Assignment: Ideals and factor rings

Submitted to Dr. Adeel Farooq

Fahad Shoaib
Registration Number: SP21-BSM-007
October 23, 2024

Question 1: In Z[x], prove that ⟨x, 3⟩ = ⟨2x, 3⟩.

To show that ⟨2x, 3⟩ = ⟨x, 3⟩, we need to show that ⟨x, 3⟩ ⊆ ⟨2x, 3⟩ and
⟨2x, 3⟩ ⊆ ⟨x, 3⟩.
First inclusion: We need to show that x ∈ ⟨2x, 3⟩. This is indeed true since:

3x = 0 · (2x) + x · 3 so 3x ∈ ⟨2x, 3⟩.

Also, we have:
4x = 2 · (2x) + 0 · 3 so 4x ∈ ⟨2x, 3⟩.
Now, since x = 4x − 3x, and both 4x and 3x are in ⟨2x, 3⟩, it follows that:

x ∈ ⟨2x, 3⟩.

Thus, ⟨x, 3⟩ ⊆ ⟨2x, 3⟩.

Second inclusion: Clearly, 2x ∈ ⟨x, 3⟩ since:

2x = 2 · x + 0 · 3 ∈ ⟨x, 3⟩.

Since both inclusions hold, we conclude that ⟨x, 3⟩ = ⟨2x, 3⟩.

Question 2: Prove that the intersection of any set of ideals of a ring is an

ideal. T
Let R be a ring and {Iα }α∈A be a set of ideals of R. Let I = α∈A Iα . We
need to show that I is an ideal of R.
1) Show 0 ∈ I: ∀α, 0 ∈ Iα =⇒ 0 ∈ I
2) Show if x, y ∈ I, then x − y ∈ I: x, y ∈ I =⇒ ∀α, x, y ∈ Iα =⇒
∀α, x − y ∈ Iα (since each Iα is an ideal) =⇒ x − y ∈ I
3) Show if x ∈ I and r ∈ R, then rx ∈ I: x ∈ I =⇒ ∀α, x ∈ Iα
=⇒ ∀α, rx ∈ Iα (since each Iα is an ideal) =⇒ rx ∈ I
Therefore, I satisfies all properties of an ideal.

Question 3: If n is an integer greater than 1, show that ⟨n⟩ = nZ is a prime

ideal of Z if and only if n is prime.

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 Let nZ be a prime ideal of Z. (To show: n is prime)
Assume, for contradiction, that n is not a prime number. This means that n is
composite, so we can write n = c · t for some integers c and t, where 1 < c < n
and 1 < t < n.
Since n ∈ nZ, it follows that c · t ∈ nZ.
However, since nZ is a prime ideal, it implies either c ∈ nZ or t ∈ nZ.
This contradicts the assumption that c, t < n. Thus, the assumption that n is
composite must be false, and hence n is prime.

∴ n is prime.
Conversely: Let n be a prime number. We want to show that nZ is a
prime ideal.

Let a, b ∈ Z and ab ∈ nZ. (To show: a ∈ nZ or b ∈ nZ)

This implies n | ab. Since n is prime, it follows that n | a or n | b.
Thus, a = nk1 or b = nk2 for some k1 , k2 ∈ Z, which implies a ∈ nZ or
b ∈ nZ.
Therefore, nZ is a prime ideal of Z.

∴ nZ is a prime ideal of Z.

Question 4 If A and B are ideals of a ring, show that the product of A and B,

AB = {a1 b1 + a2 b2 + . . . + an bn : ai ∈ A, bi ∈ B, n is a positive integer},

is an ideal.
1. **Show the set is non-empty**:
Since both A and B are ideals, they contain the zero element of the ring R.
Therefore, we can take n = 1 and choose a1 = 0 ∈ A and b1 = 0 ∈ B. This
gives us:

0 = 0 · 0 ∈ AB.
Thus, AB is non-empty.
2. **Show it is closed under subtraction**:
Let x = a1 b1 + a2 b2 + ... + an bn ∈ AB and y = a′1 b′1 + a′2 b′2 + ... + a′m b′m ∈ AB,
where ai , a′j ∈ A and bi , b′j ∈ B.
We want to show that x − y ∈ AB. We can express the subtraction as
follows:

x − y = (a1 b1 + a2 b2 + ... + an bn ) − (a′1 b′1 + a′2 b′2 + ... + a′m b′m ).

Rearranging gives us:

2
 x − y = (a1 b1 − a′1 b′1 ) + (a2 b2 − a′2 b′2 ) + ... + (an bn − a′m b′m ).
Each term can be expressed as:

ai bi − a′j b′j = ai bi + (−a′j b′j ),

where −a′j b′j is also in AB since it can be written as the product of an
element from A and an element from B. Therefore, each term is in the form of
elements in AB, which implies that:

x − y ∈ AB.
3. **Show the absorption property holds**:
Let r ∈ R and x = a1 b1 + a2 b2 + ... + an bn be an element of AB. We need
to show that both rx and xr are in AB.
- For the first case, consider:

rx = r(a1 b1 + a2 b2 + ... + an bn ) = ra1 b1 + ra2 b2 + ... + ran bn .

Since A is an ideal, each term of the form rai is in A, and since each term
involves products of elements from ideals, we conclude that:

rx ∈ AB.
- For the second case, consider:

xr = (a1 b1 + a2 b2 + ... + an bn )r = a1 (b1 r) + a2 (b2 r) + ... + an (bn r).

Similarly, since each term involves multiplication by elements from ideals,

we have:
- Each term bi r ∈ B.
Thus,

xr ∈ AB.
In conclusion, since we have shown that the product set is non-empty, closed
under subtraction, and satisfies the absorption property, we conclude that AB
is indeed an ideal of the ring R.

Question 5: Let R be a commutative ring with |R| = 30. If I is an ideal

of R with |I| = 10, prove that I is a maximal ideal.
For a commutative ring R with unity, an ideal I is maximal if and only if
R/I is a field. Consider the quotient ring R/I. By the Lagrange theorem, we
have:

|R| 30
|R/I| = = =3
|I| 10

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 Since 3 is prime, there exists exactly one ring of order 3 up to isomorphism.
Therefore, R/I ∼= Z3 , which is a field. Hence, I is a maximal ideal.

Question 6 Prove that I = {f (x) ∈ Z[x] : f (1) is even} is an ideal of Z[x].

To prove that I = {f (x) ∈ Z[x] : f (1) is even} is an ideal of Z[x], we need

to show that it satisfies the properties of an ideal. Let’s go through this step-
by-step.

1. I is non-empty:
The constant polynomial f (x) = 0 is in I because f (1) = 0, which is even.
Therefore, I is non-empty.
2. I is closed under subtraction:
Let f (x) and g(x) be any two polynomials in I. We need to show that
(f − g)(x) is also in I.
Since f (x) and g(x) are in I, we know that f (1) and g(1) are even. Let
f (1) = 2m and g(1) = 2n for some integers m and n.
(f − g)(1) = f (1) − g(1) = 2m − 2n = 2(m − n)
Since m − n is an integer, 2(m − n) is even. Therefore, (f − g)(x) is in I.

3. Absorption property:
Let f (x) be any polynomial in I and h(x) be any polynomial in Z[x]. We
need to show that both (h · f )(x) and (f · h)(x) are in I.
Since f (x) is in I, f (1) is even. Let f (1) = 2m for some integer m. Let
h(1) = k for some integer k (since h(x) is in Z[x], h(1) is an integer).
(h · f )(1) = (f · h)(1) = h(1) · f (1) = k · 2m = 2(km)
Since km is an integer, 2(km) is even. Therefore, both (h · f )(x) and
(f · h)(x) are in I.

Since I satisfies all the properties of an ideal (non-empty, closed under sub-
traction, and satisfies the absorption property), we have proven that I is an
ideal of Z[x].

Question 7: Determine the order of Z[i]/⟨i⟩.

To determine the order of Z[i]/⟨i⟩, observe that i = 0 =⇒ i2 = 0 =⇒ −1 =
0 or 1 = 0. Since the elements of the factor ring have the form a + bi + ⟨i⟩, this
reduces to a + ⟨i⟩. Therefore, the only element is 0 + ⟨i⟩. Hence, |Z[i]/⟨i⟩| = 1.
     
a b 0 x
Question 8: Let R = : a, b, c ∈ R and I = : x, y ∈ R .
0 c 0 y
Prove that I is an ideal of R and R/I is a field.

4
  
2 0
What is the multiplicative inverse of + I?
0 0

Solution:

That I satisfies the ideal test follows directly from the definitions of matrix
addition and multiplication. To see that R/I is a field, first observe that
       
a b a 0 0 b a 0
+I = + +I = + I.
0 c 0 0 0 c 0 0
 
a 0
Thus, we need to only show that + I has an inverse in R/I when
0 0
a ̸= 0.
    −1    
a 0 a 0 1 0
+I +I = + I = I,
0 0 0 0 0 0
and
  −1  1 
2 0 0
+I = 2 + I.
0 0 0 0

Question 10 Give an example of a commutative ring that has a maximal

ideal that is not a prime ideal.

Solution:
Let R = {0, 2, 4, 6} be the ring under addition and multiplication modulo 8.
Then the set {0, 4} is a maximal ideal but not a prime ideal.

Question 11: Let F be a field. Then the only ideals of F are {0} and F
itself.
Let I be an ideal of F. If I = {0}, we are done. Suppose I contains a non-zero
element a. Since F is a field, there exists a−1 ∈ F such that aa−1 = 1.
Since I is an ideal and a ∈ I, we have a−1 a = 1 ∈ I. Now for any x ∈ F ,
since 1 ∈ I and I is an ideal:
x·1=x∈I
Therefore, I = F.
Thus, any non-zero ideal I must equal F, and since {0} is always an ideal,
the only ideals of F are {0} and F itself.

Question 12: How many elements are in Z[i]/⟨3 + i⟩? Give reasons for your
answer.
We need to determine how many elements are in the quotient ring Z[i]/⟨3+i⟩.

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 First, observe that 10 ∈ ⟨3 + i⟩ because we can write:

(3 + i)(3 − i) = 10.

This shows that 10 is a multiple of 3 + i, meaning 10 ∈ ⟨3 + i⟩. We can also

express this as 10 − 0 ∈ ⟨3 + i⟩, or equivalently:

10 ≡ 0 (mod ⟨3 + i⟩).

Since 10 ≡ 0 mod ⟨3 + i⟩, we know that every element a + bi ∈ Z[i] can be

written in the form k + ⟨3 + i⟩ since i = −3, where k ∈ {0, 1, 2, . . . , 9}. This
is because 10 behaves like 0 in the quotient ring, and all other elements are
reduced modulo 10.
Thus, there are exactly 10 distinct cosets in Z[i]/⟨3 + i⟩. Therefore, the
quotient ring Z[i]/⟨3 + i⟩ has 10 elements.

Question 13: In the ring of Gaussian integers, Z[i] = {a + bi : a, b ∈ Z},

let I = {a + bi : a, b are even}. Prove that I is an ideal. How many elements
are in Z[i]/I? Is Z[i]/I a field? Is Z[i]/I an integral domain?
To show that I is an ideal, observe that I ⊆ Z[i] and is closed under addition
and multiplication by any element of Z[i]. Since a, b ∈ Z are even, any product
or sum of elements in I will still yield elements with even integer coefficients,
so I is an ideal.
Given the factor ring Z[i]/I = {a + ib + I | a, b ∈ Z} we consider cases based
on the parity of a and b:
- If a = 2k and b = 2m, then 2k + i(2m) + I = 0, since a, b are even.
- If a = 2k + 1 and b = 2m + 1, then 2k + 1 + i(2m + 1) + I = 1 + i.
- If a = 2k + 1 and b = 2m, then 2k + 1 + i(2m) + I = 1.
- If a = 2k and b = 2m + 1, then 2k + i(2m + 1) + I = i.

Thus, the elements of Z[i]/I are {0, 1 + i, 1, i}, so |Z[i]/I| = 4.

Since 1 + i is a zero divisor, Z[i]/I is not a field. Therefore, Z[i]/I is also
not an integral domain.

Question 14: Show that Z3 [x]/⟨x2 + x + 1⟩ is not a field.

We will demonstrate that there exists a zero divisor in Z3 [x]/⟨x2 + x + 1⟩.
Consider (x + 2) + ⟨x2 + x + 1⟩ ∈ Z3 [x]/⟨x2 + x + 1⟩. We compute:

(x + 2) + ⟨x2 + x + 1⟩ · (x + 2) + ⟨x2 + x + 1⟩
   

= x2 + 4x + 4 + ⟨x2 + x + 1⟩ = x2 + x + 1 + 3x + 3 + ⟨x2 + x + 1⟩
= 3x + 3 + ⟨x2 + x + 1⟩ = 0x + 0 + ⟨x2 + x + 1⟩ = ⟨x2 + x + 1⟩.
Thus, (x + 2) + ⟨x2 + x + 1⟩ is a zero divisor. Therefore, Z3 [x]/⟨x2 + x + 1⟩
is not a field.

Question 15. How many elements are in Z5 [i]/⟨1 + i⟩?

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 Z5 [i] has elements of the form a + bi, where a, b ∈ {0, 1, 2, 3, 4}.
First, 2 ∈ ⟨1 + i⟩ since (1 + i)(1 − i) = 2.
Next, since 3 · 2 ≡ 1 (mod 5), we have 1 ∈ ⟨1 + i⟩.
Therefore, 1 + 1 = 2, 2 + 1 = 3, 3 + 1 = 4, ... , and 0 (by definition of ideal)
all belong to ⟨1 + i⟩.

Question 17: Show that Z[i]/⟨1 − i⟩ is a field. How many elements does
this field have?
Solution: The elements of Z[i]/⟨1 − i⟩ are of the form a + ib + ⟨1 − i⟩.
Since i = 1, this can be reduced to k + ⟨1 − i⟩ where k ∈ Z.
Next, observe that:

(1 − i)(1 + i) = 2 ∈ ⟨1 − i⟩ =⇒ 2 ≡ 0 (mod ⟨1 − i⟩).

Thus, 2 ≡ 0 modulo ⟨1 − i⟩, implying that the only possible elements in the
factor ring are 0 + ⟨1 − i⟩ and 1 + ⟨1 − i⟩.
Therefore, the field Z[i]/⟨1 − i⟩ has exactly two elements: 0 + ⟨1 − i⟩ and
1 + ⟨1 − i⟩. Since there are no zero divisors, it is a field.