Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2017 / ib / Paper 2 / 11E (Groups, Rings and Modules)

For nilpotent elements $a,b$ of the commutative ring, choose positive integers $r,s$ with $a^r=b^s=0$. The binomial theorem giveseach term has either $j\ge r$ or $r+s-1-j\ge s$. Also $(-a{)}^r=0$, $0\in N$, and $(ta{)}^r=t^r{a}^r=0$ for every $t\in R$. Thus $N$ is an additive subgroup stable under multiplication by arbitrary ring elements:Commutativity is essential to the simple binomial argument; an arbitrary sum of nilpotent elements in a noncommutative ring need not be nilpotent.

Consider all ideals containing $I$ and disjoint from the nonempty multiplicative subset $S$. This collection is nonempty because it contains $I$. The ascending chain condition for the Noetherian ring gives a maximal member $P$: otherwise repeatedly choosing a strictly larger member would give an infinite strictly ascending chain of ideals. Since $S$ is nonempty and $P$ misses it, $P\ne R$.

Suppose $ab\in P$ but $a,b\notin P$. Maximality implies that $P+(a)$ and $P+(b)$ both meet $S$, so write $s=p+ra\in S$ and $t=q+ub\in S$ with $p,q\in P$. Thenwhile closure under products gives $st\in S$, a contradiction. HenceThis proves the prime ideal avoiding a multiplicative subset result without needing $1\in S$. The assumptions themselves rule out $0\in S$, since every ideal contains zero.

A nilpotent element belongs to every prime ideal: if $a^r=0\in P$, repeated primality forces $a\in P$. Therefore $N\subseteq {\bigcap }_{P}P$.

Conversely, if $a\notin N$, none of its positive powers is zero. The multiplicative subset $S=\{1,a,a^2,\dots \}$ is disjoint from $(0)$. Part (b) supplies a prime ideal disjoint from $S$, hence not containing $a$. Thus $a$ is outside the intersection, proving the nilradical as the intersection of prime ideals identity:In the zero ring there are no prime ideals; the empty intersection is interpreted as the whole ring, which is also its nilradical. For nonzero rings this argument proves existence of a prime ideal whenever a nonnilpotent element is available.