 Solution

The Krull dimension of a commutative ring $R$ isThe length of a prime chain counts strict inclusions, rather than the number of prime ideals.

Let $R$ be a principal ideal domain that is not a field. We first show that every nonzero prime ideal is a maximal ideal. Write such a prime ideal as $P=(p)$ with $p\ne 0$, and suppose $P\subseteq (a)$. Then $p=ab$ for some $b\in R$. Since $ab\in P$, either $a\in P$, in which case $(a)=P$, or $b\in P$. In the second case $b=pc$ for some $c$, and $p=apc$ gives $1=ac$ by multiplicative cancellation in an integral domain. Thus $(a)=R$. This proves maximality.

Since $R$ is an integral domain, $(0)$ is a prime ideal, and every other prime ideal is maximal. Consequently every prime chain has length at most one. For the opposite inequality, choose a nonzero nonunit $a$, which exists because $R$ is not a field. The proper principal ideal $(a)$ is contained in a maximal ideal $\mathfrak{m}$; existence follows from Zorn's lemma applied to the proper ideals containing $(a)$. A maximal ideal is a prime ideal, since its quotient ring is a field. Therefore $(0)⊊\mathfrak{m}$ is a prime chain of length one. Thus the Krull dimension of a principal ideal domain that is not a field is