Graduate Texts in Mathematics 136

Editorial Board
S. Axler F.W. Gehring K.A. Ribet

Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

Graduate Texts in Mathematics

TAKEUTIlZARING. Introduction to 33 HIRSCH. Differential Topology.

Axiomatic Set Theory. 2nd ed. 34 SPITZER. Principles of Random Walk.
2 OXT<lBY. Measure and Category. 2nd ed. 2nd ed.
3 SCHAEFER. Topological Vector Spaces. 35 ALEXANDERIWERMER. Several Complex
4 HILTON/STAMMBACH. A Course in Variables and Banach Algebras. 3rd ed.
Homological Algebra. 2nd ed. 36 KELLEy/NAMIOKA et al. Linear
5 MAC LANE. Categories for the Working Topological Spaces.
Mathematician. 2nd ed. 37 MONK. Mathematical Logic.
6 HUGHES/PIPER. Projective Planes. 38 GRAUERT/FRITZSCHE. Several Complex
7 SERRE. A Course in Arithmetic. Variables.
8 T AKEuTIlZARING. Axiomatic Set Theory. 39 ARVESON. An Invitation to C*-Algebras.
9 HUMPHREYS. Introduction to Lie Algebras 40 KEMENy/SNELL/KNAPP. Denumerable
and Representation Theory. Markov Chains. 2nd ed.
10 COHEN. A Course in Simple Homotopy 41 ApOSTOL. Modular Functions and
Theory. Dirichlet Series in Number Theory.
II CONWAY. Functions of One Complex 2nd ed.
Variable l. 2nd ed. 42 SERRE. Linear Representations of Fimte
12 BEALS. Advanced Mathematical Analysis. Groups.
13 ANDERSON/FuLLER. Rings and Categories 43 GILLMANIJERlSON. Rings of Continuous
of Modules. 2nd ed. Functions.
14 GOLUBITSKy/GUILLEMIN. Stable Mappings 44 KENDIG. Elementary Algebraic Geometry.
and Their Singularities. 45 LOEVE. Probability Theory I. 4th ed.
15 BERBERIAN. Lectures in Functional 46 LOEVE. Probability Theory II. 4th ed.
Analysis and Operator Theory. 47 MOISE. Geometric Topology in
16 WINTER. The Structure of Fields. Dimensions 2 and 3.
17 ROSENBLATT. Random Processes. 2nd ed. 48 SACHSlWu. General Relativity for
18 HALMOS. Measure Theory. Mathematicians.
19 HALMOS. A Hilbert Space Problem Book. 49 GRUENBERGIWEIR. Linear Geometry.
2nd ed. 2nd ed.
20 HUSEMOLLER. Fibre Bundles. 3rd ed. 50 EDWARDS. Fermat's Last Theorem.
21 HUMPHREYS. Linear Algebraic Groups. 51 KLINGENBERG. A Course in Differential
22 BARNESiMACK. An Algebraic Introduction Geometry.
to Mathematical Logic. 52 HARTSHORNE. Algebraic Geometry.
23 GREUB. Linear Algebra. 4th ed. 53 MANIN. A Course in Mathematical Logic.
24 HOLMES. Geometric Functional Analysis 54 GRAVERIW ATKINS. Combinatorics with
and Its Applications. Emphasis on the Theory of Graphs.
25 HEWITT/STROMBERG. Real and Abstract 55 BROWN/PEARCY. Introduction to Operator
Analysis. Theory I: Elements of Functional
26 MANES. Algebraic Theories. Analysis.
27 KELLEY. General Topology. 56 MASSEY. Algebraic Topology: An
28 ZARISKIISAMUEL. Commutative Algebra. Introduction.
Vol.!. 57 CROWELL!FOX. Introduction to Knot
29 ZARISKIiSAMUEL. Commutative Algebra. Theory.
Vol.Il. 58 KOBLITZ. p-adic Numbers, p-adic
30 JACOBSON. Lectures in Abstract Algebra l. Analysis, and Zeta-Functions. 2nd ed.
Basic Concepts. 59 LANG. Cyclotomic Fields.
31 JACOBSON. Lectures in Abstract Algebra 60 ARNOLD. Mathematical Methods in
II. Linear Algebra. Classical Mechanics. 2nd ed.
32 JACOBSON. Lectures in Abstract Algebra 61 WHITEHEAD. Elements of Homotopy
1II. Theory of Fields and Galois Theory. Theory.

(continued afier index)

William A. Adkins Steven H. Weintraub

Algebra
An Approach via Module Theory

Springer
William A. Adkins
Steven H. Weintraub
Department of Mathematics
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
USA

Editorial Board
S. Axler F. W. Gehring K.A. Ribet
Mathematics Department Mathematics Department Department of Mathematics
San Francisco State East Hall University of California
University University of Michigan at Berkeley
San Francisco, CA 94132 Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Berkeley, CA 94720-3840
USA USA USA

Mathematics Subject Classifications: 12-01, 13-01, 15-01, 16-01,20-01

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Adkins, William A.
Algebra: an approach via module theory/William A. Adkins,
Steven H. Weintraub.
p. cm. - (Graduate texts in mathematics; 136)
lncludes bibliographical references and indexes ..
ISBN 978-1-4612-6948-9 ISBN 978-1-4612-0923-2 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-4612-0923-2
1. Algebra. 2. Modules (Algebra) I. Weintraub, Steven H.
II. Title. III. Series.
QA154.A33 1992
512'.4-dc20 92-11951

Printed on acid-free paper.

© 1992 Springer Science+Business Media New York

OriginalIy published by Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg New York in 1992
Softcover reprint of the hardcover Ist edition 1992
AlI rights reserved. This work may not be transIated or copied in whole or in part without the
written permission of the publisher Springer-Science+Business Media, LLC, except for brief
excerpts in connection with reviews or scholarly ana1ysis. Use in connection with any form of
information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or
dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed is forbidden.
The use of general descriptive names, trade names, trademarks, etc., in this publication, even if
the former are not especialIy identified, is not to be taken as a sign that such names, as understood
by the Trade Marks and Merchandise Marks Act, may accordingly be used freely by anyone.

Production managed by Francine Sikorski; manufacturing supervised by Jacqui Ashri.

Photocomposed copy prepared using TeX.

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 (Corrected second printing, 1999)

Preface

This book is designed as a text for a first-year graduate algebra course.

As necessary background we would consider a good undergraduate linear
algebra course. An undergraduate abstract algebra course, while helpful,
is not necessary (and so an adventurous undergraduate might learn some
algebra from this book).
Perhaps the principal distinguishing feature of this book is its point of
view. Many textbooks tend to be encyclopedic. We have tried to write one
that is thematic, with a consistent point of view. The theme, as indicated
by our title, is that of modules (though our intention has not been to write
a textbook purely on module theory). We begin with some group and ring
theory, to set the stage, and then, in the heart of the book, develop module
theory. Having developed it, we present some of its applications: canonical
forms for linear transformations, bilinear forms, and group representations.
Why modules? The answer is that they are a basic unifying concept
in mathematics. The reader is probably already familiar with the basic
role that vector spaces play in mathematics, and modules are a generaliza-
tion of vector spaces. (To be precise, modules are to rings as vector spaces
are to fields.) In particular, both abelian groups and vector spaces with a
linear transformation are examples of modules, and we stress the analogy
between the two--the basic structure theorems in each of these areas are
special cases of the structure theorem of finitely generated modules over a
principal ideal domain (PID). As well, our last chapter is devoted to the
representation theory of a group G over a field F, this being an important
and beautiful topic, and we approach it from the point of view of such
a representation being an F( G)-module. On the one hand, this approach
makes it very clear what is going on, and on the other hand, this application
shows the power of the general theory we develop.
We have heard the joke that the typical theorem in mathematics states
that something you do not understand is equal to something else you can-
not compute. In that sense we have tried to make this book atypical. It
has been our philosophy while writing this book to provide proofs with a
vi Preface

maximum of insight and a minimum of computation, in order to promote

understanding. However, since in practice it is necessary to be able to com-
pute as well, we have included extensive material on computations. (For
example, in our entire development in Chapter 4 of canonical forms for
linear transformations we only have to compute one determinant, that of
a companion matrix. But then Chapter 5 is almost entirely dedicated to
computational methods for modules over a PID, showing how to find canon-
ical forms and characteristic polynomials. As a second example, we derive
the basic results about complex representations of finite groups in Section
8.3, without mentioning the word character, but then devote Section 8.4 to
characters and how to use them.)
Here is a more detailed listing of the contents of the book, with em-
phasis on its novel features:
Chapter 1 is an introduction to (or review of) group theory, including
a discussion of semidirect products.
Chapter 2 is an introduction to ring theory, covering a variety of stan-
dard topics.
In Chapter 3 we develop basic module theory. This chapter culminates
in the structure theorem for finitely generated modules over a PID. (We
then specialize to obtain the basic structure theorem for finitely generated
Abelian groups.) We feel that our proof of this theorem is a particularly
insightful one. (Note that in considering free modules we do not assume the
corresponding results for vector spaces to be already known.) Noteworthy
along the way is our introduction and use of the language of homological
algebra and our discussion of free and projective modules.
We begin Chapter 4 with a treatment of basic topics in linear alge-
bra. In principle, this should be a review, but we are careful to develop as
much of the theory as possible over a commutative ring (usually a PID)
rather than just restricting ourselves to a field. The matrix representation
for module homomorphisms is even developed for modules over noncommu-
tative rings, since this is needed for applications to Wedderburn's theorem
in Chapter 7. This chapter culminates in the derivation of canonical forms
(the rational canonical form, the (generalized) Jordan canonical form) for
linear transformations. Here is one place where the module theory shows its
worth. By regarding a vector space V over a field F, with a linear transfor-
mation T, as an F[X]-module (with X acting by T), these canonical forms
are immediate consequences of the structure theorem for finitely generated
torsion modules over a PID. We also derive the important special case of
the real Jordan canonical form, and end the chapter by deriving the spectral
theorem.
Chapter 5 is a computational chapter, showing how to obtain effectively
(in so far as is possible) the canonical forms of Chapter 4 in concrete cases.
Along the way, we introduce the Smith and Hermite canonical forms as well.
 Preface vii

This chapter also has Dixon's proof of a criterion for similarity of matrices
based solely on rank computations.
In Chapter 6 we discuss duality and investigate bilinear, sesquilinear,
and quadratic forms, with the assistance of module theory, obtaining com-
plete results in a number of important special cases. Among these are the
cases of skew-symmetric forms over a PID, sesquilinear (Hermitian) forms
over the complex numbers, and bilinear and quadratic forms over the real
numbers, over finite fields of odd characteristic, and over the field with two
elements (where the Arf invariant enters in the case of quadratic forms).
Chapter 7 has two sections. The first discusses semisimple rings and
modules (deriving Wedderburn's theorem), and the second develops some
multilinear algebra. Our results in both of these sections are crucial for
Chapter 8.
Our final chapter, Chapter 8, is the capstone of the book, dealing with
group representations mostly, though not entirely, in the semisimple case.
Although perhaps not the most usual of topics in a first-year graduate
course, it is a beautiful and important part of mathematics. We view a
representation of a group G over a field F as an F(G)-module, and so this
chapter applies (or illustrates) much of the material we have developed in
this book. Particularly noteworthy is our treatment of induced representa-
tions. Many authors define them more or less ad hoc, perhaps mentioning as
an aside that they are tensor products. We define them as tensor products
and stick to that point of view (though we provide a recognition principle
not involving tensor products), so that, for example, Frobenius reciprocity
merely becomes a special case of adjoint associativity of Hom and tensor
product.
The interdependence of the chapters is as follows:

o
o
1

o
1

1
4.1-4.3

o
1
4.4-4.6

o1
viii Preface

We should mention that there is one subject we do not treat. We do

not discuss any field theory in this book. In fact, in writing this book we
were careful to avoid requiring any knowledge of field theory or algebraic
number theory as a prerequisite.
We use standard set theoretic notation. For the convenience of the
reader, we have provided a very brief introduction to equivalence relations
and Zorn's lemma in an appendix. In addition, we provide an index of
notation, with a reference given of the first occurrence of the symbol.
We have used a conventional decimal numbering system. Thus a refer-
ence to Theorem 4.6.23 refers to item number 23 in Section 6 of Chapter
4, which happens to be a theorem. Within a given chapter, the chapter
reference is deleted.
The symbol 0 is used to denote the end of a proof; the end of proof
symbol 0 with a blank line is used to indicate that the proof is immediate
from the preceding discussion or result.
The material presented in this book is for the most part quite standard.
We have thus not attempted to provide references for most results. The
bibliography at the end is a collection of standard works on algebra.
We would like to thank the editors of Springer-Verlag for allowing
us the opportunity, during the process of preparing a second printing, to
correct a number of errors which appeared in the first printing of this book.
Moreover, we extend our thanks to our colleagues and those readers who
have taken the initiative to inform us of the errors they have found. Michal
Jastrzebski and Lyle Ramshaw, in particular, have been most helpful in
pointing out mistakes and ambiguities.

Baton Rouge, Louisiana William A. Adkins

Steven H. Weintraub
Contents

Preface v

Chapter 1 Groups. 1
1.1 Definitions and Examples 1
1.2 Subgroups and Cosets . 6
1.3 Normal Subgroups, Isomorphism Theorems,
and Automorphism Groups ...... 15
1.4 Permutation Representations and the Sylow Theorems 22
1.5 The Symmetric Group and Symmetry Groups 28
1.6 Direct and Semidirect Products 34
1. 7 Groups of Low Order 39
1.8 Exercises . 45

Chapter 2 Rings 49
2.1 Definitions and Examples 49
2.2 Ideals, Quotient Rings, and Isomorphism Theorems 58
2.3 Quotient Fields and Localization . . . . . . . 68
2.4 Polynomial Rings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
2.5 Principal Ideal Domains and Euclidean Domains 79
2.6 Unique Factorization Domains 92
2.7 Exercises . . . . . . . . . . 98

Chapter 3 Modules and Vector Spaces 107

3.1 Definitions and Examples 107
3.2 Submodules and Quotient Modules 112
3.3 Direct Sums, Exact Sequences, and Hom 118
3.4 Free Modules . . . . . 128
3.5 Projective Modules . . . . . . . . 136
3.6 Free Modules over a PID . . . . . . 142
3.7 Finitely Generated Modules over PIDs 156
3.8 Complemented Submodules 171
3.9 Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
x Contents

Chapter 4 Linear Algebra 182

4.1 Matrix Algebra . . . . . . . . . 182
4.2 Determinants and Linear Equations 194
4.3 Matrix Representation of Homomorphisms 214
4.4 Canonical Form Theory . . . . . . . . 231
4.5 Computational Examples ....... 257
4.6 Inner Product Spaces and Normal Linear Transformations 269
4.7 Exercises . . . . . . . 278

Chapter 5 Matrices over PIDs 289

5.1 Equivalence and Similarity 289
5.2 Hermite Normal Form . 296
5.3 Smith Normal Form . . . 307
5.4 Computational Examples 319
5.5 A Rank Criterion for Similarity 328
5.6 Exercises . . . . . . . . . . 337

Chapter 6 Bilinear and Quadratic Forms 341

6.1 Duality. . . . . . . . . . . 341
6.2 Bilinear and Sesquilinear Forms 350
6.3 Quadratic Forms 376
6.4 Exercises . . . . . . . . . 391

Chapter 7 Topics in Module Theory 395

7.1 Simple and Semisimple Rings and Modules 395
7.2 Multilinear Algebra 412
7.3 Exercises . . . . . . . . . 434

Chapter 8 Group Representations . 438

8.1 Examples and General Results 438
8.2 Representations of Abelian Groups 451
8.3 Decomposition of the Regular Representation 453
8.4 Characters . . . . . . . . 462
8.5 Induced Representations . . 479
8.6 Permutation Representations 496
8.7 Concluding Remarks 503
8.8 Exercises 505

Appendix 507
Bibliography . . 510
Index of Notation 511
Index of Terminology 517