Past exam of the rings and modules course of the University of Oxford / 2023 / 2 / a / iii

In the direct sum of modules $M=N\oplus P$, every $m\in M$ has a unique expression $m=n+p$, with $n\in N$ and $p\in P$. DefineThe uniqueness makes this well-defined. For $m=n+p$, $m^{\prime }=n^{\prime }+p^{\prime }$ and $r\in R$,so $\pi$ is a module homomorphism. Finally, $\pi (n+p)=0$ exactly when $p=0$, equivalently $m\in N$. Therefore $\boxed{\ker \pi =N}$. Its image is $P$, and ${\pi }^2=\pi$, so it is the projection onto that direct summand.