ J satisfies the absorption property and is an ideal of R.

12. Let I be an ideal of the ring R such that I contains a unit of R. Prove that I = R.
As a corollary, prove that the only ideals of a field are {0} and the field itself.
Solution: Suppose I is an ideal of the ring R and u ∈ I, where u is a unit of the ring
R. Then there is some element v ∈ R such that uv = 1 (by definition of unit). By the
apsorption property, this means 1 ∈ I. But then for any r ∈ R, we have 1·r = r ∈ I by
the absorption property. Therefore R ⊆ I. But since I is an ideal (therefore subring)
of R, I ⊆ R. So I = R.
To prove the corollary, let R be a field, and I be a nontrivial ideal of R (so I is not
just {0}. Then I contains some nonzero element. But since every nonzero element in
a ring is a unit, I contains a unit, and therefore I = R. Thus every nontrivial ideal of
a field is the entire field, so the only ideals of a field are {0} and the field itself.

13. Let R be a commutative ring with unity, such that the only ideals of R are {0} and
R itself. Prove that R is a field. (note this is the converse of the second part of the
previous problem.)
Solution: We must prove that every nonzero element of R is a unit. Let x 6= 0 be
arbitrary in R. Then consider the principal ideal hxi. This is an ideal of R, and it
contains x · 1 = x so it is not just {0}. Therefore hxi = R, since that’s the only other
ideal. Since 1 ∈ R, we see that 1 ∈ hxi, so for some r ∈ R we have xr = 1. Thus x
is a unit. Since x was an arbitrary nonzero element of R, we have that every nonzero
element of R is a unit, and therefore R is a field.

14. If R is a commutative ring with unity and I is a proper ideal of R, show that R/I is
a commutative ring with unity.
Solution: We have seen that if 1 ∈ I then I = R, so since I is proper we know 1 6∈ I.
(However, since R has unity we know 1 ∈ R.) We know that R/I is definitely a ring;
we must show it is commutative and has unity.
Math 400 SOLUTIONS

Let a + I, b + I ∈ R/I be arbitrary. Then (a + I)(b + I) = ab + I = ba + I since R is

commutative, so (a + I)(b + I) = (b + I)(a + I). Thus R/I is commutative.
Since we know 1 6∈ I, the coset 1 + I 6= 0 + I. We have, for any coset a + I, that
(1 + I)(a + I) = 1a + I = a + I, so 1 + I is the unity of R/I.
Therefore R/I is a commutative ring with unity.