Math 122 Homework #1 Due: Friday 7 April 2017

Reading: Dummit–Foote Ch 10.1.

Please review the Math 122 Course Information posted on our webpage:
http://web.stanford.edu/~jchw/2017Math122.

Summary of definitions and main results

Definitions we’ve covered: left R–module, right R–module, R–submodule, endomorphism, free R–module
of rank n, annihilator of a submodule, annihilator of a (right) ideal.

Main results: Two equivalent definitions of an R–module; the submodule criterion, equivalence of vector
spaces over a field F and F–modules; equivalence of abelian groups and Z–modules; if I annihilates an
R–module M then M inherits a (R/I)–module structure; structure of an F[x]–module for a field F.

Warm-Up Questions
The “warm-up” questions do not need to be submitted (and won’t be graded), however, you’re encouraged
to work out their solutions!
1. State the definition / axioms for a ring R (which we assume has unit 1).
2. In class we gave the definition of a left R–module. Formulate the definition of a right R–module M .

3. Let R be a ring with 1 and M a left R–module. Prove the following:

(a) 0m = 0 for all m in M . (c) If r ∈ R has a left inverse, and m ∈ M , then

(b) (−1)m = −m for all m in M . rm = 0 only if m = 0.

4. Show that if R is a commutative ring, then a left R–module structure on an abelian group M also defines
a right R–module on M and vice versa. Is this true for noncommutative rings R?
5. (Restriction of scalars). Let M be an R–module, and let S be any subring of R. Explain how the
R–module structure on M also gives M the structure of an S–module. This operation is called restriction
of scalars from R to the subring S.

6. Verify that the axioms for a vector space over a field F are equivalent to the axioms for an F–module.
7. Verify that the axioms for an abelian group M are equivalent to the axioms for a Z–module structure
on M . How does an integer n act on m ∈ M ?
8. Let F be a field, and x a formal variable. Prove that modules V over the polynomial ring F[x] are
precisely F–vector spaces V with a choice of linear map T : V → V . In Assignment Problem 5 we will
see that different maps T give different F[x]–module structures on V .
9. Prove the submodule criterion: If M is a left R–module and N a subset of M , then N is a left R–
submodule if and only if

(i) N 6= ∅ and (ii) x + ry ∈ N for all x, y ∈ N and all r ∈ R.

10. Consider R as a module over itself. Prove that the R–submodules of the module R are precisely the left
ideals I of R.
11. Let Rn be the free module of rank n over R. Prove that the following are submodules:
(a) I1 × I2 × · · · × In , with Ii a left ideal of R.

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(b) The ith direct summand R of Rn .

(c) {(a1 , a2 , . . . , an ) ∈ Rn | a1 + a2 + · · · + an = 0}.
12. Let M be a left R–module. Show that the intersection of a (nonempty) collection of submodules is a
submodule.

13. (a) Let M be an R–module and N an R–submodule. Prove that the annihilator ann(N ) is a 2-sided
ideal of R.
(b) Let M be an R–module and I a right ideal of R. Show that ann(I) is an R–submodule of M .
(c) Compute the annihilator of the ideal 3Z ⊆ Z in the Z–module Z/9Z × Z/8Z × Z/15Z.

14. (a) For p prime, an elementary abelian p-group is an abelian group G where pg = 0 for all g ∈ G. Prove
that an elementary abelian p-group is a Z/pZ–module, equivalently, an Fp –vector space.
(b) Conversely, show that any Z/pZ–module M must satisfy pm = 0 for all m ∈ M , in other words,
the underlying abelian group M must be an elementary abelian p-group.
15. A student makes the following claim: “Since Z/2Z is a subring of Z/4Z, we can let Z/2Z act by left
multiplication to give Z/4Z the structure of a Z/2Z–module. Then Z/4Z is a Z/2Z–vector space with 4
elements, so it must be isomorphic as a vector space to Z/2Z⊕Z/2Z.” Prove that Z/4Z and Z/2Z⊕Z/2Z
are not even isomorphic as abelian groups, and find the flaw in this argument.
16. Let M be an R–module, and consider Tor(M ) as defined in Assignment Question 4.
(a) Find Tor(Z/7Z) if Z/7Z is consider a module over (i) Z, (ii) Z/7Z, or (iii) Z/21Z.
(b) Show that if R has zero divisors, then ever nonzero R–module has nonzero torsion elements.
17. (Group theory review) State the structure theorem for finitely generated abelian groups.
18. (Linear algebra review)
(a) Define the following terms (as they apply to finite dimensional vector spaces)
• vector space over F; vector subspace
• linear dependence and linear independence of a set of vectors
• spanning set of vectors for a vector subspace
• basis and dimension of a vector subspace
• the direct sum of vector subspaces
(b) If you have not already seen proofs that
• linearly independent sets of vectors in a finite dimensional vector space V can be extended to
a basis, and
• all bases for V have the same cardinality so dim(V ) is well-defined
then take a look at Dummit-Foote Chapter 11.1.
(c) Let T be a linear transformation on a finite-dimensional F-vector space V . Define an eigenvector
of T and its associated eigenvalue. Find all eigenvectors and eigenvalues of the following matrices,
over R and over C.        
2 0 3 4 0 −1 2 1
0 1 4 3 1 0 0 2

(d) If T has a basis of eigenvectors, then such as basis is called an eigenbasis. What can you say about
the structure of a matrix with an eigenbasis, and why is this important? Which of the above four
matrices have eigenbases over R, or over C?

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Assignment Questions
The following questions should be handed in.
1. (Group theory review) Suppose m, n ≥ 2 are integers.
(a) Prove that there is an injective map of abelian groups Z/mZ → Z/nZ if and only if m|n.
(b) Prove that if this map exists, it is unique up to pre-composing with an automorphism of Z/mZ.
This means if g, g 0 : Z/mZ → Z/nZ are injective maps, then g 0 = g ◦ f for some f : Z/mZ → Z/mZ.
Conclude in particular that the image of an injective map is a uniquely determined subset of Z/nZ.
(c) HomZ (Z/mZ, Z/nZ) is an abelian group under pointwise addition of maps. Compute this group
(in terms of the classification of finitely generated abelian groups).
2. Let M be an abelian group (with addition), and R a ring.
(a) Define an endomorphism of M , and show that the set of endomorphisms End(M ) of M form a ring
under composition and pointwise addition.
(b) Prove that a left R–module structure on M is equivalent to the data of a homomorphisms of rings
R → End(M ). Use this result to formulate an alternative definition of a left R–module.
(c) What should the analogous definition be for right R–modules?
(d) We have another name for the kernel of the map R → End(M ). What is it?
3. Let M be an R–module, and φ : S → R a homomorphism of rings. Show how the map φ can be
used to define an S–module structure on M . Explain why restriction of scalars is a special case of this
construction. (Warm up Problem 5.)
4. An element m in an R–module M is called a torsion element if rm = 0 for some nonzero r ∈ R. The
set of torsion elements is denoted

Tor(M ) := {m ∈ M | rm = 0 for some nonzero r ∈ R}.

Prove that if R is an integral domain, then Tor(M ) is submodule of M .

Remark: For commutative rings R, some sources only define Tor(M ) with respect to elements r ∈ R
that are not zero divisors.
5. Let V be a module over the polynomial ring F[x]. For each of the following, classify all submodules of V .
You may give your answer as a list (without proof), but be sure you understand how you could justify
your solutions!
(a) V = F2 , and x acts by scalar multiplication by 5.
π
(b) F = R, V = R2 , and x acts by rotation by 3.
(c) F = R, V = R3 , and x acts by a diagonalizable matrix with eigenvalues 0, 1, 2. (Recall: A matrix is
diagonalizable iff it has a basis of eigenvectors, equivalently, iff it is conjugate to a diagonal matrix.)
(d) V = F[x], and x acts by multiplication by x as usual.
(e) V = F[x]/(x3 ), and x acts by multiplication by x as usual.

6. Bonus (Optional). For the following problem, you may assume (without proof) the structure theorem
for finitely generated abelian groups. Let’s call a subgroup M of the free abelian group Zn splittable if
there is some (not necessarily unique) submodule C ⊆ Zn so that M ⊕ C = Zn . For example, M =
span{(1, 1)} ⊆ Z2 is splittable and has complement C = span{(1, 0)}. In contrast M = span{(2, 4)} ⊆ Z2
is not splittable since M ⊕ C can never contain (1, 2) for any C ⊆ Z2 .
(a) Prove that M ⊆ Zn is splittable if and only if Zn /M is torsion-free.
(b) Prove or find a counterexample: If A and B are splittable subgroups of Zn , then A ∩ B is splittable.

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