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Zero Divisor
Zero Divisor
Zero Divisor
In abstract algebra, an element a of a ring R is called a left zero divisor if there exists a
nonzero x such that ax = 0,[1] or equivalently if the map from R to R that sends x to ax is not
injective.[2] Similarly, an element a of a ring is called a right zero divisor if there exists a
nonzero y such that ya = 0. This is a partial case of divisibility in rings. An element that is a left or a
right zero divisor is simply called a zero divisor.[3] An element a that is both a left and a right zero
divisor is called a two-sided zero divisor (the nonzero x such that ax = 0 may be different from the
nonzero y such that ya = 0). If the ring is commutative, then the left and right zero divisors are the
same.
An element of a ring that is not a zero divisor is called regular, or a non-zero-divisor. A zero divisor
that is nonzero is called a nonzero zero divisor or a nontrivial zero divisor.
Contents
[hide]
1Examples
o 1.1One-sided zero-divisor
2Non-examples
3Properties
6See also
7Notes
8References
Examples[edit]
In the ring , the residue class is a zero divisor since .
Examples of zero divisors in the ring of matrices (over any nonzero ring) are shown
here:
A direct product of two or more nonzero rings always has nonzero zero divisors. For
example, in R1 R2 with each Ri nonzero, (1,0)(0,1) = (0,0), so (1,0) is a zero divisor.
One-sided zero-divisor[edit]
since ; and it is a right zero divisor iff is even for similar reasons. If either
Here is another example of a ring with an element that is a zero divisor on one side only.
Let be the set of all sequences of integers . Take for the ring alladditive
operations. (That is, our ring is , the endomorphism ring of the additive
group .) Three examples of elements of this ring are the right shift , the left
shift , and theprojection map onto the first factor . All three of these additive
maps are not zero, and the composites and are both zero, so is a
left zero divisor and is a right zero divisor in the ring of additive maps from
to . However, is not a right zero divisor and is not a left zero divisor:
Non-examples[edit]
The ring of integers modulo a prime number has no zero divisors other than 0. Since every
nonzero element is a unit, this ring is a field.
A nonzero commutative ring whose only zero divisor is 0 is called an integral domain.
Properties[edit]
In the ring of n-by-n matrices over a field, the left and right zero divisors coincide; they are
precisely the singular matrices. In the ring of n-by-n matrices over an integral domain, the zero
divisors are precisely the matrices with determinant zero.
Left or right zero divisors can never be units, because if a is invertible and ax = 0, then 0
= a 0 = a1ax = x, whereas x must be nonzero.
1
If R is a ring other than the zero ring, then 0 is a (two-sided) zero divisor, because 0 1 =
0 and 1 0 = 0.
If R is the zero ring, in which 0 = 1, then 0 is not a zero divisor, because there is
no nonzero element that when multiplied by 0 yields 0.
Such properties are needed in order to make the following general statements true:
See also[edit]
Zero-product property
Notes[edit]
1. Jump up^ See Bourbaki, p. 98.
2. Jump up^ Since the map is not injective, we have ax = ay, in which x differs from y, and thus a(x-y) =
0.
References[edit]
N. Bourbaki (1989), Algebra I, Chapters 13, Springer-Verlag.
Charles Lanski (2005), Concepts in Abstract Algebra, American Mathematical Soc., p. 342
Hideyuki Matsumura (1980), Commutative algebra, 2nd edition, The Benjamin/Cummings
Publishing Company, Inc.