Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-rings-and-modules-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2023/2/a/ii/solution
Past exam of the rings and modules course of the University of Oxford 2023 2 a ii Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-25
Yes. An -module over a field is a vector space. Start with a finite generating list. If it is linearly dependent, one vector has a nonzero coefficient in a linear relation; dividing by that coefficient expresses the vector using the others, so it can be removed without changing the span. Repeating terminates with a linearly independent generating list, which is a basis and therefore a basis of a module.
Thus every finitely generated module over a field is a free module. For the zero module, the empty list is the required basis of a module.
New to topics? Read the docs here!