Homomorphism between commutative rings

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In summary, The conversation discusses the properties of a ring homomorphism and how to prove that if R and S are commutative, S is a field, and f is surgective, then ker(f) is a maximal ideal of R. Step 1 and 2 involve showing that ker(f) is a subring and ideal of R, respectively. In step 3, the first isomorphism theorem is used to show that R/kerf is a field, making ker(f) a maximal ideal in R.
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infinityQ
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When I read a ring homomophism of wiki, I found a sentence in the properties section.

Let f:R->S be a ring homomorphism (Assuming R and S have a mulitplicative identity).
"If R and S are commutative, S is a field, and f is surgective, then ker(f) is a maximal ideal of R".

I was trying to prove the above sentence, but I could not finish proving it.

My proof so far is

Step 1: showing ker(f) is a subring of R.
f(0) = 0, f(1) = 1.
Let r belongs to ker(f), called I, which is a subset of R.
Then f(r)=0. f(r + (-r))=0. Thus r has an additive inverse.
f(x+(y+z))=f(x)+f(y+z)=f(x)+f(y)+f(z)=f(x+y)+f(z)=f((x+y)+z)=0 for x,y,z in I, which shows the associative of addition.
f(a(bc)) = f(a)f(bc)=f(a)f(b)f(c)=f(ab)f(c)=f((ab)c)=0, for a,b,c in I.
f(a(b+c)) = f(a)f(b+c)=f(a)(f(b)+f(c))=f(ab)+f(ac)=f(ab+ac)=0

Step 2:showing I(=ker(f)) is an ideal of R.
Let x belongs to R and r belongs to I.
We claim that xr belongs to I. Suppose on the contrary that xr does not belong to I.
Then f(xr)=f(x)f(r) [tex]\neq[/tex]0, which means both f(x) and f(r) should not be zero, contradicting that r belongs to ker(f). Thus xr belongs to I.

Step 3:Using f is surgective to S which is a field, show that ker(f) is a maximal ideal of R.

Please correct me if something is wrong in step 1&2, and give me some hints for step 3.
Thanks.
 
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  • #2
By the first isomorphism theorem R/kerf is a field. So there won't be a proper ideal in R larger than kerf, because field don't have proper ideals.
 

1. What is a homomorphism between commutative rings?

A homomorphism between commutative rings is a function that preserves the algebraic structure of the rings. This means that it maps ring elements and operations in one ring to elements and operations in another ring in a consistent and compatible way.

2. How is a homomorphism different from an isomorphism?

A homomorphism between commutative rings only preserves the algebraic structure, while an isomorphism also preserves the multiplicative identity and is bijective. In other words, a homomorphism can map multiple elements to the same element, while an isomorphism must map each element to a unique element.

3. What are some examples of homomorphisms between commutative rings?

Some examples of homomorphisms between commutative rings include the identity homomorphism, the zero homomorphism, and the inclusion homomorphism. Other common examples include the quotient homomorphism and the localization homomorphism.

4. How do homomorphisms relate to ideals in commutative rings?

Homomorphisms can be used to define and understand ideals in commutative rings. In particular, the kernel of a homomorphism is always an ideal in the domain ring, and the image of a homomorphism is always an ideal in the codomain ring.

5. Can a homomorphism between commutative rings be both injective and surjective?

Yes, a homomorphism between commutative rings can be both injective (one-to-one) and surjective (onto). When this is the case, the homomorphism is also an isomorphism, meaning it preserves all of the algebraic structure as well as the multiplicative identity and is bijective.

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