 Torsion submodule

For a module $M$ over an integral domain $R$, its torsion submodule isThis is a submodule. If $rm=0$ and $sn=0$ with $r,s\ne 0$, then $rs(m+n)=0$ and $rs\ne 0$; also $r(am)=a(rm)=0$ for every $a\in R$. The integral domain hypothesis supplies both the nonzero product and commutativity. These are the conventions of ^[ref].

A mixed example is the direct sum $M={\mathbb{Z}}^2\oplus \mathbb{Z}/6\mathbb{Z}$. If a nonzero integer kills $(a,b,\overline{c})$, then $a=b=0$. Conversely, $6$ kills every $(0,0,\overline{c})$. ThusThe torsion submodule isolates the finite-order part while the quotient module keeps the independent integer directions. In general $M/T(M)$ is a torsion-free module: if $r(m+T(M))=0$ with $r\ne 0$, some $s\ne 0$ kills $rm$, so $sr\ne 0$ kills $m$.

The hypothesis matters. In the ring $R=\mathbb{Z}/6\mathbb{Z}$ viewed as a module over itself, the elements $\overline{2}$ and $\overline{3}$ are killed by nonzero scalars $\overline{3}$ and $\overline{2}$, but their sum $\overline{5}$ is a unit and is killed by no nonzero scalar. Thus using arbitrary nonzero scalars in a ring with zero divisors need not give a submodule. A common broader convention uses regular elements of a ring as annihilators; the integral domain convention here avoids that ambiguity.