Projective dimension (${\mathrm{pd}}_{R}M$)

For a nonzero module, the projective dimension ${\mathrm{pd}}_{R}M$ is the shortest length of a projective resolution of the module $M$, or infinity if no finite projective resolution exists. Equivalently, it is the supremum of degrees with nonzero ${\mathrm{Ext}}_R^n(M,N)$ as $N$ ranges over all modules. This equivalence follows by dimension shifting and the characterization of projective modules by vanishing ${\mathrm{Ext}}^1$.