Short topical webpage title: Proving Properties of Unital Rings

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SUMMARY

This discussion focuses on proving properties of unital rings, specifically addressing the characteristic of a ring denoted as char(R). It establishes that every unital ring of characteristic zero is infinite and that the characteristic of an integral domain must be either 0 or a prime number. The propositions suggest using proof by contradiction to demonstrate that if a ring has characteristic zero, then all elements of the form n·1 (where n is a natural number) are distinct. Additionally, it outlines that if the characteristic is composite, it leads to a contradiction regarding zero-divisors in integral domains.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of unital rings and their properties
  • Familiarity with the concept of ring characteristics
  • Knowledge of integral domains and zero-divisors
  • Experience with proof techniques, particularly proof by contradiction
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the properties of unital rings in detail
  • Learn about ring characteristics and their implications
  • Explore the concept of integral domains and their definitions
  • Practice proof techniques, focusing on proof by contradiction in algebra
USEFUL FOR

Mathematicians, algebra students, and educators interested in abstract algebra, particularly those focusing on ring theory and its foundational properties.

fredpeterson57
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Context: Let R be a unital ring. The characteristic of R is the smallest positive integer n such that $n\cdot 1=0$. If no such n exists, we say R has characteristic 0. We denote the characteristic of a ring by char(R).
I'm particularly lost as to how to prove the following propositions:
(a) Every unital ring of characteristic zero is infinite (I'm thinking of using a proof by contradiction for this, but I have no idea how)

(b) The characteristic of an integral domain is either 0 or prime (if I somehow manage to show that if the characteristic of an integral domain is composite or 1, then it is not an integral domain, then I think I will be able to prove this).
 
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fredpeterson57 said:
Context: Let R be a unital ring. The characteristic of R is the smallest positive integer n such that $n\cdot 1=0$. If no such n exists, we say R has characteristic 0. We denote the characteristic of a ring by char(R).
I'm particularly lost as to how to prove the following propositions:
(a) Every unital ring of characteristic zero is infinite (I'm thinking of using a proof by contradiction for this, but I have no idea how)

(b) The characteristic of an integral domain is either 0 or prime (if I somehow manage to show that if the characteristic of an integral domain is composite or 1, then it is not an integral domain, then I think I will be able to prove this).
(a) Show that if the ring has characteristic zero then the elements $n\cdot 1\ (n\in\Bbb{N})$ are all different.

(b) If the characteristic $n$ of the ring is a composite number, say $n = pq$, then $0 = n\cdot1 = pq\cdot1 = (p\cdot1)(q\cdot1)$. Now use the fact that an integral domain does not have zero-divisors to show that either $p\cdot1=0$ or $q\cdot1=0$ (contradicting the fact that $n$ is the smallest number with that property).
 

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