Problems on Ring Theory

Avishek Adhikari

1 Problem Set
1. Let T = {f : f : R → Z2 }. Define ‘+’ and ‘·’ on T by all f, g ∈ T , (f + g)(x) = f (x) + g(x)
and (f g)(x) = f (x)g(x) ∀ x ∈ R. Show that (T, +, ·) is a Boolean ring.

2. Find all subfields of the field Zp , p a prime integer.

3. Let C = {f : R → R : f is continuous on R}. Define + and · on C by (f + g)(x) = f (x)g(x)

and (f · g)(x) = f (x) · g(x), ∀f, g ∈ C, ∀x ∈ R.

(i) Show that C is a ring,

(ii) Let D = {f ∈ C : f is differentiable on R}. Then show that D is a subring of C.

4. Show that every division ring is simple. Is the converse true?

5. Let R be a ring such that R has no zero divisors. Show that if every subring of R is an ideal
of R, then R is commutative.
a a
6. Let T = { : ∈ Q, and 5 does not divide b}. Show that T is a ring under the usual addition
b b
a
and multiplication. Find the quotient field of T . Also prove that I = { ∈ T : 5 divides a}
b
is an ideal of T and the quotient ring T /I is a field.

7. Give an example of a ring R such that Z ⊂ R ⊂ Q.

8. Give an example of an infinite ring with finite characteristic.

9. Let R be a regular ring with more than one element. Suppose for each x ∈ R, ∃ unique y ∈ R
such that x = xyx. Then

(i) R has no divisor of zero

(ii) If x 6= 0, x = xyx, then y = yxy ∀ x, y ∈ R
(iii) R has an identity element.
(iv) R is a division ring.

10. Let a ∈ R be an idempotent element. Show that (1 − a)ba is nilpotent ∀ b ∈ R.

11. Prove that the characteristic of a finite nonzero ring R divides |R|.

12. Let R be a ring with 1 and without zero divisors. Prove that ∀a, b ∈ R, ab = 1 =⇒ ba = 1.

13. Let R be an integral domain and a, b ∈ R. Let m, n ∈ Z be such that m and n are relatively
prime. Prove that am = bm and an = bn =⇒ a = b.

14. Let R be a commutative ring with 1 and f (x) = a0 + a1 x + · · · + an xn ∈ R[x]. If a0 is a unit

and a1 , a2 , . . . , an are nilpotent elements, prove that f (x) is invertible.

15. Let R = Z × Z. Show that the polynomial (1, 0)x in R[x] has infinitely many roots in R.
16. Decide which of the following are subrings of Q:

(i) the set of all rational numbers with odd denominators (when written in lowest term).
(ii) the set of all rational numbers with even denominators (when written in lowest term).

17. Let Z[x] be the polynomial ring over Z. Is Z an ideal of Z[x]?

18. Let I be an ideal of R and let S be subring of R. Prove that I ∩ S is an ideal of S.

19. Let a be an element of the ring R.

(a) Prove that {x ∈ R : xa = 0} is a left ideal (call left annihilator of a in R) of R.

20. Find 4Z + 5Z and 4Z · 5Z.

21. Let R = Z[x] and I = {f (x) ∈ Z[x] : f (x) has no terms of deg 0 or deg 1}

(i) Show that I is an ideal of R. (iii) Show that R/I has zero divisors.
(ii) Find R/I.

22. Let I and J be ideals of R. Then

(i) prove that I + J is the smallest ideal of R containing both I and J.

(ii) prove that IJ is an ideal contained in I ∩ J,
(iii) Give an example, where IJ 6= I ∩ J,
(iv) prove that if R is a commutative ring with 1, and if I + J = R, then IJ = I ∩ J.

23. Let R be an integral domain and A, B be non-trivial ideals of R. Then |A ∩ B| > 1.

24. If A is a left ideal and B is a right ideal of a ring R, then prove that AB is an ideal of R.

2 Problem Set
√ √
1. Show that the rings Z[ 3] and Z[ 5] are not isomorphic.

2. Does there exist any epimorphism from the ring Z24 onto the ring Z7 ?

3. Show that there does not exists a monomorphism from the ring Z6 into the ring Z11 .

4. Let f : R → S be a nontrivial homomorphism from the field R onto a ring S. Prove that S
is a field.

5. Let f : R → D be a ring homomorphism where R is a ring with identity 1 and D is an integral

domain with identity 10 . If ker f 6= R, prove that f (1) = 10 .

6. Let f : R → S be a ring homomorphism, where R is a field and 1S = f (1) 6= 0 in S. Then f

is a monomorphism.

7. Determine all the ring homomorphisms from Z12 to Z30 .

8. Determine all the ring homomorphisms from R to R.

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 9. Let R be the field of real numbers. Let α be an automorphism of R. Show that α(x) =
x, ∀ x ∈ R.
[This problem shows that the number of automorphisms of R is exactly 1.]
End(Z) is the set of all group homomorphisms from Z into itself. Define 0 +0 and 0 ·0 on End(Z)
by (f + g)(x) = f (x) + g(x) and (f · g)(x) = f (g(x)) ∀ x ∈ Z. Show that

(i) (End(Z), +, ·) is a ring. (ii) Z ' End(Z) as ring.

     
m n 0 n
10. Let R be the ring R = : m, n, p ∈ Z and I be an ideal given by I = : n, p ∈ Z .
0 p 0 p
Then the quotient ring R/I is isomorphic to Z. Also prove that I is a prime ideal of R not
not a maximal ideal o R.

11. Let A be a ring and X be a nonempty set. Let R = {f : X → A}.

(i) Define ‘+’ and ‘·’ so that (R, +, ·) is a ring.

(ii) For each fixed c ∈ X, Consider the map Ec : R → A defined by Ec (f ) = f (c) [called
Evaluation at c]. Show that Ec is a ring homomorphism.
(iii) Find R/ker Ec .

12. Consider the non-commutative ring Mn (R). Show that if J is any ideal of R, then Mn (J) is
also an ideal of Mn (R). Show that Mn (R)/Mn (J) ' Mn (R/J).

13. Which of the following option is correct (justify your answer).

  
a a
(a) Let A = : a ∈ R . Then with usual addition and multiplication of matrices,
a a
A forms a
(i)
commutative ring with identity but not an integral domain.
(ii)
an integral domain having no identity element.
(iii)
a field,
(iv)not a ring.
  
a −b
(b) Let A = : a, b ∈ R . Then under usual addition and multiplication of matri-
b a
ces A is a

(i) a commutative ring but not a field, (iii) not ring,

(ii) a field. (iv) a non commutative ring.

3 Problem Set
1. Let R be a ring. Show that the following conditions are equivalent

(i) R has no nonzero nilpotent elements

(ii) For all a ∈ R, if a2 = 0, then a = 0

2. Let R be a ring with 1. Show that R[x]hxi ' R.

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 3. Let R be a ring with 1. If a is a nilpotent element of R, prove that 1 − a and 1 + a are units.

4. Let R be a ring such that R has no zero divisors. If any subring of R is an ideal of R, then
prove that R is commutative.

5. Give an example (with justification) of a non trivial both sided ideal in a non-commutative
ring.

4 Problem Set
1. Let n ∈ Z be a fixed +ve integer. Then the following condition are equivalent:

(a) n is a prime integer.

(b) Z/hni is an integral domain.
(c) Z/hni is a field.

2. Let R be a ring with 1. Prove that R has no nontrivial left ideals iff R has no nontrivial right
ideals.

3. Let R be an ideal of a ring R. Prove that the quotient ring R/I is a commutative ring iff
ab − ba ∈ I ∀ a, b ∈ R.

4. Let I be an ideal of a ring R. Prove that if R is a commutative ring with identity, then R/I
is a commutative ring with identity. If R has no zero divisors, is the same necessarily true
for R/I?

5. Let I be an ideal of a commutative ring R. Define the annihilator of I to be the set ann I =
{r ∈ R : ra = 0∀ a ∈ I}. Prove that ann I is an ideal of R.

6. In the ring Z20 , prove that I = {[n] : n is even} is an ideal of Z20 . Find ann I.

7. Let R be a commutative
 ring with 1. If for a, b, c, d ∈ R,
a+b=c+c
=⇒ either a = c and b = d or a = d and b = c, prove that R does not
ab = cd
contain any divisor of zero.

8. Prove that every ideal of a regular ring is regular.

5 Problem Set
1. Let R be a commutative ring with 1 and a ∈ R. This prove that a is in maximum ideal of R
iff a is not a unit.

2. Let R be a commutative ring with 1. Prove that R has a maximal ideal.

3. Let R be an integral domain. Prove that if every proper ideal of R is a prime ideal, then R
is field.

4. Show that the ideal hxi in Z[x] is a prime ideal, but not a maximal ideal.

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 5. Let R be a commutative ring with 1. Let A and B be two distinct maximal ideals of R. Show
that AB = A ∩ B.

6. Let R be a Boolean ring. Prove that a nonzero proper ideal I of R is prime ideal iff it is a
maximal ideal.

7. (i) Let R be a commutative ring with 1. Then R[x] is a commutative ring with 1.
(ii) If R is an integral domain, then R[x] is also an integral domain.

8. Let R be an integral domain and f (x) be a nonzero polynomial in R[x] of degree n. Then
f (x) has at most n roots in R. Is the result true for any commutative ring.

9. Prove that if in a commutative ring R with unity, {0} is the maximal ideal of R, then R
becomes a field.

10. Let R be a commutative ring with identity. For f (x) ∈ R[x] and a ∈ R, x-a divides f (x) iff a
is a root of f (x). (Factorization Th).

6 Problem Set
1. Let R be a left Artinian ring with more than one element. If R does not contain zero divisors,
then R is a division ring.

2. A commutative Artinian ring in a field iff it is an integral domain.

3. Show that a subring of an Artinian ring may not be Artinian.

4. Show that [2] is a prime element in Z10 , but [2] is not irreducible in Z10 .

5. Let (Z, +, ·) be the ring of integers and (End(Z), +, ·) the endomorphism ring defined as
follows :

6. Let R = (C[0, 1], +, ·) be the ringof 

real valued continuous functions on [0, 1] and ψ : R → R
1
be the map defined by ψ(f ) = f . Then show that ψ is a ring homomorphism but not a
7
monomorphism.

7. Let 
R=  (C[0, 1], +, ·) be the ring of real valued continuous functions on [0, 1] and M = {f ∈
1
R: = 0}. The M is a maximal ideal of R.
3
8. Prove that the ring C([0, 1]) has neither non-trivial nilpotent elements nor non-trivial idem-
potent elements.

9. Let, for c ∈ [0, 1], Mc = {f ∈ C[0, 1] : f (c) = 0. Show that C[0, 1]/Mc is isomorphic to (R, +).
Hence show that Mc is a maximal ideal of C[0, 1].

10. Let M be the set of all maximal ideals of the ring R = C([0, 1]). Then prove that there exists
a bijective correspondence between the elements of M and the points of [0, 1].

11. Prove that the maximal ideals in the ring R of all real valued continuous functions on [0, 1]
correspond to the points in [0, 1].

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12. Prove that given a maximal ideal M in C([0, 1]), there exists a real number c ∈ [0, 1] such
that M = Mc = {f ∈ C([0, 1]) : f (c) = 0}.

13. Let R be a commutative ring with identity and F be a field. If f : R → F is a ring

epimorphism, then ker f is both maximal and primal ideal of R.

14. Let (Z, +, ·) be the polynomial ring over Z and I = hxi. Then I is a prime ideal of Z[x] but
not a maximal ideal of Z[x].

15. Let R be an arbitrary ring with 1 and I be a prime ideal of R such that R/I is finite. Then
prove that I is a maximal ideal of R.

7 Problem Set
1. Z[x] is not a PID.

2. Find all units of (a) Z[i] and (b) F [x], where F is a field.

3. Let (E, +, ·, v) be a Euclidean Domain. Then

(i) Show that v(a) = v(−a), ∀ a ∈ E \ {0}.

(ii) Show that ∀ a ∈ E \ {0}, v(a) ≥ v(1), where the equality holds iff a is a unit in E.
(iii) Let n be an integer such that v(1) + n ≥ 0. Show that the function vn : E \ {0} → Z#
defined by vn (a) = v(a) + n ∀ a ∈ E \ {0} is a Euclidean valuation.

4. Let f : R → S be an epimorphism of rings. If R is a principal ideal ring, prove that S is also

a principal ideal ring.

5. Prove that the ring Zn is a principal ideal ring ∀ n ≥ 2.

6. State with justification, which of the following statements are true.

(i) (Z, +, ·, v) is a Evaluation Domain, where v(n) = n2 , ∀ n > 0.

   
p p p
(ii) (Q, +, ·, v) is an Euclidean Domain, where v =   ∀ 6= 0.
q q q
(iii) If a ring R is PID, then every subring of R with identity is a PID.

7. Prove that a quotient of a PID by a prime ideal is again a PID.

8. Give an example of a Factorization Domain which is not a UFD.

9. (i) Let R be an ID and p ∈ R be such that p is nonzero and non unit. Then prove that p
is irreducible iff the only divisors of p are the associates of p and the units of R.
(ii) Show that the result may not be true if R is not an ID.

10. Let n be a square free integer (different from 0 and 1, which is not divisible by the square
√ √ √
of any integer). Let Z[ n] = {a + b n : a, b ∈ Z}. Define a function N : Z[ n] → Z by
√ √ √
N (a + b n) = (a + b n)(a − b n) = a2 − nb2 . Show that if N (x) is prime integer, then x is
√
irreducible ∀ x ∈ Z[ n].

11. If Z[i], show that 3 is prime element, but 5 is not a prime element.

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12. Find all irreducible polynomial(s) of degree 2 over Z2 .

13. Prove that f (x) = x2 + x + [1] is irreducible over Z2 .

14. Prove that f (x) = x6 + x3 + 1 is irreducible over Q.

15. Prove that f (x) = x5 + 15x3 + 10x + 5 is irreducible over Z.

xp − 1
16. Show that the cyclotonic polynomial φp (x) = 1 + x + · · · + xp−1 = is irreducible in
x−1
Z[x], where p is a prime.

17. Find the no. of monic irreducible polynomials of degree 2 over Zp is prime.

18. Let f (x) ∈ F [x] be a polynomial of degree 2 or 3. Then f (x) is irreducible over F iff f (x)
has no roots in F .

19. Let F be a field and f (x) ∈ F [x] with deg f (x) ≥ 2. If f (x) is irreducible in F [x], then show
that f (x) has no root in F . Show that the converse of the result many not be true.

20. let R be a left Artinian ring with more than one element. If R does not contain zero divisors,
then R is a division ring.

21. A commutative Artinian ring is a field iff it is an integral domain.

22. Show that a subring of an Artinian ring may not be Artinian.

8 Problem Set
1. Show that [4] | [2] in (Z6 , +, ·) and [3] | [7] in (Z8 , +, ·).

2. Suppose R is a commutative ring. Let a, b ∈ R such that a is a unit of R and b2 = 0. Show

that a + b is a unit in R.

3. Suppose that R is a ring and a2 = a ∀a ∈ R. Show that R is commutative.

√ √
4. Let d be a positive integer. Prove that Q[ d] = {a + b d : a, b ∈ Q} is a field.

5. Let x, y ∈ R where R is an integral domain and char(R) = p, p being prime. Show that
(x + y)p = xp + y p

6. Find all solutions of x2 − x + 2 = 0 over Z3 [i].

S
7. Let R be an integral domain and f is a non constant function f : R → N {0} such that
f (xy) = f (x)f (y) ∀x, y ∈ R. If x is a unit in R, show that f (x) = 1.

8. Consider the ring Z[i] [the ring of Gaussian integers] and the ideal < 2 − i >. Prove that
Z[i]/ < 2 − i >' Z5 .

9. Prove that the ideal < x2 + 1 > is a maximal in R[x].

10. Show that the ideal < x > is a prime ideal in Z[x] but not a maximal ideal.

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11. In Z[x], let I = {f (x) ∈ Z[x] : f(0) is an even integer}. Prove that I is an ideal of Z[x] and
I =< x, 2 >. Is I a prime ideal in Z[x]? Is I a maximal ideal in Z[x]? How many elements
does Z[x]/I have?

12. In Z5 [x], let I =< x2 + x + 2 >. Find the multiplicative inverse of 2x + 3 + I in Z5 [x]/I.
L
13. Let p be a prime. Show that A = {(px, y) : x, y ∈ Z} is a maximal ideal of Z Z.

14. Let R be a commutative ring with 1. Suppose a is unit and b is nilpotent. Show that a + b
is a unit.

15. Let F be a finite field with more than two elements. Prove that the sum of all the elements
in F is 0.

16. If R is a finite commutative ring with 1, prove that every prime ideal is a maximal ideal of R.

17. Prove that < 2, x, y > is a maximal ideal of Z[x, y].

18. Let R be a commutative ring with 1. If I is a prime ideal in R, prove that I[x] is a prime
ideal of R[x].

19. Let p be a prime. Then show that the number of reducible polynomials over Zp of the form
x2 + ax + b is p(p+1)
2 . Determine the number of irreducible polynomials over Zp of the form
x2 + ax + b.

20. Let f (x),g(x) be irreducible polynomials over a field

L F. If f (x) and g(x) are not associates,
prove that F [x]/ < f (x)g(x) >' F [x]/ < f (x) > F [x]/ < g(x) >

21. For any f (x) ∈ Zp [x], show that f (xp ) = (f (x))p .

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