Ideals of subrings of the rational numbers 2026-10-31
Every subring of the rational numbers containing is a principal ideal domain. If is reduced, Bézout's identity gives integers with , hence . Thus every reduced denominator occurring in is a unit.
For an ideal , write . Then . If is reduced, , so for some integer . Since , . Therefore , including the zero ideal. This is a concrete instance of extending and contracting ideals under localization of a ring.
p-adic integer Created 2026-09-28 Updated 2026-10-14
The p-adic integers retain arithmetic information modulo arbitrarily high powers of one prime number . They form the subringof the P-adic numbers. Their p-adic absolute value bounds the allowed denominators: belongs to , while does not. The name therefore describes a local arithmetic ring, not just the ordinary integers.[ref]
P-adic numbers by Jan-Hendrik Evertse. §3, printed pp. 6–7: definition of Zp, rational denominators and units
A concrete description gives an element by a compatible sequence of congruence classes:The inverse limit condition says that gaining more precision must preserve the digits already determined. Each is a residue modulo ; choosing its least nonnegative integer representative gives . The ordinary integer gives residues modulo .
The useful feature is that one exact object organizes an unlimited family of finite modular arithmetic calculations. Addition and multiplication are performed modulo each , and the results remain compatible. A p-adic digit expansion makes this concrete:The expansion is unique and converges in the p-adic metric; its higher powers have smaller p-adic absolute value. The digit agreement and p-adic distance criterion tells exactly which finite digits a precision bound preserves.[ref]
Take a reduced fraction , with . Since , Bézout's identity supplies integers with . As the subring contains all integers,Thus a denominator appearing in a reduced fraction in is automatically a unit of .
Now let . Because , the principal ideal is contained in . For the reverse inclusion, take and write in lowest terms. Multiplying by gives , so for some integer . The preceding result gives , whenceThereforeThis includes : the same argument forces every to be zero. This is the ideals of subrings of the rational numbers property; every such ring is a principal ideal domain.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2007 iii Paper 28 1 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
The discrete valuation identities and make closed under products and sums; it contains and additive inverses. As a subring of the field , it is an integral domain.
Its units are exactly the elements of valuation zero: if and only if . The remaining elements form the ideal , and every proper ideal is contained in it, since an ideal containing a unit is the whole ring. Hence is a local ring with this unique maximal ideal.
For a nonzero ideal , the set of valuations of its nonzero elements is a nonempty subset of and has a least value. Choose attaining it. Every satisfies , so and . The zero ideal is also principal. This proves that is a discrete valuation ring, in particular a principal ideal domain.
Choose a uniformizer , with . For , some makes , and is a quotient of elements of . Thus is the field of fractions of .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 iii Paper 4 1 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
Put , the ring of invariants. It is an integral domain because it is a subring of the domain . Embed in in the evident way.
Suppose is an integral element over . Its monic equation has coefficients in , so is integral over . Since is a normal domain, .
Write with and . Each ring automorphism in extends to the fraction field by acting on numerator and denominator, and fixes this fraction. Hence . We have proved that is integrally closed in its own fraction field:This normality of a ring of invariants argument actually works for any group; finiteness is not needed for this conclusion. For finite , there is additionally an integral extension , since for each the orbit polynomial under a finite automorphism groupis monic, has coefficients fixed by and vanishes at . Neither argument divides by , so it is valid when the characteristic divides the group order. Here normality means integral closedness of a domain.
Past exam of the rings and modules course of the University of Oxford 2021 1 b i Solution 2026-10-25
All principal ideals in this part are taken inside the subring , rather than inside . First, is a subring: sums and additive inverses retain zero coefficient of , and the coefficient of in a product is . It contains .
The principal ideal is preciselyIndeed, multiplying an element of by gives a possible term of polynomial degree and terms of polynomial degrees at least , with no term. Conversely, dividing any displayed polynomial by gives a polynomial with no term, hence an element of .
Given , let be its coefficients of , respectively. Subtracting these terms leaves an element of , soFor uniqueness, if two such representatives differ by an element of , their difference has possible monomials only , whereas every element of has zero coefficients at all three. Comparing coefficients gives , , .
In particular, . Treating as the principal ideal of instead would incorrectly discard this surviving term.
Past exam of the rings and modules course of the University of Oxford 2023 1 c i Solution 2026-10-25
Choose a generator of the cyclic group , so . Part (a)(iii) gives a unital ring homomorphism . Its image lies in the centre of , so even if is not a commutative ring, evaluating a polynomial at defines a ring homomorphismBecause , it factors through the quotient ring to giveIts image is the subring . Every unit of is a unit of , because an inverse in also lies in . Conversely, every member of is for some , and both and its inverse lie in . HenceThe inverse argument matters: merely belonging to a subring would not by itself make an ambient unit invertible there.
Past exam of the rings and modules course of the University of Oxford 2023 3 b i Solution 2026-10-25
The Gaussian integers form an integral domain, since they are a subring of the complex numbers. Use the Gaussian integer normwhich is a positive integer for nonzero and satisfies .
For with , write . Choose integers with and , put , and set . ThenThus division with remainder has either or a strictly smaller Gaussian integer norm. This proves that is a euclidean function and
Ring of invariants Created 2026-10-07 Updated 2026-10-14
For a group acting on a ring by ring automorphisms, the elements fixed by every group element form a subring containing . For finite acting on a commutative ring, each satisfies the monic orbit equation , whose coefficients are fixed. Thus is integral over its invariant subring. This uses an orbit product, not division by the group order.
