Math 571 Homework 36 (10.

3) Kevin Childers

7 Let N be a submodule of M . If both M/N and N are finitely generated, then so is M .

Proof. There exists a finite set A ⊆ N such that RA = N . There also exists a finite set
B ⊂ M such that R{b + N : b ∈ B} = M/N . Given any m ∈ M , we can write m + N
P P
as a finite sum (ri bi + N ) = ( ri bi ) + N with ri ∈ R and bi ∈ B. So there exists
P
n ∈ N such that m = ( ri bi ) + n. But since we can write n as an R-combination of
elements of A, m can be written as an R-combination of elements in A ∪ B. Therefore
M = R(A ∪ B), and A ∪ B is finite.

9 M is irreducible iff M 6= 0 and M is a cyclic module with any nonzero element as

generator.

Proof. For the forward implication, choose a ∈ M − {0}. Then Ra is a nonzero

submodule of M , therefore Ra = M .
For the other direction, for all a ∈ M − {0}, Ra = M . Suppose N is a submodule of M
that is not just 0. Then choose a ∈ N − {0} and then M = Ra ⊆ N , so N = M .

Irreducible Z-modules are just simple abelian groups. So if M is a cyclic Z-module,

then M ∼= Z or M ∼= Z/pZ for some prime p.

11 If M1 , M2 are irreducible R-modules, then any nonzero R-module homomorphism φ :

M1 → M2 is an isomorphism.

Proof. Since φ(M1 ) is a submodule of M2 , and φ(M1 ) 6= 0, we must have φ(M1 ) =

M2 . Also the kernel must be a submodule of M1 , and the kernel is not M1 since the
map is nonzero, so the kernel is 0. This implies the map is a bijection, therefore an
isomorphism.

Therefore every nonzero map of EndR (M ) has an inverse when M is irreducible. So

EndR (M ) is a division ring.

15 If e is central idempotent in R, then M = eM ⊕ (1 − e)M .

Proof. Define a map φ : M → eM ⊕(1−e)M by m 7→ em+(1−e)m = em+m−em = m.

The map is clearly an injective homomorphism. Choose x ∈ eM ⊕ (1 − e)M , so that
x = ea + (1 − e)b with a, b ∈ M . But then x ∈ M , so φ(x) = x, so the map is
surjective.