Closed paths at vertex form a basis of . For nonzero finite linear combinations , take their largest path lengths . In the length- part of , a concatenated path has a unique cut into lengths . Thus a product of nonzero top-degree coefficients cannot cancel, and . The corner is a noncommutative domain and has no idempotents except zero and its identity . This argument works with oriented cycles and proves indecomposability of the vertex projective module of a path algebra without falsely assuming that its endomorphism ring is local.
Left Noetherian domain Ore lemma 2026-10-25
In a noncommutative domain that is a left Noetherian ring, two nonzero principal left ideals always intersect nontrivially. If , a relation first forces , then . Right cancellation of and repetition give all . Hence is an infinite direct sum of nonzero left ideals, whose finite partial sums violate the ascending chain condition. A nonzero member of supplies the equality with , proving the left Ore set condition for all nonzero elements.
Noncommutative formal power series ring 2026-10-25
For a field and finitely many generators, this ring consists of arbitrary coefficient families indexed by finite words in the generators. Addition is coefficientwise and multiplication uses concatenation: the coefficient of in is , a finite sum. Finite series form the free associative algebra. If , their lowest nonzero homogeneous parts multiply to a nonzero polynomial, since a word of fixed length has a unique splitting at a specified position. Thus the ring is a noncommutative domain.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2001 iii Paper 2 1 iii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
For a noncommutative domain , the right Ore condition on its nonzero elements requires that for every and nonzero , there exist and with . The Ore theorem says that this is precisely the condition for a division ring of right fractions in which embeds and every element is . The left-handed condition similarly gives left fractions.
For completeness, a right Noetherian domain satisfies the condition. If with , the right idealsform a strict chain of direct sums. Indeed, in a relation , the first term lies in and the rest in . Their zero intersection makes , hence ; cancel and repeat. Every new summand is nonzero in a noncommutative domain, contradicting the ascending chain condition. Thus exists, with , giving right common multiples. The opposite-ring argument gives left common multiples when is a left Noetherian ring. This proves right Noetherian domains satisfy the Ore condition.
A sketch of the fraction construction also explains the theorem. Pairs represent . They represent the same fraction when a common right denominator also satisfies . Addition uses . For multiplication choose with ; thenFurther common denominators prove well-definedness and the ring identities. The original map is injective because all nonzero denominators are regular; a zero fraction numerator would satisfy for . Every nonzero fraction has inverse , so the ring is a division ring. This construction has the universal property of inverting all nonzero elements.
Apply this to the two-sided Noetherian noncommutative domain . Its left Ore property expresses any right fraction as a left one: choose with , yielding . Hence one division ring is simultaneously the left and right classical ring of quotients of ; the two constructions agree by their universal property.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2003 iii Paper 2 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
A regular element of a ring is an element for which both multiplication maps are injective:It is thus neither a left nor a right zero divisor; it need not be a unit. Here “ideals” means two-sided ideals. Put , and let denote the specified upper triangular ring.
We first establish the additional facts about the Weyl algebra needed below. Its generators satisfyReordering gives a spanning set . These monomials are independent. Indeed, represent the generators by multiplication and differentiation on . In a putative zero operator , choose of maximal total derivative degree. Iterated commutation with multiplication by the coordinates, times in coordinate , gives multiplication by . All other derivative terms of that total degree disappear unless they have exactly the same multiindex, and lower-degree terms disappear. Thus , and descending induction eliminates all coefficients. This proves the ordered monomial basis of a Weyl algebra and faithfulness of its polynomial action.
The Weyl algebra is a simple ring. In a nonzero two-sided ideal choose a nonzero element of least Bernstein filtration degree, where both and have degree one. Commuting it with any generator stays in the ideal and lowers that degree. Minimality therefore makes all these commutators zero. Commutation with every forces all derivative coefficients with to vanish; commutation with every then forces all partial derivatives of the remaining polynomial to vanish. In characteristic zero the element is a nonzero scalar. The ideal consequently contains . This proves simplicity of a Weyl algebra in characteristic zero. Its Jacobson radical is zero, since the radical is a proper two-sided ideal of a nonzero unital simple ring.
Use the two diagonal idempotents to isolate the entries of any ideal of . It must have the formwhere all three entries are two-sided ideals of and . Conversely this condition makes the indicated set an ideal. Simplicity says that each is or , and either nonzero diagonal entry forces . Hence the five ideals of areFor a two-sided ideal of , multiplication on both sides by elementary matrices isolates any entry and moves it to any matrix position. The entries obtained form one two-sided ideal of , and the original ideal is . Thus the only ideals of are and .
Since , lies in the Jacobson radical of : for and , and has inverse . On the other hand, has zero radical, so the image of the radical in this quotient is zero. The elementary unit criterion for the Jacobson radical justifies both assertions. ThereforeThe second equality follows from simplicity of .
We now construct the denominators used to describe regular matrices. A left Noetherian noncommutative domain satisfies the left Ore condition. For if for two nonzero elements, the left ideals have direct sum: in a relation the first summand lies in , all the others in , so it vanishes; cancellation of the final repeats the argument. Their finite partial sums form a strictly ascending chain, contradicting left Noetherianity. Thus , giving common nonzero left multiples and the required Ore equations. The analogous argument with right ideals gives the right Ore condition under right Noetherianity. Both hypotheses for are allowed in the question.
The Ore localization therefore embeds in a division ring . Briefly, its elements are left fractions , with nonzero , and two fractions are identified after passing to a common left denominator. Common multiples supply addition and multiplication, while cancellation in the domain makes the embedding injective. A nonzero fraction has an inverse, obtained by interchanging its numerator and denominator in the appropriate Ore fraction calculation. The right fraction construction gives the same division ring, so finite lists have common left and common right denominators.
A triangular matrix with is invertible over , with inverseIt is consequently regular over . If , then ; if , then . Hence
A full matrix is regular exactly when it is invertible over :One implication follows immediately from invertibility. Conversely, a singular matrix over a division ring has a nonzero right kernel column and a nonzero left kernel row, by row reduction. A common right denominator turns the column into a nonzero column over , providing a right annihilator matrix over . A common left denominator does the same for the row and gives a left annihilator. Thus a singular matrix is not regular. Explicitly, for with , row elimination says that regularity is equivalent to in . If , it is equivalent to both and . A commutative determinant formula must not be substituted here.
Finally both classical left rings of quotients exist, andTo prove this directly, clear a common left denominator from all the finitely many entries of a matrix over . It becomes with in the original triangular or full ring and regular. Every original regular element becomes a unit in the corresponding ring over , by the descriptions above. For regular and in the original ring, write in this way; then , the left Ore condition. Since the denominators are regular, the additional annihilator condition for localization is automatic. This proves the matrix and triangular localization over an Ore domain assertions. In particular, the nonzero nilpotent radical of the triangular ring does not prevent its classical localization; that localization retains the triangular radical.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2004 iii Paper 1 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Use generators with . The ordered monomials form a basis: construct the Weyl algebra as the differential Ore extension of with , which has unique ordered polynomial expressions. Giving both generators degree one produces the Bernstein filtration, whose associated graded ring is . If , their nonzero leading symbols have nonzero product in this polynomial integral domain. Thus has nonzero leading symbol and cannot vanish. Hence has no nontrivial zero divisors.
Here is the left-handed Ore theorem. Let be a multiplicative set of regular elements of a ring, containing and excluding . There is an injective Ore localization whose elements are left fractions if and only ifThis is the left Ore condition. For a noncommutative domain, taking gives a division ring exactly when this condition holds. With zero-divisor denominators a further left reversibility condition is needed; the regular-denominator statement is the one used here.
Necessity follows by writing in the quotient and multiplying by and , giving in the embedded original ring. For a construction proving sufficiency, use the left Ore fraction construction: pairs represent , and and are equivalent whenfor suitable . Reflexivity and symmetry are immediate. For transitivity, combine and by a common left multiple . Then , so regularity gives , which combines the numerator equalities and proves transitivity.
Addition uses the common denominator , with numerator . To multiply by , choose with ; setThe Ore condition supplies a common refinement whenever a representative or an Ore relation is changed, and regularity cancels the shared denominator, proving independence of choices. The same refinements verify the ring axioms; the formulas are simply addition and multiplication after clearing left denominators. The map is injective, since equivalence to zero would give with . Each becomes invertible. A homomorphism inverting extends uniquely by , giving the universal property. For all nonzero denominators in a noncommutative domain, a nonzero fraction has inverse , so the quotient is a division ring. This is the requested proof sketch, with the fraction equivalence and multiplication made explicit.
It remains to check the left Ore condition for . Its graded polynomial ring is Noetherian by the Hilbert basis theorem. Lifting homogeneous generators of a graded left ideal and successively cancelling leading symbols proves that the filtered algebra is a left Noetherian ring: each subtraction lowers the nonnegative degree, so it terminates.
In any left Noetherian noncommutative domain, nonzero principal left ideals intersect. Otherwise with would makean infinite direct sum of nonzero left ideals. To verify directness, reduce a finite relation modulo to make its first summand zero, then cancel on the right and repeat. Its increasing finite partial sums contradict the ascending chain condition. A nonzero element of therefore has the form , with , proving the required condition. Consequently has a classical ring of left quotients, and it is a division ring.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2004 iii Paper 1 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
For , the Weyl algebra is generated by with and the other generator commutators zero. Iterating the differential Ore extension construction gives the ordered basis . In the Bernstein filtration, both kinds of generator have degree one, andLeading symbols show that is a noncommutative domain. The Hilbert basis theorem and homogeneous-generator lifting by decreasing degree make it both left and right Noetherian.
It is also a simple ring. In a nonzero two-sided ideal, choose a nonzero element and a monomial of maximal total degree with nonzero coefficient . Applying eliminates every lower-degree term and every different term of that maximal degree. The result is the nonzero scalar . Thus the ideal contains . Here the scalar extraction by iterated Weyl commutators uses characteristic zero. Despite simplicity, has no nonzero finite-dimensional modules: in such a representation would have trace , impossible over . Its interesting module theory is necessarily infinite-dimensional.
For a finitely generated left module , choose a finite-dimensional generating subspace and set . This is a good filtration of a module. Its associated graded module is finite over the graded polynomial ring, so its cumulative Hilbert function is eventually a polynomial,with positive integer multiplicity . These are the Bernstein growth dimension of a Weyl algebra module and its multiplicity of a filtered module. Two good filtrations bound each other after fixed shifts: lift finite homogeneous generators in one filtration, bound their degrees in the other, and use compatibility with ; then reverse the roles. The growth degree and leading coefficient therefore do not depend on the good filtration of a module. The degree is also the Gelfand–Kirillov dimension of a module and the dimension of the characteristic variety of a Weyl algebra module, the support of . Since is a quotient of a finite sum of copies of , .
The essential lower bound is the Bernstein inequality for Weyl algebra modules:Here is a full proof. Multiplication gives a linear map . Prove it injective by induction on . At a scalar killing must vanish. If kills , then for every generator , its commutator kills : both and are zero for . Induction gives for all generators. In the ordered basis, differentiates the exponents and differentiates the exponents with a minus sign. Vanishing of all these commutators in characteristic zero forces to be a scalar. It then vanishes because it kills . This proves the faithful finite-step action of a Weyl algebra and henceComparison of degrees gives , proving the inequality. Equally, without invoking eventual polynomiality, this estimate directly bounds the Gelfand–Kirillov dimension of a module below by . Right modules satisfy the same inequality through the filtration-preserving isomorphism , , .
A nonzero finitely generated module with is a holonomic Weyl algebra module; the zero module is conventionally included. This minimal-growth class is stable under submodules, quotient modules and extensions. For , take the induced and quotient filtrations. Their graded sequence is exact; Noetherianity of makes the induced filtrations good. Thus the Hilbert functions add andif both nonzero terms have the top dimension, their multiplicities add. For a holonomic Weyl algebra module, every nonzero subquotient has dimension , by the upper bound inherited from and Bernstein's lower bound. Each nonzero factor in a strict chain therefore consumes positive integral multiplicity. This proves the multiplicity bounds the length of a holonomic Weyl module:In particular a holonomic module is both Noetherian and Artinian and has finite length, although its vector-space dimension is infinite. This distinction separates finite-dimensional representation theory from finite-length Weyl module theory.
The polynomial module , with acting by multiplication and by differentiation, is generated by . Its consists of polynomials of degree at most , with dimension , so and . It is simple: differentiating a maximal-degree monomial of a nonzero polynomial isolates a nonzero constant, and multiplication by polynomials then generates the whole module. A second basic example is the delta moduleUsing the reverse ordered basis , its vector space is ; acts by multiplication and by negative differentiation. The same argument proves simplicity and holonomicity. These two examples are exchanged by the automorphism , . Free modules, in contrast, have growth dimension and are not holonomic. Thus the central organizing invariants are good filtration of a module, growth dimension, characteristic support and multiplicity, with Bernstein's estimate explaining why dimension is the natural smallest nonzero size.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2005 iii Paper 85 3 Solution 2026-10-14
A right Ore localization at is a unital homomorphism such that every , , is a unit, every element of is , andEquivalently, the usual fraction construction has this zero criterion and is universal among homomorphisms that invert . Injectivity is required only when the denominators are regular elements of a ring. If , every homomorphism inverting has zero target; this is the degenerate zero-ring localization. For a nonzero localization we require .
- For and , there are and with ; this is the right Ore condition.
- If with , there is with ; this is right reversibility.
For necessity, write the element as . Multiplying by on the left and on the right gives . The zero criterion supplies with . Hence , the right Ore condition in , not merely an equality of images in . Also makes because is invertible, and the zero criterion gives . This proves both necessities.
The sufficiency is the Ore theorem for denominator sets. Concretely, right fractions can be represented by ; a common-denominator equality has and for suitable . The two conditions make the induced fraction equivalence transitive and make addition and multiplication well defined; the zero fraction is exactly the kernel displayed above. The requested direction of the theorem was necessity, for which the complete argument has just been given.
For a right Noetherian domain, any two nonzero principal right ideals intersect. To see this without using the desired localization, suppose with . The sumis direct: reduce a finite relation modulo to get its first summand zero, then cancel in the noncommutative domain and repeat. Every summand is nonzero, so the finite partial sums form a strictly ascending chain of right ideals, contradicting the ascending chain condition. A nonzero intersection thus provides , with . This is the right Ore condition for . Reversibility is automatic in a noncommutative domain, and the zero criterion makes the map injective. The localization is a division ring, since a nonzero has inverse .
The Goldie theorem states that a semiprime ring has a semisimple Artinian classical right ring of quotients if and only if it has finite right uniform dimension and satisfies the ascending chain condition on right annihilators. A right Noetherian ring satisfies the annihilator condition because right annihilators are right ideals. Its right regular module has finite uniform dimension: an infinite direct sum of nonzero submodules would give a strictly ascending chain of finite partial sums. A prime ring is semiprime, so the theorem applies to a prime right Noetherian ring .
To obtain a single matrix-ring factor, not just a finite product, prove that its quotient is prime. A nonzero two-sided ideal contains a nonzero fraction and hence the nonzero element . The same holds for any other nonzero ideal . Since is prime, , so . Thus is prime. The Artin–Wedderburn theorem gives a finite product of matrix rings over division rings; primeness excludes two different nonzero factors with zero product. This proves the prime classical quotient of a prime right Goldie ring:For the requested counterexample to Noetherianity, take . It is a commutative integral domain and has its field of fractions as its classical right ring of quotients. But is a strictly ascending ideal chain: evaluation at shows is not in the preceding ideal. Therefore existence of a classical quotient does not imply right Noetherianity.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2007 iii Paper 2 5 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
The printed input is a genuine typo in the PDF as well as in the TeX: annihilates every power of , whereas the displayed right-hand side is generally nonzero. The intended input is , and the calculation below proves that corrected identity.
The given comultiplications make a coalgebra, with counit one on and zero on . Write , and , and similarly for . The measuring coalgebra identities areThe group-like elements act multiplicatively. Although the statement omits an explicit specification of , its identity action follows from the other data and the quantum plane relation. Applying to gives , so cancellation in the noncommutative domain gives . Applying to the same relation gives , so . Thus is the identity on the entire quantum plane.
Now by induction. Suppose . The measuring rule and giveThe induction starts with and . A final product rule givesFor the answer is zero. By contrast the literal printed input has ; it cannot satisfy the printed right-hand side for .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 128 2 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
A right Noetherian ring satisfies the ascending chain condition on right ideals; equivalently, every right ideal is a finitely generated module.
Here is a noncommutative Hilbert basis theorem proof adapted to the stated hypothesis. Set andThe equality follows inductively from , by moving one coefficient past one at a time. These spaces form an exhaustive filtered algebra structure on , with . This does not assert uniqueness of the displayed expressions or the existence of a coefficient-moving automorphism.
For a right ideal , defineEach is a right ideal of . In fact, if and , write with , ; then . Also by right multiplication by . Since is a right Noetherian ring, this ascending chain stabilizes at some .
Choose finite generators for each , , and choose with . These finitely many elements generate as a right ideal. To see this, induct on for . Write with ; then . Put and express . Write with . The differencelies in , so the induction applies. At the remainder is zero. Hence is right Noetherian.
For the quantum torus, take and the convention . Begin with the polynomial ring , which is Noetherian by the Hilbert basis theorem. Adjoining preserves the hypothesis because it commutes with , and gives . Adjoin next. The relation and its inverse coefficient-moving relation give for . Finally adjoin to , where . On a monomial, ; when this is in , and when it is in . The reverse inclusion follows by the same relation. The preceding argument applies at each step, proving the quantum torus is right Noetherian. Nonzero is required for this notation.
For a noncommutative ring, a prime ideal of a noncommutative ring means a proper two-sided ideal such that for two-sided ideals implies or . Equivalently, implies or . This definition does not require to be a noncommutative domain.
Retain the right Noetherian ring hypothesis for the last assertion. More generally, the ascending chain condition on two-sided ideals suffices. We claim that every proper two-sided ideal contains a product of finitely many prime ideals of a noncommutative ring, each containing . If not, choose a maximal counterexample . It cannot be a prime ideal of a noncommutative ring. Thus there are two-sided ideals strictly containing with : add to the two witnesses for failure of the defining condition for a prime ideal of a noncommutative ring. By maximality, both and contain products of finitely many prime ideals of a noncommutative ring containing them. Concatenating these products gives a product inside , a contradiction.
Apply the claim to in a nonzero , obtaining . Every prime ideal of a noncommutative ring contains one of the , by repeated application of the definition of a prime ideal of a noncommutative ring. For the prime radical of a noncommutative ring , it follows thatIndeed, gives , and for every gives equality of the intersections. If , the empty intersection is the whole zero ring and the conclusion is immediate.
The final assertion is false for arbitrary algebras without the preceding chain condition. For example, in the commutative ring the nilradical is , its only prime ideal, but the product of any number of distinct is nonzero. Thus this nilradical is not a nilpotent ideal.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 128 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
Use and for the quantum plane. Its monomials , , form a basis, with multiplicationOne way to verify the basis assertion without assuming it is to define this multiplication on the vector space with the displayed formal basis. This defines an associative algebra: for a third monomial , the two products of three monomials have the same exponent of , and its generators satisfy the required relation. Conversely, the relation puts every word into this form, establishing the presentation. Order exponent pairs by the lexicographic order. The largest monomials of two nonzero finite sums give the uniquely largest monomial of their product, with coefficient . Therefore the quantum plane is a domain. If one allows , the assertion fails because with both factors nonzero.
A uniform module is a nonzero module in which any two nonzero submodules have nonzero intersection. Suppose the right regular module of a right Noetherian domain were not a uniform module. Choose nonzero from two right ideals with zero intersection. Then . The right idealsform a direct sum. For if , then is zero, so by the noncommutative domain property. Cancel the nonzero factor on the left and repeat to obtain every . Each summand is nonzero, so their finite partial sums form a strictly ascending chain of right ideals. This contradicts the ascending chain condition of a right Noetherian ring. Hence is a uniform right module.
It follows that whenever : there are nonzero with . This is the right Ore condition for the multiplicative set ; zero numerators cause no difficulty. The Ore localization theorem therefore constructs the ring of right fractionsThe map is injective because an element mapping to zero is annihilated on the right by some nonzero denominator, impossible in a noncommutative domain. To make the denominator convention concrete, if thenFor multiplication, choose with ; thenCommon right multiples make these operations independent of the chosen representatives. Every nonzero has inverse , so is a division ring. The original field is central in and therefore in the inverses as well, making a division algebra over . No commutative fraction field construction is being assumed.
Past exam of the non-commutative rings course of the University of Oxford 2023 2 a ii Solution 2026-10-25
We first prove that any two nonzero principal left ideals and intersect nontrivially. Suppose instead that . The nonzero left idealsthen form a direct sum. Indeed, take a finite relationIt impliesAs is a noncommutative domain and , this gives . Right cancellation of the nonzero element reduces the remaining relation to one of the same form with one fewer term. Repetition gives , proving the asserted direct sum.
Consequently its finite partial sums give a strictly ascending chain of left ideals, contradicting the ascending chain condition in a left Noetherian ring. Thus whenever . This is the left Noetherian domain Ore lemma.
Now take and . If , choose and . Otherwise chooseSince , the coefficient is nonzero and hence belongs to . This proves the left Ore set condition in all cases.
Past exam of the non-commutative rings course of the University of Oxford 2023 2 a i Solution 2026-10-25
A multiplicative subset is a left Ore set if for every and there are and withEquivalently, the subsets and intersect for each such pair. This is the common-left-multiple condition needed for Ore localization with denominators on the left. In a noncommutative domain, no extra condition concerning annihilation by denominators is needed, since all members of are regular elements of a ring.
Past exam of the non-commutative rings course of the University of Oxford 2023 2 d Solution 2026-10-25
Take . We first check that this noncommutative formal power series ring is a noncommutative domain. For nonzero , let be the smallest lengths of words with nonzero coefficients in , respectively. Their degree- and degree- parts are nonzero homogeneous polynomials in the free associative algebra.
Choose words with nonzero coefficients in . In , the coefficient of is the product of those two coefficients: a word of length has a unique splitting into a prefix of length and a suffix of length . This product is nonzero in . The degree- part of is exactly , since all lower parts of and vanish. Thus , proving that is a noncommutative domain.
By the defining property of the free associative algebra, there is a ring homomorphismThe same substitution defines a ring automorphism of , with inverse , . Composing this ring automorphism with the natural inclusion proves that is injective.
Finally,Their constant terms are , respectively, all nonzero. By the unit criterion for noncommutative formal power series proved in c, all four elements are units. Therefore and have every required property. The embedding changes the images of the generators, so the failure of the original monomial left Ore set in b presents no obstruction.
Quantum plane 2026-10-05
Right Noetherian domain Created 2026-10-05 Updated 2026-10-14
A noncommutative domain whose right ideals satisfy the ascending chain condition is a right Noetherian domain. Its right regular module is a uniform module, so any two nonzero principal right ideals intersect. Thus its nonzero elements satisfy the right Ore condition and it embeds in a division ring by Ore localization.
If two nonzero principal right ideals in a right Noetherian domain had zero intersection, the sums would be strictly increasing. Directness follows by splitting the lowest term into and the other terms into , then cancelling and repeating. This contradicts the ascending chain condition. A nonzero common element gives the right Ore condition. The left version follows from the opposite ring. Consequently a noncommutative domain Noetherian on both sides has a single division ring of fractions with both left and right fraction presentations.
Right Ore condition Created 2026-10-05 Updated 2026-10-14
A multiplicative subset with and of a ring satisfies the right Ore condition if for every and there are and such that . For a noncommutative domain, taking gives a ring of right fractions ; every nonzero fraction is invertible. The usual additional denominator reversibility condition is automatic when the elements of are nonzero in a noncommutative domain.
Right Ore set Created 2026-10-05 Updated 2026-10-14
A multiplicative subset of a ring is a right Ore set if , and it satisfies the right Ore condition. In a noncommutative domain, this condition lets nonzero denominators be used in Ore localization.
Let have no zero divisors and be an automorphism. For nonzero Laurent polynomials and with greatest exponents , the coefficient of in is . No other exponent pair contributes to that highest degree. Both factors are nonzero, so their product is nonzero, proving the noncommutative domain property in every characteristic.