MTH 619 ABSTRACT ALGEBRA I

Homework 5 (due Thu. 2010.11.18)

1. Show that the only ring homomorphism f : R → R is the identity map.

2. Let R be a commutative ring with identity 1 6= 0. An element a ∈ R is nilpotent if an = 0

for some n > 0.
a) Let a ∈ R be an element that is not nilpotent. Show that there exists a prime ideal I C R
such that a 6∈ R. Hint: let S be the set of all ideals J such that an 6∈ J for all n > 0. Show that
S has a maximal element.
b) Let nil( R) denote the set of all nilpotent elements of R. Show that nil( R) is an ideal of R.
c) Show that nil( R) is the intersection of all prime ideals of R.

3. A Boolean ring is a ring R with identity such that r2 = r for all r ∈ R.

a) Show that every Boolean ring is commutative.
b) Show that if I is a prime ideal of a Boolean ring R then I is a maximal ideal.
c) Let R be a Boolean ring and let I C R be a finitely generated ideal:

I = hr1 , r2 , . . . , r k i

for some r1 , . . . , rk ∈ R. Show that I is a principal ideal.

4. Let R a commutative ring be a ring and let I1 , I2 , . . . In be ideals of R.

Tn
a) Show that i =1 Ii is an ideal of a ring R.
if in=1 Ii is
Tn
= Ik for some 1 ≤ k ≤ n.
T
b) Show that a prime ideal then i =1 Ii

5. Let R be a Euclidean domain with the norm function N. Show that a ∈ R is a unit iff
N ( a ) = N (1).
1
6. Let F be a field and let F[[ x ]] be the ring of formal power series with coefficients in F:
∞
F[[ x ]] = { ∑ an x n | an ∈ F}
n =0

a) Describe invertible elements in F[[ x ]]. Justify your answer.

b) Describe irreducible elements in F[[ x ]]. Justify your answer.
c) Show that F[[ x ]] is a UFD.

7. Let f ( x ) ∈ Q[ x ] be a polynomial irreducible in Q[ x ]. Show that if a ∈ C is a complex

root of f ( x ), and if g( x ) ∈ Q[ x ] is a polynomial such that g( a) = 0 then g( x ) = f ( x )h( x ) for
some h( x ) ∈ Q[ x ].